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Size of the US Food Service Contractors industry

NAICS 72231, Food Service Contractors. 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)
$50.9 billion
2022 · Economic Census
All establishments, current dollars
Employment
589,979
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter
Establishments
26,464
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private ownership
Firms
4,080
2022 · Economic Census
Annual payroll
$18.6 billion
2023 · County Business Patterns

Over time

Employment · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 589,979 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 535,5142019-Q2: 473,6472019-Q3: 554,6002019-Q4: 542,6102020-Q1: 515,0382020-Q2: 226,5192020-Q3: 315,8432020-Q4: 309,5352021-Q1: 345,7602021-Q2: 307,0382021-Q3: 430,8672021-Q4: 447,0922022-Q1: 457,5722022-Q2: 405,1462022-Q3: 526,0832022-Q4: 506,7562023-Q1: 519,9592023-Q2: 472,0592023-Q3: 573,5822023-Q4: 553,1732024-Q1: 564,0422024-Q2: 509,1642024-Q3: 591,4122024-Q4: 575,7512025-Q1: 583,5912025-Q2: 523,9842025-Q3: 584,8262025-Q4: 567,0792026-Q1: 589,979NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1589,9792022
2025-Q4567,0792022
2025-Q3584,8262022
2025-Q2523,9842022
2025-Q1583,5912022
2024-Q4575,7512022
2024-Q3591,4122022
2024-Q2509,1642022
2024-Q1564,0422022
2023-Q4553,1732022
2023-Q3573,5822022
2023-Q2472,0592022
2023-Q1519,9592022
2022-Q4506,7562022
2022-Q3526,0832022
2022-Q2405,1462022
2022-Q1457,5722022
2021-Q4447,0922017
2021-Q3430,8672017
2021-Q2307,0382017
2021-Q1345,7602017
2020-Q4309,5352017
2020-Q3315,8432017
2020-Q2226,5192017
2020-Q1515,0382017
2019-Q4542,6102017
2019-Q3554,6002017
2019-Q2473,6472017
2019-Q1535,5142017

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 618,579 · 2023
2017: 656,1452018: 652,4212019: 669,0162020: 624,8992021: 513,0432022: 557,0002023: 618,579
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023618,579
2022557,000
2021513,043
2020624,899
2019669,016
2018652,421
2017656,145

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

Establishments · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 26,464 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 22,3972019-Q2: 22,6182019-Q3: 22,8492019-Q4: 23,0742020-Q1: 22,7822020-Q2: 22,7282020-Q3: 22,7632020-Q4: 22,8582021-Q1: 22,6862021-Q2: 22,8342021-Q3: 23,2072021-Q4: 23,3312022-Q1: 23,8002022-Q2: 23,7852022-Q3: 24,0862022-Q4: 24,3142023-Q1: 24,9062023-Q2: 25,0862023-Q3: 25,3432023-Q4: 25,4882024-Q1: 25,3862024-Q2: 25,6532024-Q3: 26,0052024-Q4: 25,8292025-Q1: 25,8152025-Q2: 25,7622025-Q3: 25,7912025-Q4: 26,1122026-Q1: 26,464NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q126,4642022
2025-Q426,1122022
2025-Q325,7912022
2025-Q225,7622022
2025-Q125,8152022
2024-Q425,8292022
2024-Q326,0052022
2024-Q225,6532022
2024-Q125,3862022
2023-Q425,4882022
2023-Q325,3432022
2023-Q225,0862022
2023-Q124,9062022
2022-Q424,3142022
2022-Q324,0862022
2022-Q223,7852022
2022-Q123,8002022
2021-Q423,3312017
2021-Q323,2072017
2021-Q222,8342017
2021-Q122,6862017
2020-Q422,8582017
2020-Q322,7632017
2020-Q222,7282017
2020-Q122,7822017
2019-Q423,0742017
2019-Q322,8492017
2019-Q222,6182017
2019-Q122,3972017

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

Establishments · County Business PatternsLatest 29,512 · 2023
2017: 27,8442018: 26,8162019: 29,6752020: 29,5642021: 29,4742022: 29,4632023: 29,512
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
202329,512
202229,463
202129,474
202029,564
201929,675
201826,816
201727,844

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

Total wages in the quarter · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest $5.7 billion · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: $3.6 billion2019-Q2: $3.8 billion2019-Q3: $3.6 billion2019-Q4: $4.3 billion2020-Q1: $3.7 billion2020-Q2: $2.3 billion2020-Q3: $2.3 billion2020-Q4: $3.0 billion2021-Q1: $2.5 billion2021-Q2: $3.0 billion2021-Q3: $3.3 billion2021-Q4: $4.1 billion2022-Q1: $3.7 billion2022-Q2: $4.0 billion2022-Q3: $4.3 billion2022-Q4: $4.9 billion2023-Q1: $4.5 billion2023-Q2: $4.7 billion2023-Q3: $4.8 billion2023-Q4: $5.5 billion2024-Q1: $5.1 billion2024-Q2: $5.2 billion2024-Q3: $5.3 billion2024-Q4: $6.1 billion2025-Q1: $5.5 billion2025-Q2: $5.7 billion2025-Q3: $5.7 billion2025-Q4: $6.7 billion2026-Q1: $5.7 billionNAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1$5.7 billion2022
2025-Q4$6.7 billion2022
2025-Q3$5.7 billion2022
2025-Q2$5.7 billion2022
2025-Q1$5.5 billion2022
2024-Q4$6.1 billion2022
2024-Q3$5.3 billion2022
2024-Q2$5.2 billion2022
2024-Q1$5.1 billion2022
2023-Q4$5.5 billion2022
2023-Q3$4.8 billion2022
2023-Q2$4.7 billion2022
2023-Q1$4.5 billion2022
2022-Q4$4.9 billion2022
2022-Q3$4.3 billion2022
2022-Q2$4.0 billion2022
2022-Q1$3.7 billion2022
2021-Q4$4.1 billion2017
2021-Q3$3.3 billion2017
2021-Q2$3.0 billion2017
2021-Q1$2.5 billion2017
2020-Q4$3.0 billion2017
2020-Q3$2.3 billion2017
2020-Q2$2.3 billion2017
2020-Q1$3.7 billion2017
2019-Q4$4.3 billion2017
2019-Q3$3.6 billion2017
2019-Q2$3.8 billion2017
2019-Q1$3.6 billion2017

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

Annual payroll · County Business PatternsLatest $18.6 billion · 2023
2017: $15.0 billion2018: $15.9 billion2019: $16.9 billion2020: $12.7 billion2021: $13.6 billion2022: $15.9 billion2023: $18.6 billion
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023$18.6 billion
2022$15.9 billion
2021$13.6 billion
2020$12.7 billion
2019$16.9 billion
2018$15.9 billion
2017$15.0 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 Wages589,9792026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
EstablishmentsPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages26,4642026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Total wages in the quarterPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages$5.7 billion2026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Annual payrollCounty Business Patterns$18.6 billion20232017–2023 · 7 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12County Business Patterns618,57920232017–2023 · 7 published
EstablishmentsCounty Business Patterns29,51220232017–2023 · 7 published
Annual payrollEconomic Census$16.1 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12Economic Census563,58820222017–2022 · 2 published
EstablishmentsEconomic Census30,08620222017–2022 · 2 published
FirmsEconomic Census4,08020222017–2022 · 2 published
Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)All establishments, current dollarsEconomic Census$50.9 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published

Breakdown

Industries within Food Service Contractors

NAICSIndustrySizeEmployment
722310Food Service Contractors$50.9 billionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census589,9792026-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.