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Size of the US Sound Recording industries

NAICS 5122, Sound Recording Industries. 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)
$22.3 billion
2022 · Economic Census
All establishments, current dollars
Employment
19,759
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter
Establishments
5,392
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private ownership
Firms
4,015
2022 · Economic Census
Annual payroll
$3.3 billion
2023 · County Business Patterns

Over time

Employment · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 19,759 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 18,6322019-Q2: 18,9212019-Q3: 19,0052019-Q4: 19,5702020-Q1: 19,0572020-Q2: 17,2982020-Q3: 17,2912020-Q4: 17,8732021-Q1: 17,6952021-Q2: 18,3092021-Q3: 18,9572021-Q4: 19,5002022-Q1: 20,0902022-Q2: 20,4062022-Q3: 20,9992022-Q4: 21,2642023-Q1: 20,7482023-Q2: 21,2172023-Q3: 20,7742023-Q4: 20,5762024-Q1: 20,5412024-Q2: 20,4692024-Q3: 20,4632024-Q4: 20,5192025-Q1: 20,3872025-Q2: 20,3562025-Q3: 20,6362025-Q4: 21,0602026-Q1: 19,759NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q119,7592022
2025-Q421,0602022
2025-Q320,6362022
2025-Q220,3562022
2025-Q120,3872022
2024-Q420,5192022
2024-Q320,4632022
2024-Q220,4692022
2024-Q120,5412022
2023-Q420,5762022
2023-Q320,7742022
2023-Q221,2172022
2023-Q120,7482022
2022-Q421,2642022
2022-Q320,9992022
2022-Q220,4062022
2022-Q120,0902022
2021-Q419,5002017
2021-Q318,9572017
2021-Q218,3092017
2021-Q117,6952017
2020-Q417,8732017
2020-Q317,2912017
2020-Q217,2982017
2020-Q119,0572017
2019-Q419,5702017
2019-Q319,0052017
2019-Q218,9212017
2019-Q118,6322017

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 26,014 · 2023
2017: 22,6022018: 23,5902019: 22,7322020: 23,9492021: 23,1342022: 25,7002023: 26,014
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
202326,014
202225,700
202123,134
202023,949
201922,732
201823,590
201722,602

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

Establishments · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 5,392 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 3,8742019-Q2: 3,9262019-Q3: 3,9552019-Q4: 4,0112020-Q1: 4,0582020-Q2: 4,0972020-Q3: 4,2042020-Q4: 4,3452021-Q1: 4,3912021-Q2: 4,5082021-Q3: 4,6312021-Q4: 4,7772022-Q1: 4,8562022-Q2: 4,9222022-Q3: 5,0162022-Q4: 5,1702023-Q1: 5,2502023-Q2: 5,2862023-Q3: 5,3402023-Q4: 5,4352024-Q1: 5,3432024-Q2: 5,3842024-Q3: 5,3812024-Q4: 5,4272025-Q1: 5,3002025-Q2: 5,3112025-Q3: 5,3472025-Q4: 5,3752026-Q1: 5,392NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q15,3922022
2025-Q45,3752022
2025-Q35,3472022
2025-Q25,3112022
2025-Q15,3002022
2024-Q45,4272022
2024-Q35,3812022
2024-Q25,3842022
2024-Q15,3432022
2023-Q45,4352022
2023-Q35,3402022
2023-Q25,2862022
2023-Q15,2502022
2022-Q45,1702022
2022-Q35,0162022
2022-Q24,9222022
2022-Q14,8562022
2021-Q44,7772017
2021-Q34,6312017
2021-Q24,5082017
2021-Q14,3912017
2020-Q44,3452017
2020-Q34,2042017
2020-Q24,0972017
2020-Q14,0582017
2019-Q44,0112017
2019-Q33,9552017
2019-Q23,9262017
2019-Q13,8742017

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

Establishments · County Business PatternsLatest 4,585 · 2023
2017: 3,6512018: 3,7062019: 3,8052020: 3,9722021: 4,4022022: 4,4582023: 4,585
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
20234,585
20224,458
20214,402
20203,972
20193,805
20183,706
20173,651

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

Total wages in the quarter · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest $696.9 million · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: $450.0 million2019-Q2: $394.8 million2019-Q3: $384.5 million2019-Q4: $500.3 million2020-Q1: $489.1 million2020-Q2: $393.8 million2020-Q3: $363.2 million2020-Q4: $513.9 million2021-Q1: $491.2 million2021-Q2: $444.5 million2021-Q3: $425.5 million2021-Q4: $582.8 million2022-Q1: $566.4 million2022-Q2: $642.7 million2022-Q3: $506.6 million2022-Q4: $710.0 million2023-Q1: $619.1 million2023-Q2: $636.0 million2023-Q3: $503.1 million2023-Q4: $740.8 million2024-Q1: $652.2 million2024-Q2: $672.3 million2024-Q3: $521.2 million2024-Q4: $862.1 million2025-Q1: $685.3 million2025-Q2: $683.8 million2025-Q3: $559.3 million2025-Q4: $991.8 million2026-Q1: $696.9 millionNAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1$696.9 million2022
2025-Q4$991.8 million2022
2025-Q3$559.3 million2022
2025-Q2$683.8 million2022
2025-Q1$685.3 million2022
2024-Q4$862.1 million2022
2024-Q3$521.2 million2022
2024-Q2$672.3 million2022
2024-Q1$652.2 million2022
2023-Q4$740.8 million2022
2023-Q3$503.1 million2022
2023-Q2$636.0 million2022
2023-Q1$619.1 million2022
2022-Q4$710.0 million2022
2022-Q3$506.6 million2022
2022-Q2$642.7 million2022
2022-Q1$566.4 million2022
2021-Q4$582.8 million2017
2021-Q3$425.5 million2017
2021-Q2$444.5 million2017
2021-Q1$491.2 million2017
2020-Q4$513.9 million2017
2020-Q3$363.2 million2017
2020-Q2$393.8 million2017
2020-Q1$489.1 million2017
2019-Q4$500.3 million2017
2019-Q3$384.5 million2017
2019-Q2$394.8 million2017
2019-Q1$450.0 million2017

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

Annual payroll · County Business PatternsLatest $3.3 billion · 2023
2017: $2.2 billion2018: $2.4 billion2019: $2.5 billion2020: $2.6 billion2021: $2.9 billion2022: $3.0 billion2023: $3.3 billion
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023$3.3 billion
2022$3.0 billion
2021$2.9 billion
2020$2.6 billion
2019$2.5 billion
2018$2.4 billion
2017$2.2 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 Wages19,7592026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
EstablishmentsPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages5,3922026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Total wages in the quarterPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages$696.9 million2026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Annual payrollCounty Business Patterns$3.3 billion20232017–2023 · 7 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12County Business Patterns26,01420232017–2023 · 7 published
EstablishmentsCounty Business Patterns4,58520232017–2023 · 7 published
Annual payrollEconomic Census$3.4 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12Economic Census30,80120222017–2022 · 2 published
EstablishmentsEconomic Census4,32320222017–2022 · 2 published
FirmsEconomic Census4,01520222017–2022 · 2 published
Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)All establishments, current dollarsEconomic Census$22.3 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published

Breakdown

Industries within Sound Recording Industries

NAICSIndustrySizeEmployment
51223Music Publishers$7.0 billionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census5,6592026-Q1 · QCEW
51224Sound Recording Studios$1.6 billionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census4,4922026-Q1 · QCEW
51225Record Production and Distribution$12.8 billionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census6,8462026-Q1 · QCEW
51229Other Sound Recording Industries$889.3 millionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census2,7622026-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.