NAICS 48 — Transportation and Warehousing
Industries providing transportation of passengers and cargo, warehousing and storage, and related services (codes 48-49). The Transportation and Warehousing sector encompasses 54 six-digit NAICS codes used in federal procurement, representing $23,692,735,247 in total federal contract spending. Each code within this sector has its own SBA small business size standard, which determines whether a business qualifies as "small" for set-aside and sole-source contract opportunities in that specific industry.
Understanding Sector 48
NAICS sector 48 is one of 20 industry sectors defined by the North American Industry Classification System. The federal government uses these codes to classify contract requirements, determine small business eligibility, and track procurement spending across industries. When a federal agency issues a solicitation, they assign a NAICS code that best describes the principal purpose of the acquisition — this determines the applicable size standard for small business participation.
The codes below are sorted by total federal spending, with the highest-spend industries at the top. Click any code to view detailed spending data, top contractors, and guidance on competing for contracts in that industry.
Six-Digit Codes in Sector 48
| Code | Industry | Federal Spend |
|---|---|---|
| 488190 | Other Support Activities for Air Transportation | $7.5B |
| 481212 | Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation | $5.0B |
| 483111 | Deep Sea Freight Transportation | $3.3B |
| 481211 | Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation | $2.2B |
| 492110 | Couriers and Express Delivery Services | $840.0M |
| 493190 | Other Warehousing and Storage | $793.7M |
| 493110 | General Warehousing and Storage | $744.6M |
| 488999 | All Other Support Activities for Transportation | $403.0M |
| 488510 | Freight Transportation Arrangement | $349.1M |
| 488111 | Air Traffic Control | $325.5M |
| 488310 | Port and Harbor Operations | $311.5M |
| 485991 | Special Needs Transportation | $219.6M |
| 488390 | Other Support Activities for Water Transportation | $215.2M |
| 488320 | Marine Cargo Handling | $163.2M |
| 485999 | All Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation | $136.0M |
| 488330 | Navigational Services to Shipping | $113.7M |
| 481219 | Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation | $109.2M |
| 485410 | School and Employee Bus Transportation | $106.1M |
| 481112 | Scheduled Freight Air Transportation | $91.3M |
| 484210 | Used Household and Office Goods Moving | $84.7M |
| 484220 | Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Local | $75.9M |
| 483113 | Coastal and Great Lakes Freight Transportation | $68.9M |
| 483211 | Inland Water Freight Transportation | $68.8M |
| 484230 | Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance | $68.5M |
| 488119 | Other Airport Operations | $68.0M |
| 491110 | Postal Service | $54.4M |
| 493120 | Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage | $51.4M |
| 485113 | Bus and Other Motor Vehicle Transit Systems | $38.8M |
| 484110 | General Freight Trucking, Local | $28.1M |
| 485111 | Mixed Mode Transit Systems | $26.0M |
| 483112 | Deep Sea Passenger Transportation | $25.2M |
| 488490 | Other Support Activities for Road Transportation | $21.9M |
| 483114 | Coastal and Great Lakes Passenger Transportation | $20.1M |
| 488991 | Packing and Crating | $20.1M |
| 488210 | Support Activities for Rail Transportation | $18.6M |
| 481111 | Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation | $17.3M |
| 485510 | Charter Bus Industry | $16.6M |
| 485320 | Limousine Service | $12.2M |
| 492210 | Local Messengers and Local Delivery | $9.1M |
| 485119 | Other Urban Transit Systems | $6.3M |
| 485112 | Commuter Rail Systems | $5.0M |
| 484121 | General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload | $4.2M |
| 485310 | Taxi and Ridesharing Services | $3.5M |
| 485210 | Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation | $1.4M |
| 486910 | Pipeline Transportation of Refined Petroleum Products | $1.3M |
| 483212 | Inland Water Passenger Transportation | $1.3M |
| 487110 | Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land | $1.2M |
| 486210 | Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas | $718K |
| 482111 | Line-Haul Railroads | $660K |
| 488410 | Motor Vehicle Towing | $553K |
| 487210 | Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water | $267K |
| 482112 | Short Line Railroads | $157K |
| 486990 | All Other Pipeline Transportation | $88K |
| 486110 | Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil | $48K |
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What is NAICS sector 48?
NAICS sector 48 covers Transportation and Warehousing. Industries providing transportation of passengers and cargo, warehousing and storage, and related services (codes 48-49). It contains 54 six-digit industry codes used in federal procurement.
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How much does the federal government spend in sector 48?
Total federal contract spending across all codes in the Transportation and Warehousing sector is approximately $23,692,735,247. Individual codes within the sector range from the most active at $7.5B to smaller niche markets.
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How do NAICS sectors relate to size standards?
Each six-digit NAICS code has its own SBA size standard — sectors don't have a single standard. Size standards are expressed either as maximum average annual receipts (e.g., $41.5 million) or maximum number of employees (e.g., 500 employees). Click into any six-digit code to see its specific size standard.
Data sourced from USASpending.gov and Census Bureau . Federal contracting data is public domain.