2022 NAICS national industry in sector 54 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
541810 Advertising Agencies
NAICS 541810 is the US industry code for advertising agencies. It covers establishments primarily engaged in creating advertising campaigns and placing such advertising in print and digital periodicals, newspapers, radio and television, or other media.
- Code
- 541810 (2022 NAICS)
- Title
- Advertising Agencies
- Part of
- Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services
- SBA small business limit
- Average annual receipts up to $25.5 million
- Closest UK SIC
- 73110, 73120 (details)
Changes coming. The NAICS 2027 revision applies to data from 1 January 2027, and SBA proposed new size standards on 20 August 2026. The values on this page are the ones in force today; we update this page when the official files change.
Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in creating advertising campaigns and placing such advertising in print and digital periodicals, newspapers, radio and television, or other media. These establishments are organized to provide a full range of services (i.e., through in-house capabilities or subcontracting), including advice, creative services, account management, production of advertising content, media planning, and buying (i.e., placing advertising).
When to use a different code
Census classifies these close-sounding activities somewhere else. Businesses mainly engaged in:
- Purchasing advertising space from media outlets and reselling it directly to advertising agencies or individual companies are classified in Industry 541830, Media Buying Agencies.
- Conceptualizing and producing artwork or graphic designs without providing other advertising agency services are classified in Industry 541430, Graphic Design Services.
- Creating direct mail advertising campaigns are classified in Industry 541860, Direct Mail Advertising.
- Providing marketing consulting services are classified in U.S. Industry 541613, Marketing Consulting Services.
- Selling media time or space for media owners as independent representatives are classified in Industry 541840, Media Representatives.
- Providing access for clients to advertising servers and/or real-time bidding marketplaces from a central host site (except by publishers, Web search portals, and other content providers) are classified in Industry 518210, Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services.
Businesses that use this code
Activities listed under 541810
The Census index assigns these 5 activities to this code. If your business matches one, this is your code.
- Advertising agencies
- Advertising agency consulting services
- Digital advertising agencies
- Internet advertising agencies
- Online advertising agencies
SBA size standard for 541810
To count as a small business for SBA loans and federal contracts under NAICS 541810, your business (including affiliates) must not exceed $25.5 million in average annual receipts. Check your business.
SBA footnote 10: NAICS codes 488510 (excluding the exception), 531210, 541810, 561510, 561520 and 561920 – As measured by total revenues, but excluding funds received in trust for an unaffiliated third party, such as bookings or sales subject to commissions. The commissions received are included as revenues.
Source: SBA table of size standards, effective March 17, 2023.
Closest UK SIC 2007 codes
There is no official one-to-one link between NAICS and UK SIC. These codes share the same international class (ISIC Rev. 4: 7310), so treat them as a starting point and check the definition.
Built from Census concordances 2022→2017 NAICS and 2017 NAICS→ISIC Rev. 4.
Similar codes to compare
Data last changed November 14, 2026. How this page is built.