NAICS Code
NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) codes are 6-digit industry classification codes adopted by the US, Canada, and Mexico in 1997 — providing finer industry granularity than SIC codes and standard for federal government reporting and many modern data systems.
Why This Matters
NAICS is the official US industry classification standard, but in practice MCA lead operations use SIC and NAICS interchangeably depending on data-source format. NAICS provides finer granularity (six digits vs. SIC's four), enabling sub-industry targeting like '722511 Full-Service Restaurants' versus '722513 Limited-Service Restaurants.' This precision matters for industry-specific MCA programs (e.g., specialty trucking funders targeting NAICS 484 transportation versus generic SMB outreach). Lead vendors increasingly default to NAICS but maintain SIC mapping for compatibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I filter by SIC or NAICS?
Filter by whichever your data source uses natively. NAICS provides finer granularity for sub-industry targeting; SIC is sufficient for broad industry-level segmentation. Maintain mapping tables if working across both systems for cross-source consistency.
How do I look up a business's NAICS code?
Most state Secretary of State databases include NAICS or SIC codes in business registration records. Commercial data providers (D&B, ZoomInfo) provide assigned NAICS codes. Self-reported NAICS from federal tax filings is most accurate but not always publicly accessible.