The Establishment Map: America's Most Common & Rarest Business Types
Comprehensive analysis of 7,186,020 U.S. commercial business establishments across 831 disclosed NAICS industries based on Census County Business Patterns data.
Key Research Findings
Analysis of U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns data across 831 disclosed U.S. industries reveals 7,186,020 total commercial establishments. Limited-service (fast-food) restaurants rank as America's most common business type with 270,088 establishments, followed by full-service restaurants (258,626) and physician offices (204,617). At the opposite extreme, commuter rail systems rank as the rarest measured industry with just 16 establishments nationwide. An additional 181 industries carry non-disclosed establishment counts in federal CBP reports due to Census confidentiality rules.
1. Background: Measuring Physical Commercial Presence
Under U.S. Census Bureau definitions for County Business Patterns (CBP), a single "establishment" is defined as a single physical location where business is conducted or where services or industrial operations are performed. Unlike legal entities or corporate parent companies (which may own thousands of locations), establishment counts capture the physical footprint of American commerce.
Our study evaluates all 1,012 U.S. 6-digit NAICS industries in data/naics.json. Of these, exactly 831 industries carry disclosed establishment figures totaling 7,186,020 physical locations. The remaining 181 industries carry non-disclosed counts where federal data suppressed numbers to protect individual company confidentiality.
2. America's Top 10 Most Common Industries
Food service, outpatient healthcare, personal legal/real-estate services, and residential trades dominate America's physical landscape. Fast-food and full-service dining combined account for over 528,000 locations nationwide.
Top 10 Most Common U.S. Business Establishments
Total physical business locations reported by U.S. Census County Business Patterns (2023)
3. America's Top 10 Rarest Measured Industries
Heavy infrastructure, specialized agricultural refining, heavy industrial capital manufacturing, and regional transit systems feature the smallest establishment footprints in the United States.
- NAICS 485112 (Commuter Rail Systems): 16 establishments
- NAICS 485111 (Mixed Mode Transit Systems): 17 establishments
- NAICS 212210 (Iron Ore Mining): 23 establishments
- NAICS 311313 (Beet Sugar Manufacturing): 29 establishments
- NAICS 331313 (Alumina Refining & Primary Aluminum): 32 establishments
- NAICS 322110 (Pulp Mills): 35 establishments
- NAICS 486990 (All Other Pipeline Transportation): 35 establishments
- NAICS 336415 (Guided Missile & Space Vehicle Propulsion): 39 establishments
- NAICS 311213 (Malt Manufacturing): 42 establishments
- NAICS 221116 (Geothermal Electric Power Generation): 48 establishments
4. Sector Aggregation & Establishment Density
When aggregating establishments across major NAICS 2-digit sectors, Healthcare and Professional Services lead the nation with nearly 1 million locations each:
- Health Care & Social Assistance (Sector 62): 1,003,398 establishments
- Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (Sector 54): 989,182 establishments
- Construction (Sector 23): 814,557 establishments
- Other Services / Personal Services (Sector 81): 788,664 establishments
- Accommodation & Food Services (Sector 72): 784,882 establishments
- Real Estate & Rental (Sector 53): 469,562 establishments
5. Reference Data: Extreme Establishment Counts
| NAICS Code | Industry Title | Sector | Establishments |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOP 5 MOST CROWDED INDUSTRIES | |||
| NAICS 722513 | Limited-Service Restaurants | 72 | 270,088 |
| NAICS 722511 | Full-Service Restaurants | 72 | 258,626 |
| NAICS 621111 | Offices of Physicians | 62 | 204,617 |
| NAICS 813110 | Religious Organizations | 81 | 186,801 |
| NAICS 541110 | Offices of Lawyers | 54 | 165,491 |
| TOP 5 RAREST MEASURED INDUSTRIES | |||
| NAICS 485112 | Commuter Rail Systems | 48 | 16 |
| NAICS 485111 | Mixed Mode Transit Systems | 48 | 17 |
| NAICS 212210 | Iron Ore Mining | 21 | 23 |
| NAICS 311313 | Beet Sugar Manufacturing | 31 | 29 |
| NAICS 331313 | Alumina Refining & Primary Aluminum | 33 | 32 |
Get the Complete Establishment Dataset
We provide the raw underlying dataset covering establishment counts across all 1,012 NAICS industries free of charge under Creative Commons Zero (CC0) for data journalists, urban planners, and economic analysts.
Methodology & Data Transparency
All figures in this study were computed directly from data/naics.json, sourced from U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP 2023). Industries carrying null counts represent non-disclosed data where Census Bureau rules suppress figures to prevent disclosure of individual company operations. Explore our full industry directory at NAICS Directory, commercial listings at Directory Search, and official Methodology Statement.