Analysis
NAICS 541810 is the 2022 national industry for advertising agencies, part of 54181 (Advertising Agencies). Census lists 5 example activities under it in the official index.
County Business Patterns counts 15,512 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 200,465 people at an average annual payroll of $106,841 per employee (87th percentile of national industries). 68% 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 13% and employment rose 7%. 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.
Census lists 6 related activities that belong elsewhere, most often in 541830, 541430, 541860 and 541613. Businesses that do several things are classified by their primary activity, the one that generates the most value, so check those boundaries before settling on this code.
Its index entries, the activities Census uses to assign businesses to this code, include advertising agencies, advertising agency consulting services, digital advertising agencies and internet advertising agencies, among 5 in all.
For example, purchasing advertising space from media outlets and reselling it directly to advertising agencies or individual companies are classified in 541830 (Media Buying Agencies) instead.
Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in creating advertising campaigns and placing such advertising in print and digital periodicals, newspapers, radio and television, or other media. These establishments are organized to provide a full range of services (i.e., through in-house capabilities or subcontracting), including advice, creative services, account management, production of advertising content, media planning, and buying (i.e., placing advertising).
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Not this code if…
| The business mainly does | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Purchasing advertising space from media outlets and reselling it directly to advertising agencies or individual companies | 541830 Media Buying Agencies |
| Conceptualizing and producing artwork or graphic designs without providing other advertising agency services | 541430 Graphic Design Services |
| Creating direct mail advertising campaigns | 541860 Direct Mail Advertising |
| Providing marketing consulting services | 541613 Marketing Consulting Services |
| Selling media time or space for media owners as independent representatives | 541840 Media Representatives |
| Providing access for clients to advertising servers and/or real-time bidding marketplaces from a central host site (except by publishers, Web search portals, and other content providers) | 518210 Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services |
Index entries (5)
- Advertising agencies
- Advertising agency consulting services
- Digital advertising agencies
- Internet advertising agencies
- Online advertising agencies