Size of the US Software Publishers industry
NAICS 5112, Software Publishers. 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. This is a NAICS 2017 code that the 2022 edition replaced; the Census surveys that still publish on the 2017 basis keep it alive.
Key figures
- Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)
- $276 billion
- 2017 · Economic Census
All establishments, current dollars - Revenue, not seasonally adjusted
- $178 billion
- 2026-Q2 · Quarterly Services Survey
Employer firms, current dollars - Employment
- 1,011,187
- 2023 · County Business Patterns
Paid employees in the pay period including March 12
Over time
How it has changed
Show the numbers
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2026-Q2 | $177 billion |
| 2026-Q1 | $170 billion |
| 2025-Q4 | $165 billion |
| 2025-Q3 | $160 billion |
| 2025-Q2 | $154 billion |
| 2025-Q1 | $150 billion |
| 2024-Q4 | $142 billion |
| 2024-Q3 | $140 billion |
| 2024-Q2 | $136 billion |
| 2024-Q1 | $131 billion |
| 2023-Q4 | $128 billion |
| 2023-Q3 | $127 billion |
| 2023-Q2 | $121 billion |
| 2023-Q1 | $120 billion |
| 2022-Q4 | $117 billion |
| 2022-Q3 | $115 billion |
| 2022-Q2 | $113 billion |
| 2022-Q1 | $109 billion |
| 2021-Q4 | $105 billion |
| 2021-Q3 | $102 billion |
| 2021-Q2 | $100 billion |
| 2021-Q1 | $95.7 billion |
| 2020-Q4 | $92.1 billion |
| 2020-Q3 | $88.2 billion |
| 2020-Q2 | $85.9 billion |
| 2020-Q1 | $84.1 billion |
| 2019-Q4 | $82.0 billion |
| 2019-Q3 | $80.3 billion |
| 2019-Q2 | $78.9 billion |
| 2019-Q1 | $77.7 billion |
| 2018-Q4 | $75.9 billion |
| 2018-Q3 | $74.8 billion |
| 2018-Q2 | $73.0 billion |
| 2018-Q1 | $71.7 billion |
| 2017-Q4 | $70.6 billion |
| 2017-Q3 | $70.8 billion |
| 2017-Q2 | $68.3 billion |
| 2017-Q1 | $66.9 billion |
| 2016-Q4 | $65.9 billion |
| 2016-Q3 | $62.3 billion |
| 2016-Q2 | $60.8 billion |
| 2016-Q1 | $60.3 billion |
| 2015-Q4 | $58.0 billion |
| 2015-Q3 | $55.7 billion |
| 2015-Q2 | $55.0 billion |
| 2015-Q1 | $54.2 billion |
| 2014-Q4 | $53.6 billion |
| 2014-Q3 | $53.5 billion |
| 2014-Q2 | $52.2 billion |
| 2014-Q1 | $49.9 billion |
| 2013-Q4 | $49.0 billion |
| 2013-Q3 | $47.4 billion |
| 2013-Q2 | $45.0 billion |
| 2013-Q1 | $47.5 billion |
| 2012-Q4 | $44.4 billion |
| 2012-Q3 | $42.2 billion |
| 2012-Q2 | $42.4 billion |
| 2012-Q1 | $42.0 billion |
| 2011-Q4 | $42.2 billion |
| 2011-Q3 | $42.3 billion |
| 2011-Q2 | $40.8 billion |
| 2011-Q1 | $39.5 billion |
| 2010-Q4 | $38.4 billion |
| 2010-Q3 | $38.2 billion |
| 2010-Q2 | $37.3 billion |
| 2010-Q1 | $36.3 billion |
| 2009-Q4 | $37.2 billion |
| 2009-Q3 | $35.6 billion |
| 2009-Q2 | $35.0 billion |
| 2009-Q1 | $34.2 billion |
| 2008-Q4 | $34.6 billion |
| 2008-Q3 | $36.9 billion |
| 2008-Q2 | $36.6 billion |
| 2008-Q1 | $36.2 billion |
| 2007-Q4 | $33.8 billion |
| 2007-Q3 | $33.4 billion |
| 2007-Q2 | $33.6 billion |
| 2007-Q1 | $34.6 billion |
| 2006-Q4 | $31.8 billion |
| 2006-Q3 | $32.1 billion |
| 2006-Q2 | $31.0 billion |
| 2006-Q1 | $30.3 billion |
| 2005-Q4 | $29.6 billion |
| 2005-Q3 | $29.7 billion |
| 2005-Q2 | $29.2 billion |
| 2005-Q1 | $28.2 billion |
| 2004-Q4 | $27.7 billion |
| 2004-Q3 | $27.9 billion |
| 2004-Q2 | $27.3 billion |
| 2004-Q1 | $27.3 billion |
| 2003-Q4 | $28.0 billion |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Services Survey · Employer firms, current dollars · Agency label: Software Publishers
Show the numbers
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2021-Q4 | 583,095 |
| 2021-Q3 | 565,948 |
| 2021-Q2 | 551,736 |
| 2021-Q1 | 535,274 |
| 2020-Q4 | 509,880 |
| 2020-Q3 | 503,489 |
| 2020-Q2 | 498,247 |
| 2020-Q1 | 502,346 |
| 2019-Q4 | 472,260 |
| 2019-Q3 | 464,418 |
| 2019-Q2 | 458,129 |
| 2019-Q1 | 445,690 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter
Show the numbers
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 1,011,187 |
| 2022 | 874,707 |
| 2021 | 769,084 |
| 2020 | 736,618 |
| 2019 | 690,024 |
| 2018 | 672,286 |
| 2017 | 643,794 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns · Paid employees in the pay period including March 12
Show the numbers
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2021-Q4 | 61,800 |
| 2021-Q3 | 56,895 |
| 2021-Q2 | 52,453 |
| 2021-Q1 | 48,105 |
| 2020-Q4 | 44,173 |
| 2020-Q3 | 41,928 |
| 2020-Q2 | 39,819 |
| 2020-Q1 | 38,548 |
| 2019-Q4 | 36,362 |
| 2019-Q3 | 35,264 |
| 2019-Q2 | 33,818 |
| 2019-Q1 | 32,506 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · Private ownership
