Analysis
NAICS 72231 is the 2022 NAICS industry for food service contractors, part of 7223 (Special Food Services).
It has only one more detailed code, 722310, which covers exactly the same activities; the definition, index entries and statistics are on that page.
County Business Patterns counts 29,512 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 618,579 people at an average annual payroll of $30,148 per employee (4th percentile of national industries). 41% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which is close to the national mix.
By establishments it ranks 1st of the 3 codes at this level within Special Food Services, with 53.4% of them.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments grew 10% and employment fell 5%. 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
See industry description for 722310.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.