Analysis
NAICS 7115 is the 2022 industry group for independent artists, writers, and performers, part of 711 (Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries).
It has only one more detailed code, 711510, which covers exactly the same activities; the definition, index entries and statistics are on that page.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments grew 26% and employment rose 22%. 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.
County Business Patterns counts 38,677 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 64,940 people at an average annual payroll of $158,290 per employee (98th percentile of national industries). 94% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which marks it as a small-business industry.
By establishments it ranks 1st of the 5 codes at this level within Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries, with 56.3% of them.