Compliance Research & Industry Data Studies

Independent data journalism analyzing federal registry databases, SBA small business size standards, and corporate entity resolution metrics.

FLAGSHIP STUDY • July 21, 2026 • Data Source: Census Bureau CBP (2023)

The Establishment Map: Most Common & Rarest U.S. Business Types

Census County Business Patterns data covering 7,186,020 establishments across 831 disclosed industries reveals that fast-food restaurants (270,088) are America's most common business establishment, while commuter rail systems (16) are the rarest.

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FLAGSHIP STUDY • July 21, 2026 • Data Source: Census Bureau Concordance / NAICS 2022

The Translation Gap: How 44% of Legacy SIC Codes Fragment in Modern NAICS

Of 1,004 legacy 1987 SIC codes, 560 map one-to-one to a 2022 NAICS code—but 444 (44.2%) fragment into multiple modern industries. The legacy "Business Services" code (SIC 7389) shatters into 44 distinct NAICS codes across tech, marketing, and commercial services.

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FLAGSHIP STUDY • July 21, 2026 • Data Source: SBA 13 CFR § 121.201 / Census Bureau

The Small-Business Ceiling: SBA Size Standards Across 1,012 U.S. Industries

Minings across all 1,012 active U.S. NAICS industries reveal that the federal "small business" ceiling ranges from $2.25M in annual revenue to $47.0M—or from 100 to 1,500 employees. Exactly 500 industries are sized by gross receipts, 478 by headcount, and 34 carry no size standard.

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