NAICS 2022
54
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
Analysis
NAICS 54 is the 2022 sector for professional, scientific, and technical services.
It has only one more detailed code, 541, which covers exactly the same activities; the definition, index entries and statistics are on that page.
County Business Patterns counts 989,182 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 10,401,442 people at an average annual payroll of $107,141 per employee (87th percentile of national industries). 71% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which marks it as a small-business industry.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments grew 7% and employment rose 14%. The 2018 count used NAICS 2017, so part of a large move can come from codes being redefined rather than from businesses opening or closing.
Official definition
The Sector as a Whole
The Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services sector comprises establishments that specialize in performing professional, scientific, and technical activities for others. These activities require a high degree of expertise and training. The establishments in this sector specialize according to expertise and provide these services to clients in a variety of industries and, in some cases, to households. Activities performed include: legal advice and representation; accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll services; architectural, engineering, and specialized design services; computer services; consulting services; research services; advertising services; photographic services; translation and interpretation services; veterinary services; and other professional, scientific, and technical services.
This sector excludes establishments primarily engaged in providing a range of day-to-day office administrative services, such as financial planning, billing and recordkeeping, personnel supply, and physical distribution and logistics. These establishments are classified in Sector 56, Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.