National rankings · IRS SOI + Census CBP 2023
Most Profitable U.S. Industries
The top 25 U.S. industries by pre-tax net margin, drawn straight from IRS Statistics of Income and Census County Business Patterns. Switch the metric below.
- 68.6%
- #1: Funds, Trusts, and O…
- 25
- Industries ranked
Average profit margin by industry varies widely, so a useful comparison starts with the specific NAICS industry rather than a generic small-business average.
This ranking shows the 25 U.S. industries with the highest pre-tax net margin, calculated as net income divided by total receipts in IRS Statistics of Income data. Open an industry page for the benchmark and its source context, or use the percentile tool to compare a business margin.
The ranking in one line · Most Profitable U.S. Industries
Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles leads U.S. industries by pre-tax net margin at 68.6%, ahead of Real Estate (24.7%).
- 68.6%
- #1 Funds, Trusts, and Oth…
- 24.7%
- #2 Real Estate
- 20.0%
- #3 Lessors of Nonfinancia…
- 18.8%
- #4 Credit Intermediation …
Net income ÷ total receipts · IRS Statistics of Income
| # | Industry | Profit Margin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles NAICS 525 · Finance and Insurance | |
| 2 | Real Estate NAICS 531 · Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | |
| 3 | Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) NAICS 533 · Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | |
| 4 | Credit Intermediation and Related Activities NAICS 522 · Finance and Insurance | |
| 5 | Nursing and Residential Care Facilities NAICS 623 · Health Care and Social Assistance | |
| 6 | Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries NAICS 711 · Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | |
| 7 | Personal and Laundry Services NAICS 812 · Other Services (except Public Administration) | |
| 8 | Couriers and Messengers NAICS 492 · Transportation and Warehousing | |
| 9 | Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing NAICS 312 · Manufacturing | |
| 10 | Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities NAICS 523 · Finance and Insurance | |
| 11 | Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers NAICS 425 · Wholesale Trade | |
| 12 | Ambulatory Health Care Services NAICS 621 · Health Care and Social Assistance | |
| 13 | Pipeline Transportation NAICS 486 · Transportation and Warehousing | |
| 14 | Broadcasting (except Internet) NAICS 515 · Information | |
| 15 | Social Assistance NAICS 624 · Health Care and Social Assistance | |
| 16 | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing NAICS 334 · Manufacturing | |
| 17 | Chemical Manufacturing NAICS 325 · Manufacturing | |
| 18 | Publishing Industries (except Internet) NAICS 511 · Information | |
| 19 | Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries NAICS 512 · Information | |
| 20 | Administrative and Support Services NAICS 561 · Administrative and Support and Waste Management | |
| 21 | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing NAICS 335 · Manufacturing | |
| 22 | Machinery Manufacturing NAICS 333 · Manufacturing | |
| 23 | Specialty Trade Contractors NAICS 238 · Construction | |
| 24 | Support Activities for Mining NAICS 213 · Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | |
| 25 | Telecommunications NAICS 517 · Information | |
Sources: IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) · Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 · SBA lending data →
Every figure on PlainBizBench is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This hub surfaces the top industries by profit margin and employment, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.