Guides ·5 min read ·Last updated 2024-03-01
Industry Employment Trends (Census 2023)
Which industries are growing, which are contracting, and what the latest Census Bureau County Business Patterns data reveals about US employment in 2023.
About the Census Bureau CBP Data
The Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) program is the most comprehensive source for US employment and payroll data at the industry level. Published annually, it covers private-sector establishments with paid employees, broken down by NAICS code at the national, state, and county level.
The 2023 CBP data (the most recent available) provides a snapshot of employment as of March 12, 2023, with annual payroll reported for the full 2023 calendar year.
Largest Employing Industries (2023)
The top employing industries by total workers in 2023 include:
- Retail Trade (NAICS 44–45): Over 60 million employees across food, apparel, general merchandise stores
- Health Care and Social Assistance (NAICS 62): Over 100 million employees — one of the largest and fastest-growing sectors
- Accommodation and Food Services (NAICS 72): Over 72 million employees — highly sensitive to economic cycles
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (NAICS 54): Over 51 million employees
- Administrative and Support Services (NAICS 56): Over 66 million employees
View the full employment rankings for the top 25 industries by employment.
Payroll Growth Trends
Average payroll per employee is a key indicator of wage growth and labor market tightness. Industries with the highest average payrolls in 2023 tend to be:
- Financial activities (securities, banking, insurance)
- Management of companies and enterprises
- Information technology and software
- Professional, scientific, and technical services
Industries with the lowest average payrolls tend to include retail, food service, and personal services — where part-time work and high turnover keep average compensation low.
Reading Establishment vs. Employment Trends
Two CBP metrics tell different stories:
- Establishment count growth: More businesses forming = increasing competition and entrepreneurship in the sector
- Employment per establishment: Increasing means businesses are scaling up; decreasing may indicate substitution of labor with technology or outsourcing
For example, the software industry has seen establishment counts grow faster than employment, suggesting more small firms forming but staying lean. In contrast, healthcare has seen both establishment counts and employment grow together, reflecting genuine demand-driven expansion.
State-Level Employment Variation
Industry employment varies dramatically by state. Use the state × industry pages on PlainBizBench to compare your state's employment levels against national totals:
- California dominates technology, entertainment, and professional services
- Texas leads in energy, construction, and manufacturing
- Florida has outsized share of healthcare, tourism, and real estate employment
- Midwest states show strength in manufacturing, agriculture, and logistics
How to Use CBP Data for Business Decisions
Practical applications of employment benchmark data:
- Site selection: Where is the available workforce for your industry concentrated?
- Compensation planning: Is your state's average payroll higher or lower than national for your NAICS code?
- Market sizing: Use establishment counts as a proxy for the number of potential competitors or customers in B2B markets
- Labor cost modeling: Use average payroll per employee to build realistic labor cost assumptions for financial projections
Frequently Asked Questions
Does CBP data include government or nonprofit workers?
No. CBP covers only private-sector establishments with paid employees. It excludes government employees, railroad employees, self-employed individuals, unpaid family members, and religious organizations. This means public school teachers, government workers, and military are not included.
How current is the 2023 CBP data?
The 2023 CBP data was released in 2024 and reflects employment as of March 2023 with full-year 2023 payroll figures. The Census Bureau releases CBP data approximately 12–18 months after the reference year.
Can I see county-level employment data?
PlainBizBench currently shows national and state-level data. For county-level detail, visit the Census Bureau's official CBP data explorer at data.census.gov. County data is suppressed for small counties where individual business data could be identified.