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Size of the US Temporary Help Services industry

NAICS 56132, Temporary Help Services. 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)
$326 billion
2022 · Economic Census
All establishments, current dollars
Employment
2,500,536
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter
Establishments
96,110
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private ownership
Firms
16,340
2022 · Economic Census
Annual payroll
$177 billion
2023 · County Business Patterns

Over time

Employment · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 2,500,536 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 2,844,7482019-Q2: 2,919,7422019-Q3: 2,960,2902019-Q4: 3,036,2952020-Q1: 2,781,8072020-Q2: 2,260,6262020-Q3: 2,549,7892020-Q4: 2,886,6162021-Q1: 2,811,6642021-Q2: 2,797,5712021-Q3: 2,930,2512021-Q4: 3,203,6322022-Q1: 3,110,4792022-Q2: 3,058,3082022-Q3: 3,101,5492022-Q4: 3,061,8322023-Q1: 2,875,6632023-Q2: 2,772,8002023-Q3: 2,805,4332023-Q4: 2,770,4852024-Q1: 2,618,2922024-Q2: 2,563,6312024-Q3: 2,619,7532024-Q4: 2,627,0462025-Q1: 2,477,1882025-Q2: 2,443,3112025-Q3: 2,548,3632025-Q4: 2,604,5032026-Q1: 2,500,536NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q12,500,5362022
2025-Q42,604,5032022
2025-Q32,548,3632022
2025-Q22,443,3112022
2025-Q12,477,1882022
2024-Q42,627,0462022
2024-Q32,619,7532022
2024-Q22,563,6312022
2024-Q12,618,2922022
2023-Q42,770,4852022
2023-Q32,805,4332022
2023-Q22,772,8002022
2023-Q12,875,6632022
2022-Q43,061,8322022
2022-Q33,101,5492022
2022-Q23,058,3082022
2022-Q13,110,4792022
2021-Q43,203,6322017
2021-Q32,930,2512017
2021-Q22,797,5712017
2021-Q12,811,6642017
2020-Q42,886,6162017
2020-Q32,549,7892017
2020-Q22,260,6262017
2020-Q12,781,8072017
2019-Q43,036,2952017
2019-Q32,960,2902017
2019-Q22,919,7422017
2019-Q12,844,7482017

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 3,645,678 · 2023
2017: 3,483,1792018: 3,522,4682019: 3,506,6222020: 3,390,2352021: 3,497,2222022: 3,928,9742023: 3,645,678
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
20233,645,678
20223,928,974
20213,497,222
20203,390,235
20193,506,622
20183,522,468
20173,483,179

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

Establishments · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 96,110 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 78,9882019-Q2: 81,2412019-Q3: 82,4842019-Q4: 85,4892020-Q1: 84,3082020-Q2: 84,2252020-Q3: 84,1982020-Q4: 86,6752021-Q1: 87,2142021-Q2: 89,5252021-Q3: 91,8072021-Q4: 94,4262022-Q1: 96,2152022-Q2: 95,0772022-Q3: 97,7582022-Q4: 99,2482023-Q1: 99,3962023-Q2: 99,6352023-Q3: 99,4812023-Q4: 99,4372024-Q1: 98,7342024-Q2: 96,8632024-Q3: 96,3932024-Q4: 96,8672025-Q1: 94,9302025-Q2: 95,2012025-Q3: 94,8912025-Q4: 95,3302026-Q1: 96,110NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q196,1102022
2025-Q495,3302022
2025-Q394,8912022
2025-Q295,2012022
2025-Q194,9302022
2024-Q496,8672022
2024-Q396,3932022
2024-Q296,8632022
2024-Q198,7342022
2023-Q499,4372022
2023-Q399,4812022
2023-Q299,6352022
2023-Q199,3962022
2022-Q499,2482022
2022-Q397,7582022
2022-Q295,0772022
2022-Q196,2152022
2021-Q494,4262017
2021-Q391,8072017
2021-Q289,5252017
2021-Q187,2142017
2020-Q486,6752017
2020-Q384,1982017
2020-Q284,2252017
2020-Q184,3082017
2019-Q485,4892017
2019-Q382,4842017
2019-Q281,2412017
2019-Q178,9882017

