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Size of the US Scheduled Air Transportation industry

NAICS 48111, Scheduled Air Transportation. Every figure on this page was published by a federal statistical agency and carries its source and period. Palanor does not estimate: a period the agency didn’t publish shows as missing, and a figure it withheld shows as withheld.

Key figures

Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)
$239 billion
2022 · Economic Census
All establishments, current dollars
Employment
514,131
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter
Establishments
2,927
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private ownership
Firms
539
2022 · Economic Census
Annual payroll
$51.1 billion
2023 · County Business Patterns

Over time

Employment · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 514,131 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 453,3032019-Q2: 460,2272019-Q3: 460,1302019-Q4: 463,8832020-Q1: 469,1742020-Q2: 393,6532020-Q3: 397,3452020-Q4: 382,6652021-Q1: 398,1922021-Q2: 404,1872021-Q3: 414,8992021-Q4: 429,4232022-Q1: 434,5622022-Q2: 451,8112022-Q3: 464,2742022-Q4: 472,2222023-Q1: 483,4532023-Q2: 494,9652023-Q3: 501,3012023-Q4: 502,8962024-Q1: 503,1482024-Q2: 508,9762024-Q3: 506,6772024-Q4: 504,9592025-Q1: 508,4052025-Q2: 513,6652025-Q3: 512,1982025-Q4: 514,8192026-Q1: 514,131NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1514,1312022
2025-Q4514,8192022
2025-Q3512,1982022
2025-Q2513,6652022
2025-Q1508,4052022
2024-Q4504,9592022
2024-Q3506,6772022
2024-Q2508,9762022
2024-Q1503,1482022
2023-Q4502,8962022
2023-Q3501,3012022
2023-Q2494,9652022
2023-Q1483,4532022
2022-Q4472,2222022
2022-Q3464,2742022
2022-Q2451,8112022
2022-Q1434,5622022
2021-Q4429,4232017
2021-Q3414,8992017
2021-Q2404,1872017
2021-Q1398,1922017
2020-Q4382,6652017
2020-Q3397,3452017
2020-Q2393,6532017
2020-Q1469,1742017
2019-Q4463,8832017
2019-Q3460,1302017
2019-Q2460,2272017
2019-Q1453,3032017

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter

Employment · County Business PatternsLatest 501,126 · 2023
2017: 430,3672018: 437,4832019: 457,0502020: 479,2032021: 417,0362022: 440,9982023: 501,126
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023501,126
2022440,998
2021417,036
2020479,203
2019457,050
2018437,483
2017430,367

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns · Paid employees in the pay period including March 12

Establishments · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 2,927 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 2,4622019-Q2: 2,4602019-Q3: 2,4642019-Q4: 2,4872020-Q1: 2,4432020-Q2: 2,4652020-Q3: 2,4552020-Q4: 2,4702021-Q1: 2,4812021-Q2: 2,5102021-Q3: 2,5392021-Q4: 2,5722022-Q1: 2,5492022-Q2: 2,5792022-Q3: 2,6102022-Q4: 2,6452023-Q1: 2,6762023-Q2: 2,6942023-Q3: 2,7092023-Q4: 2,7412024-Q1: 2,7602024-Q2: 2,7962024-Q3: 2,8072024-Q4: 2,8282025-Q1: 2,8372025-Q2: 2,8462025-Q3: 2,8802025-Q4: 2,9052026-Q1: 2,927NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q12,9272022
2025-Q42,9052022
2025-Q32,8802022
2025-Q22,8462022
2025-Q12,8372022
2024-Q42,8282022
2024-Q32,8072022
2024-Q22,7962022
2024-Q12,7602022
2023-Q42,7412022
2023-Q32,7092022
2023-Q22,6942022
2023-Q12,6762022
2022-Q42,6452022
2022-Q32,6102022
2022-Q22,5792022
2022-Q12,5492022
2021-Q42,5722017
2021-Q32,5392017
2021-Q22,5102017
2021-Q12,4812017
2020-Q42,4702017
2020-Q32,4552017
2020-Q22,4652017
2020-Q12,4432017
2019-Q42,4872017
2019-Q32,4642017
2019-Q22,4602017
2019-Q12,4622017

