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Size of the US Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation industry

NAICS 481111, Scheduled Passenger 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)
$229 billion
2022 · Economic Census
All establishments, current dollars
Employment
500,545
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter
Establishments
2,186
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private ownership
Firms
372
2022 · Economic Census
Annual payroll
$49.3 billion
2023 · County Business Patterns

Over time

Employment · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 500,545 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 441,8522019-Q2: 448,8662019-Q3: 448,7892019-Q4: 452,2932020-Q1: 458,0912020-Q2: 383,8902020-Q3: 387,3082020-Q4: 372,3882021-Q1: 385,4762021-Q2: 391,4442021-Q3: 401,7522021-Q4: 415,6382022-Q1: 420,4882022-Q2: 437,7642022-Q3: 449,8662022-Q4: 457,3922023-Q1: 469,5982023-Q2: 481,1772023-Q3: 487,3662023-Q4: 488,7912024-Q1: 489,5632024-Q2: 495,5992024-Q3: 493,4652024-Q4: 491,4552025-Q1: 494,8142025-Q2: 500,1672025-Q3: 498,4372025-Q4: 500,7932026-Q1: 500,545NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1500,5452022
2025-Q4500,7932022
2025-Q3498,4372022
2025-Q2500,1672022
2025-Q1494,8142022
2024-Q4491,4552022
2024-Q3493,4652022
2024-Q2495,5992022
2024-Q1489,5632022
2023-Q4488,7912022
2023-Q3487,3662022
2023-Q2481,1772022
2023-Q1469,5982022
2022-Q4457,3922022
2022-Q3449,8662022
2022-Q2437,7642022
2022-Q1420,4882022
2021-Q4415,6382017
2021-Q3401,7522017
2021-Q2391,4442017
2021-Q1385,4762017
2020-Q4372,3882017
2020-Q3387,3082017
2020-Q2383,8902017
2020-Q1458,0912017
2019-Q4452,2932017
2019-Q3448,7892017
2019-Q2448,8662017
2019-Q1441,8522017

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 487,672 · 2023
2017: 421,2062018: 429,2592019: 448,9462020: 470,6352021: 407,3702022: 432,8032023: 487,672
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023487,672
2022432,803
2021407,370
2020470,635
2019448,946
2018429,259
2017421,206

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

Establishments · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 2,186 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 1,8362019-Q2: 1,8322019-Q3: 1,8382019-Q4: 1,8542020-Q1: 1,8292020-Q2: 1,8502020-Q3: 1,8412020-Q4: 1,8552021-Q1: 1,8502021-Q2: 1,8842021-Q3: 1,9062021-Q4: 1,9222022-Q1: 1,8902022-Q2: 1,9012022-Q3: 1,9182022-Q4: 1,9432023-Q1: 1,9862023-Q2: 2,0022023-Q3: 2,0062023-Q4: 2,0312024-Q1: 2,0352024-Q2: 2,0642024-Q3: 2,0752024-Q4: 2,0902025-Q1: 2,1062025-Q2: 2,1102025-Q3: 2,1312025-Q4: 2,1602026-Q1: 2,186NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q12,1862022
2025-Q42,1602022
2025-Q32,1312022
2025-Q22,1102022
2025-Q12,1062022
2024-Q42,0902022
2024-Q32,0752022
2024-Q22,0642022
2024-Q12,0352022
2023-Q42,0312022
2023-Q32,0062022
2023-Q22,0022022
2023-Q11,9862022
2022-Q41,9432022
2022-Q31,9182022
2022-Q21,9012022
2022-Q11,8902022
2021-Q41,9222017
2021-Q31,9062017
2021-Q21,8842017
2021-Q11,8502017
2020-Q41,8552017
2020-Q31,8412017
2020-Q21,8502017
2020-Q11,8292017
2019-Q41,8542017
2019-Q31,8382017
2019-Q21,8322017
2019-Q11,8362017

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

Establishments · County Business PatternsLatest 1,858 · 2023
2017: 1,8722018: 1,8462019: 1,8702020: 1,8252021: 1,7972022: 1,7872023: 1,858
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
20231,858
20221,787
20211,797
20201,825
20191,870
20181,846
20171,872

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

Total wages in the quarter · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest $17.6 billion · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: $11.6 billion2019-Q2: $9.4 billion2019-Q3: $9.7 billion2019-Q4: $9.5 billion2020-Q1: $12.4 billion2020-Q2: $8.0 billion2020-Q3: $8.4 billion2020-Q4: $8.1 billion2021-Q1: $8.5 billion2021-Q2: $8.3 billion2021-Q3: $9.4 billion2021-Q4: $10.0 billion2022-Q1: $10.7 billion2022-Q2: $9.8 billion2022-Q3: $10.7 billion2022-Q4: $10.7 billion2023-Q1: $13.0 billion2023-Q2: $12.1 billion2023-Q3: $11.7 billion2023-Q4: $14.3 billion2024-Q1: $16.5 billion2024-Q2: $13.9 billion2024-Q3: $13.5 billion2024-Q4: $14.3 billion2025-Q1: $16.8 billion2025-Q2: $14.5 billion2025-Q3: $14.4 billion2025-Q4: $15.0 billion2026-Q1: $17.6 billionNAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1$17.6 billion2022
2025-Q4$15.0 billion2022
2025-Q3$14.4 billion2022
2025-Q2$14.5 billion2022
2025-Q1$16.8 billion2022
2024-Q4$14.3 billion2022
2024-Q3$13.5 billion2022
2024-Q2$13.9 billion2022
2024-Q1$16.5 billion2022
2023-Q4$14.3 billion2022
2023-Q3$11.7 billion2022
2023-Q2$12.1 billion2022
2023-Q1$13.0 billion2022
2022-Q4$10.7 billion2022
2022-Q3$10.7 billion2022
2022-Q2$9.8 billion2022
2022-Q1$10.7 billion2022
2021-Q4$10.0 billion2017
2021-Q3$9.4 billion2017
2021-Q2$8.3 billion2017
2021-Q1$8.5 billion2017
2020-Q4$8.1 billion2017
2020-Q3$8.4 billion2017
2020-Q2$8.0 billion2017
2020-Q1$12.4 billion2017
2019-Q4$9.5 billion2017
2019-Q3$9.7 billion2017
2019-Q2$9.4 billion2017
2019-Q1$11.6 billion2017

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

Annual payroll · County Business PatternsLatest $49.3 billion · 2023
2017: $35.7 billion2018: $37.1 billion2019: $38.8 billion2020: $37.3 billion2021: $36.0 billion2022: $40.1 billion2023: $49.3 billion
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023$49.3 billion
2022$40.1 billion
2021$36.0 billion
2020$37.3 billion
2019$38.8 billion
2018$37.1 billion
2017$35.7 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 Wages500,5452026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
EstablishmentsPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages2,1862026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Total wages in the quarterPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages$17.6 billion2026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Annual payrollCounty Business Patterns$49.3 billion20232017–2023 · 7 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12County Business Patterns487,67220232017–2023 · 7 published
EstablishmentsCounty Business Patterns1,85820232017–2023 · 7 published
Annual payrollEconomic Census$41.3 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12Economic Census461,51420222017–2022 · 2 published
EstablishmentsEconomic Census1,90620222017–2022 · 2 published
FirmsEconomic Census37220222017–2022 · 2 published
Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)All establishments, current dollarsEconomic Census$229 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published

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.