NAICS stands for the North American Industry Classification System and is a 2 to 6 digit number used by U.S. Federal statistical agencies to classify businesses by industry. (These replaced SIC codes, though there are still a few data sources that use SIC.) This number is very useful when you're doing industry or company research as it helps you avoid the uncertainty of searching for information by keyword. (Is a coffee shop going to show up under the keyword Coffee? Cafe? Bakery?)
You can look up NAICS codes via the US Census Bureau website, but maybe the easiest way is to go to the Factiva database to the 'Companies/Market' tab at the top and search for company by name. The resulting company profile page will include a 'Primary Industry Classification' section which will include a NAICS code.
It is worth bearing in mind that many companies operate within multiple industries so they may have a 'primary', and other, NAICS codes. Also, some databases classify a company themselves, while others associate companies with the NAICS code the company uses primarily to describe their own industry operations. So it might make sense to look for this information in a few different places. Lastly, NAICS codes were updated in 2022 but generally codes are updated every five years so sometimes emerging industries might be operating in a space without a code that currently describes exactly what they do, so you may need to use a broader code under which their work might fall in these circumstances.
Please contact the Business Librarian for more information.
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