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · Private ownership

Establishments · County Business PatternsLatest 2,233 · 2023
2017: 2,2472018: 2,2012019: 2,2242020: 2,1852021: 2,1742022: 2,1722023: 2,233
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
20232,233
20222,172
20212,174
20202,185
20192,224
20182,201
20172,247

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns

Total wages in the quarter · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest $17.9 billion · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: $11.8 billion2019-Q2: $9.6 billion2019-Q3: $9.9 billion2019-Q4: $9.6 billion2020-Q1: $12.6 billion2020-Q2: $8.1 billion2020-Q3: $8.5 billion2020-Q4: $8.3 billion2021-Q1: $8.7 billion2021-Q2: $8.5 billion2021-Q3: $9.6 billion2021-Q4: $10.3 billion2022-Q1: $10.9 billion2022-Q2: $10.0 billion2022-Q3: $11.0 billion2022-Q4: $11.0 billion2023-Q1: $13.3 billion2023-Q2: $12.4 billion2023-Q3: $11.9 billion2023-Q4: $14.6 billion2024-Q1: $16.8 billion2024-Q2: $14.1 billion2024-Q3: $13.8 billion2024-Q4: $14.6 billion2025-Q1: $17.1 billion2025-Q2: $14.8 billion2025-Q3: $14.7 billion2025-Q4: $15.3 billion2026-Q1: $17.9 billionNAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1$17.9 billion2022
2025-Q4$15.3 billion2022
2025-Q3$14.7 billion2022
2025-Q2$14.8 billion2022
2025-Q1$17.1 billion2022
2024-Q4$14.6 billion2022
2024-Q3$13.8 billion2022
2024-Q2$14.1 billion2022
2024-Q1$16.8 billion2022
2023-Q4$14.6 billion2022
2023-Q3$11.9 billion2022
2023-Q2$12.4 billion2022
2023-Q1$13.3 billion2022
2022-Q4$11.0 billion2022
2022-Q3$11.0 billion2022
2022-Q2$10.0 billion2022
2022-Q1$10.9 billion2022
2021-Q4$10.3 billion2017
2021-Q3$9.6 billion2017
2021-Q2$8.5 billion2017
2021-Q1$8.7 billion2017
2020-Q4$8.3 billion2017
2020-Q3$8.5 billion2017
2020-Q2$8.1 billion2017
2020-Q1$12.6 billion2017
2019-Q4$9.6 billion2017
2019-Q3$9.9 billion2017
2019-Q2$9.6 billion2017
2019-Q1$11.8 billion2017

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · Private ownership

Annual payroll · County Business PatternsLatest $51.1 billion · 2023
2017: $36.3 billion2018: $37.7 billion2019: $39.5 billion2020: $38.0 billion2021: $36.9 billion2022: $40.8 billion2023: $51.1 billion
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023$51.1 billion
2022$40.8 billion
2021$36.9 billion
2020$38.0 billion
2019$39.5 billion
2018$37.7 billion
2017$36.3 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns

The ledger

Every published measure

MeasureSourceLatestPeriodHistory
EmploymentPrivate-sector jobs in the third month of each quarterQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages514,1312026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
EstablishmentsPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages2,9272026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Total wages in the quarterPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages$17.9 billion2026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Annual payrollCounty Business Patterns$51.1 billion20232017–2023 · 7 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12County Business Patterns501,12620232017–2023 · 7 published
EstablishmentsCounty Business Patterns2,23320232017–2023 · 7 published
Annual payrollEconomic Census$42.9 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12Economic Census472,09620222017–2022 · 2 published
EstablishmentsEconomic Census2,23920222017–2022 · 2 published
FirmsEconomic Census53920222017–2022 · 2 published
Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)All establishments, current dollarsEconomic Census$239 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published

Breakdown

Industries within Scheduled Air Transportation

NAICSIndustrySizeEmployment
481111Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation$229 billionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census500,5452026-Q1 · QCEW
481112Scheduled Freight Air Transportation$10.1 billionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census13,5862026-Q1 · QCEW

Sources

Where every number comes from

Figures are in current dollars and are the agencies’ own, revised when they revise. Each program defines its universe differently (employer firms, private ownership, all establishments), so figures from different sources are not meant to add up. This page is not endorsed by the Census Bureau, BEA or BLS. The same data is in the Palanor API (/v1/industries) and the MCP (palanor_get_industry). All industries.