2022 NAICS industry in sector 56 Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
56142 Telephone Call Centers
NAICS 56142 is the US industry code for telephone call centers. It covers (1) establishments primarily engaged in answering telephone calls and relaying messages and (2) establishments primarily engaged in providing telemarketing services, such as promoting products or services by telephone; taking orders by telephone, facsimile, email, or other communication modes; and soliciting contributions or providing information by telephone.
Official definition
This industry comprises (1) establishments primarily engaged in answering telephone calls and relaying messages and (2) establishments primarily engaged in providing telemarketing services, such as promoting products or services by telephone; taking orders by telephone, facsimile, email, or other communication modes; and soliciting contributions or providing information by telephone. Telephone call centers provide these services on behalf of clients and do not own the products or provide the services that they are representing, or they serve other establishments of the same enterprise.
When to use a different code
Census classifies these close-sounding activities somewhere else. Businesses mainly engaged in:
- Wholesale or retail sales are classified in Sector 42, Wholesale Trade, or Sector 44-45, Retail Trade.
- Providing automated data processing services and computing infrastructure for call centers are classified in Industry 51821, Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services.
- Providing restaurant meal and grocery order and delivery services (i.e., independent order and delivery services) are classified in Industry 49221, Local Messengers and Local Delivery.
- Providing paging and beeper transmission services are classified in Industry 51711, Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite).
- Organizing and conducting charitable fundraising campaigns on a contract or fee basis, that may include telephone solicitation services are classified in Industry 56149, Other Business Support Services.
- Gathering, recording, tabulating, and presenting marketing and public opinion data, that may include telephone canvassing services are classified in Industry 54191, Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling.
Codes in 56142
Data last changed November 14, 2026. How this page is built.