NAICS 56 — Administrative and Support Services

Understanding Sector 56

NAICS sector 56 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 56

• What is NAICS sector 56?

  NAICS sector 56 covers Administrative and Support Services. Establishments performing routine support activities for the day-to-day operations of other organizations. It contains 44 six-digit industry codes used in federal procurement.

• How much does the federal government spend in sector 56?

  Total federal contract spending across all codes in the Administrative and Support Services sector is approximately $69,879,476,391. Individual codes within the sector range from the most active at $38.3B to smaller niche markets.

• 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.