Construction ·NAICS 238160

2026 data Public-data reference. IRS SOI · Census CBP · 2023 Unknown margin

Construction — Industry Benchmarks

Profit margins, payroll, employment, and SBA lending for Construction (NAICS 238160). Cross-checked against IRS SOI 2023 and Census County Business Patterns. Refreshed as new data lands.

Construction (NAICS 238160) does not have profit margin data available in the current IRS SOI release. Census Bureau data identifies 25,519 business establishments employing 215,242 workers nationwide.

Benchmarking Insights for Construction

When you read the financial profile for Construction, the number only becomes actionable when paired with scale. This industry sits inside the broader Construction sector and reports N/A of aggregate annual receipts. Owners comparing their own books should read the margin as a midpoint — smaller operators typically run several points below the aggregate because fixed overhead (rent, software, insurance) consumes a larger share of lower revenue bases. Treat the industry figure as a ceiling calibrated by businesses that have already achieved operating leverage.

Labor economics tell the second half of the story. Census CBP shows 25,519 active establishments employing 215,242 workers, averaging 8.4 employees per location and paying $70,552/yr per employee annually. Florida leads the geographic distribution of employment, with California and Texas rounding out the top three concentrations. Headcount density matters because thin-margin industries only clear the cash-flow bar when establishments reach the staffing level where fixed costs amortize — a useful cross-check against the margin line above.

Capital access is the third lens. SBA 7(a) and 504 approvals for this industry totaled 1,874 loans worth $851 million between FY2020 and FY2025, supporting 19,055 jobs at origination. The average ticket size — $454K — signals the typical capital gap operators bridge when expanding. The Huntington National Bank ranks as the most active SBA lender serving this NAICS code. Use this alongside the IRS and Census figures to decide whether your own plan should target operational efficiency, workforce expansion, or financed growth.

Profit Margin

N/A

Net income ÷ total receipts (IRS SOI)

Total Receipts

N/A

Annual revenue (IRS SOI)

Net Income

N/A

Pre-tax net income

Employment

215,242

Total employees (Census CBP)

Avg Payroll / Employee

$70,552/yr

Annual compensation

Establishments

25,519

Business locations

Workforce scale

Establishment-size distribution and per-establishment headcount based on Census Statistics of US Businesses (SUSB) typical strata.

Financial Detail

Total Tax Returns Filed
N/A
Total Deductions
N/A
Avg Receipts per Business
N/A
Annual Payroll (Total)
$15.2B
Avg Employees per Establishment
8.4

Top States by Employment

State Employment
Florida 30,080
California 23,903
Texas 16,007
Pennsylvania 9,729
Washington 8,985
Ohio 7,454
Arizona 7,318
Illinois 6,354
North Carolina 6,139
New York 6,069

Showing top 10 of 51 states

SBA Lending Activity

FY2020–2025

Small Business Administration 7(a) and 504 loan data for this industry. Source: SBA FOIA dataset.

SBA Loans Approved

1,874

FY2020–2025

Total Loan Volume

$851M

7(a) + 504 programs

Avg Loan Size

$454K

Per approved loan

Jobs Supported

19,055

Reported at origination

Program Breakdown

7(a) Loans 1,735 loans (93%)
504 Loans 139 loans (7%)

Top SBA Lender

The Huntington National Bank

318 loans in this industry

New Business Share

25.6% of borrowers were new/startup businesses

Annual Lending Trend

FY2020
172 loans
FY2021
219 loans
FY2022
282 loans
FY2023
332 loans
FY2024
359 loans
FY2025
448 loans
FY2026
62 loans

SBA fiscal year runs Oct–Sep. FY2025 = partial year through Sep 2025.

Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA dataset · FY2020–FY2025 · View SBA lending rankings →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average revenue for Construction?
Revenue data for Construction (NAICS 238160) is not available in the current IRS SOI dataset.
How profitable is Construction?
Profitability data for Construction is not available in the current dataset.
How many businesses are in Construction?
There are 25,519 business establishments in Construction (NAICS 238160) according to Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 data. These establishments collectively employ 215,242 workers.
What is the average payroll per employee in Construction?
The average annual payroll per employee in Construction is $70,552/yr, based on Census Bureau County Business Patterns data. Businesses in this industry average 8.4 employees per establishment. This figure includes wages, salaries, and benefits reported by employers.
Which states have the most Construction employment?
Florida leads in Construction employment with 30,080 workers. California (23,903) and Texas (16,007) round out the top three. These figures come from the Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 survey.
How much SBA lending does Construction receive?
Construction businesses received 1,874 SBA loans totaling $851 million between FY2020 and FY2025. The average loan size was $454K. These loans supported 19,055 jobs at origination. Most lending (93%) came through the SBA 7(a) program.
Disclaimer: PlainBizBench provides publicly available IRS and Census data for informational purposes only. This is not financial, tax, or business advice. Consult a qualified accountant or financial advisor for business-specific guidance.

Sources: IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) Business Tax Statistics · Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023

NAICS 238160 · Data year: 2023

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBizBench Editorial

Source: U.S. Census Bureau — County Business Patterns / SUSB Industry employment scale, payroll, and firm-size benchmarks · 2025