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

Establishments · County Business PatternsLatest 38,254 · 2023
2017: 37,2232018: 37,7012019: 37,5362020: 37,3322021: 41,2382022: 39,3662023: 38,254
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
202338,254
202239,366
202141,238
202037,332
201937,536
201837,701
201737,223

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

Total wages in the quarter · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest $30.8 billion · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: $24.5 billion2019-Q2: $25.4 billion2019-Q3: $25.8 billion2019-Q4: $27.5 billion2020-Q1: $25.0 billion2020-Q2: $22.1 billion2020-Q3: $24.3 billion2020-Q4: $29.9 billion2021-Q1: $28.6 billion2021-Q2: $30.2 billion2021-Q3: $31.4 billion2021-Q4: $40.3 billion2022-Q1: $37.4 billion2022-Q2: $38.6 billion2022-Q3: $38.7 billion2022-Q4: $37.9 billion2023-Q1: $35.8 billion2023-Q2: $34.6 billion2023-Q3: $32.9 billion2023-Q4: $34.0 billion2024-Q1: $31.6 billion2024-Q2: $31.5 billion2024-Q3: $31.0 billion2024-Q4: $32.7 billion2025-Q1: $30.0 billion2025-Q2: $30.7 billion2025-Q3: $30.6 billion2025-Q4: $32.9 billion2026-Q1: $30.8 billionNAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1$30.8 billion2022
2025-Q4$32.9 billion2022
2025-Q3$30.6 billion2022
2025-Q2$30.7 billion2022
2025-Q1$30.0 billion2022
2024-Q4$32.7 billion2022
2024-Q3$31.0 billion2022
2024-Q2$31.5 billion2022
2024-Q1$31.6 billion2022
2023-Q4$34.0 billion2022
2023-Q3$32.9 billion2022
2023-Q2$34.6 billion2022
2023-Q1$35.8 billion2022
2022-Q4$37.9 billion2022
2022-Q3$38.7 billion2022
2022-Q2$38.6 billion2022
2022-Q1$37.4 billion2022
2021-Q4$40.3 billion2017
2021-Q3$31.4 billion2017
2021-Q2$30.2 billion2017
2021-Q1$28.6 billion2017
2020-Q4$29.9 billion2017
2020-Q3$24.3 billion2017
2020-Q2$22.1 billion2017
2020-Q1$25.0 billion2017
2019-Q4$27.5 billion2017
2019-Q3$25.8 billion2017
2019-Q2$25.4 billion2017
2019-Q1$24.5 billion2017

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

Annual payroll · County Business PatternsLatest $177 billion · 2023
2017: $114 billion2018: $119 billion2019: $122 billion2020: $117 billion2021: $153 billion2022: $177 billion2023: $177 billion
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023$177 billion
2022$177 billion
2021$153 billion
2020$117 billion
2019$122 billion
2018$119 billion
2017$114 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 Wages2,500,5362026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
EstablishmentsPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages96,1102026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Total wages in the quarterPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages$30.8 billion2026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Annual payrollCounty Business Patterns$177 billion20232017–2023 · 7 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12County Business Patterns3,645,67820232017–2023 · 7 published
EstablishmentsCounty Business Patterns38,25420232017–2023 · 7 published
Annual payrollEconomic Census$198 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12Economic Census4,448,71020222017–2022 · 2 published
EstablishmentsEconomic Census39,06620222017–2022 · 2 published
FirmsEconomic Census16,34020222017–2022 · 2 published
Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)All establishments, current dollarsEconomic Census$326 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published

Breakdown

Industries within Temporary Help Services

NAICSIndustrySizeEmployment
561320Temporary Help Services$326 billionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census2,500,5362026-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.