Analysis
NAICS 561 is the 2022 subsector for administrative and support services, part of 56 (Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services). Census lists 416 example activities under it in the official index.
County Business Patterns counts 421,777 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 12,960,998 people at an average annual payroll of $56,119 per employee (26th percentile of national industries). 61% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which marks it as a small-business industry.
By establishments it ranks 1st of the 2 codes at this level within Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services, with 93.5% of them.
Across its national industries Census lists 416 index entries; typical ones are administrative management services, base facilities operation support services, babysitting bureaus (i.e., registries) and executive placement consulting services.
It splits into 8 more detailed codes. The largest by establishments is 5617 (Services to Buildings and Dwellings) with 227,045.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments grew 7% and employment rose 9%. 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
Industries in the Administrative and Support Services subsector group establishments engaged in activities that support the day-to-day operations of other organizations. The processes employed in this sector (e.g., general management, personnel administration, clerical activities, cleaning activities) are often integral parts of the activities of establishments found in all sectors of the economy. The establishments classified in this subsector have specialization in one or more of these activities and can, therefore, provide services to clients in a variety of industries and, in some cases, to households. The individual industries of this subsector are defined on the basis of the particular process that they are engaged in and the particular services they provide.
Many of the activities in this subsector are ongoing routine support functions that businesses and organizations perform in-house. However, it is common to contract or purchase services from businesses that specialize in such activities and can, therefore, provide the services more efficiently.
The industries in this subsector cannot be viewed as strictly "support." The Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services industry group includes travel agents, tour operators, and providers of other travel arrangement services, such as hotel and restaurant reservations and arranging the purchase of tickets, serving many types of clients, including individual consumers. This group was placed in this subsector because the services are often of the "support" nature (e.g., travel arrangement) to businesses and other organizations that purchase such services.
The administrative and management activities performed by establishments in this sector are typically on a contract or fee basis. These activities may also be performed by establishments that are part of the company or enterprise. However, establishments involved in administering, overseeing, and managing other establishments of the company or enterprise are classified in Sector 55, Management of Companies and Enterprises. Establishments in Sector 55, Management of Companies and Enterprises, normally undertake the strategic and organizational planning and decision-making role of the company or enterprise. Government establishments engaged in administering, overseeing, and managing governmental programs are classified in Sector 92, Public Administration.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Index entries (416)
- Administrative management services
- Base facilities operation support services
- Babysitting bureaus (i.e., registries)
- Executive placement consulting services
- Construction labor supply services
- Co-employment staffing services
- Desktop publishing services (i.e., document preparation services)
- Answering services, telephone
- Customer service call centers
- Mailbox rental centers, private
- Blueprinting services
- Account collection services
- Commercial credit reporting bureaus
- Automobile repossession services
- Closed captioning services, real-time (i.e., simultaneous)
- Address bar coding services
- Online travel agencies
- Tour operators (i.e., arranging and assembling tours)
- Convention and visitors bureaus
- Airline reservation services
- Background check services
- Body guard services
- Armored car services
- Alarm system monitoring services
- Lock rekeying services
- Bird proofing services
- Aircraft janitorial services
- Arborist services
- Carpet cleaning on customers' premises
- Building exterior cleaning services (except sandblasting, window cleaning)
- Apparel folding and packaging services
- Automobile show managers
- Auctioneers, independent