NAICS was developed through federal agencies for the collection, analysis, and publication of statistical data related to the U.S. economy. It was adopted in 1997 to replace the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. NAICS codes provide more detail about a business's activity than SIC. NAICS includes 1,170 industries, while SIC includes 1,004 industries. In addition, NAICS codes are based on a consistent economic concept, while SIC codes are not. For NAICS codes, businesses that use the same, or similar, processes to produce goods or services are grouped together. Industries under the SIC codes were grouped together based on demand or production.

Use the guide below to locate an NAICS code for your research.

Locating NAICS codes:

Step 1:

To discover a specific NAICS code and begin your research of industries and businesses, go to the listing of NAICS codes maintained through the U.S. Census Bureau.

Step 2:

Once there, click on the latest listing of NAICS reference files:

Step 3:

This will take you to a collapsible listing of NAICS codes. Click on the industry sector that best matches your research needs, such as Sector 52: Finance and Insurance.

Step 4:

Clicking on Sector 52 will produce 52 results.

Step 5:

Scroll through these results until the desired industry appears, for example, 522292: Real Estate Credit. Click on that industry's code.

Step 6:

The next webpage includes examples of industries from within  522292: Real Estate Credit. Ensure the industry you are researching fits into 522292. If you are researching the reverse mortgage lending industry, for example, you are searching in the correct place.

According to the 2022 NAICS the code for the Reverse Mortgage Lending industry is 522292.