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Services Sector Description

NOTE: This page is archived for historical purposes and is no longer being maintained or updated.

The NORA Services Sector grouping covers over 66 million workers in North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) industries 51 – 56, 61, 71, 72, 81 and 92. The Table lists the major industry groups in the NORA Services Sector grouping for the 2012 Current Population Survey. The largest numbers of employees are in Education (13 million), Accommodations and Food (10 million), and Professional, Scientific and Technical (10 million), Finance and Insurance (7 million), Other Services (7 Million), Administrative Support and Waste Management (6 million), and Public Administration excluding military and public safety (4 million).

Jobs in the sector are highly diverse with many workers in office environments while others are outdoors and may travel between job-sites. Still others work in repair shops, publication houses, schools, restaurants, hotels and entertainment facilities. Many youth are first employed in services jobs, especially in Food Service and in Arts, Entertainment and Recreation. Yet other occupations require academic degrees and many jobs are physically demanding.

Major NAICS industries in the NIOSH Services sector

NAICS NAICS Industry Title Industries within NAICS Group Number of Workers
51 Information Libraries, Publishing, Sound and Movie Recording, Wired and Wireless Communications 2,971,000
52 Finance and Insurance Depository and Non-depository Credit, Insurance, Brokerages 6,786,000
53 Real Estate, Rental, Leasing Real Estate Brokerages, Facility Leasing and Rental, Real Estate Management, Consumer Products and Equipment Rental 2,804,000
54 Professional, Scientific and Technical* Drafting and Design, Law Offices, Accounting, Direct Mail, Marketing and Public Relations, Survey and Mapping, Engineering, Laboratories, Consulting 9,913,000
55 Management of Corporations and Entities Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Offices; Bank Holding Companies 187,000
56 Administrative Support and Waste Management Office, Business and Facility Support; Building Services; Travel Reservations; Investigation; Waste Collection, Treatment and Disposal; Employment Services 6,439,000
61 Education Primary and Secondary Schools, Technical and other Colleges, Universities, Professional Schools, Educational Support 12,945,000
71 Arts, Entertainment and Recreations Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, Museums, Zoos, Botanical Gardens, Amusement Parks, Gambling Industries, Historic Sites, and Nature Sites 3,022,000
72 Accommodations and Food Services Hotels and Motels, RV Parks, Boarding Houses, Restaurants, Catering, Drinking Establishments 10,171,000
81 Other Services Automobile and Machine Servicing and Repair; Giving Organizations; Religious Organizations; Social Clubs; Business, Professional, Labor, Political and Trade Organizations; Personal Care; Laundries; Private Households 7,168,000
92 Public Administration Local, State, and Federal Governments excluding Members of the Military (Public safety workers have been included in a separate NORA sector grouping.) 4,027,000

*Veterinary Medicine is part of the NORA Healthcare and Social Assistance Sector

For more information about the Services sector, please see the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Web site (Code 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 61, 71, 72, 82, and 92)

The Number of Workers is obtained from the 2012 Current Population Survey, http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18.pdf, accessed 29 March 2013

Questions or Comments?

If you have any questions or comments, contact the NORA Coordinator or Sector Coordinator:

Sidney C. Soderholm, PhD
NORA Coordinator
noracoordinator@cdc.gov
202-245-0665
Cherie Estill, PhD
Services Sector Program Coordinator
CEstill@cdc.gov
513-841-4476
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