Show the numbers
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 18,425 |
| 2022 | 17,438 |
| 2021 | 16,591 |
| 2020 | 15,199 |
| 2019 | 14,493 |
| 2018 | 14,188 |
| 2017 | 13,380 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns
Show the numbers
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2021-Q4 | $30.5 billion |
| 2021-Q3 | $30.3 billion |
| 2021-Q2 | $25.6 billion |
| 2021-Q1 | $27.6 billion |
| 2020-Q4 | $23.5 billion |
| 2020-Q3 | $24.6 billion |
| 2020-Q2 | $20.5 billion |
| 2020-Q1 | $23.1 billion |
| 2019-Q4 | $19.3 billion |
| 2019-Q3 | $21.2 billion |
| 2019-Q2 | $18.0 billion |
| 2019-Q1 | $19.9 billion |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · Private ownership
Show the numbers
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $204 billion |
| 2022 | $173 billion |
| 2021 | $159 billion |
| 2020 | $137 billion |
| 2019 | $117 billion |
| 2018 | $111 billion |
| 2017 | $101 billion |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns
The ledger
Every published measure
| Measure | Source | Latest | Period | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EmploymentPrivate-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter | Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages | 583,095 | 2021-Q4 | 2019-Q1–2021-Q4 · 12 published |
| EstablishmentsPrivate ownership | Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages | 61,800 | 2021-Q4 | 2019-Q1–2021-Q4 · 12 published |
| Total wages in the quarterPrivate ownership | Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages | $30.5 billion | 2021-Q4 | 2019-Q1–2021-Q4 · 12 published |
| Annual payroll | County Business Patterns | $204 billion | 2023 | 2017–2023 · 7 published |
| EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12 | County Business Patterns | 1,011,187 | 2023 | 2017–2023 · 7 published |
| Establishments | County Business Patterns | 18,425 | 2023 | 2017–2023 · 7 published |
| Annual payroll | Economic Census | $102 billion | 2017 | 2017–2017 · 1 published |
| EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12 | Economic Census | 647,283 | 2017 | 2017–2017 · 1 published |
| Establishments | Economic Census | 13,371 | 2017 | 2017–2017 · 1 published |
| Firms | Economic Census | 9,999 | 2017 | 2017–2017 · 1 published |
| Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)All establishments, current dollars | Economic Census | $276 billion | 2017 | 2017–2017 · 1 published |
| Revenue, not seasonally adjustedEmployer firms, current dollars | Quarterly Services Survey | $178 billion | 2026-Q2 | 2003-Q4–2026-Q2 · 91 published |
| Revenue, seasonally adjustedEmployer firms, current dollars | Quarterly Services Survey | $177 billion | 2026-Q2 | 2003-Q4–2026-Q2 · 91 published |
Breakdown
Industries within Software Publishers
| NAICS | Industry | Size | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51121 | Software Publishers | $276 billionReceipts · 2017 · Economic Census | 1,011,1872023 · CBP |
Companies
Public companies in this industry
Companies Palanor tracks whose GICS classification maps to NAICS 5112. The mapping is Palanor’s, one GICS sub-industry to one NAICS code; a company’s own mix of business can span several.
- ADBE Adobe Inc.
- APPF AppFolio
- TEAM Atlassian
- ADSK Autodesk
- CDNS Cadence Design Systems
- NET Cloudflare Inc.
- CRWD CrowdStrike
- DDOG Datadog Inc.
- DOCU DocuSign
- EA Electronic Arts
- FICO Fair Isaac
- FTNT Fortinet
- GEN Gen Digital
- INTU Intuit Inc.
- MSFT Microsoft Corporation
- MSTR MicroStrategy
- MDB MongoDB Inc.
- OKTA Okta, Inc.
- ORCL Oracle Corporation
- PLTR Palantir Technologies
- PANW Palo Alto Networks
- PAYC Paycom
- PCTY Paylocity
- PTC PTC Inc.
- SAIL SailPoint
- CRM Salesforce Inc.
- IOT Samsara
- NOW ServiceNow Inc.
- SNOW Snowflake Inc.
- SNPS Synopsys
- TTWO Take-Two Interactive
- TRMB Trimble Inc.
- TYL Tyler Technologies
- WDAY Workday Inc.
- ZM Zoom Communications
- ZS Zscaler
Sources
Where every number comes from
- Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work). Terms.
- County Business Patterns, U.S. Census Bureau. Annual. Public domain (U.S. Government work). Terms.
- Economic Census, U.S. Census Bureau. Every five years (2017, 2022). Public domain (U.S. Government work). Terms.
- Quarterly Services Survey, U.S. Census Bureau. Quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work). Terms.
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.