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Size of the US Payroll Services industry

NAICS 541214, Payroll Services. Every figure on this page was published by a federal statistical agency and carries its source and period. Palanor does not estimate: a period the agency didn’t publish shows as missing, and a figure it withheld shows as withheld.

Key figures

Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)
$26.6 billion
2022 · Economic Census
All establishments, current dollars
Employment
211,757
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter
Establishments
13,133
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private ownership
Firms
4,902
2022 · Economic Census
Annual payroll
$20.5 billion
2023 · County Business Patterns

Over time

Employment · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 211,757 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 173,9092019-Q2: 178,3162019-Q3: 180,3022019-Q4: 180,8152020-Q1: 179,0652020-Q2: 153,6132020-Q3: 162,9262020-Q4: 173,1782021-Q1: 175,3732021-Q2: 182,0552021-Q3: 194,5882021-Q4: 202,7902022-Q1: 205,4472022-Q2: 212,5692022-Q3: 219,7392022-Q4: 218,6472023-Q1: 217,7682023-Q2: 226,2302023-Q3: 227,9292023-Q4: 234,8242024-Q1: 228,8212024-Q2: 231,9962024-Q3: 232,2012024-Q4: 232,0122025-Q1: 213,0652025-Q2: 221,0002025-Q3: 218,8742025-Q4: 221,9122026-Q1: 211,757NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1211,7572022
2025-Q4221,9122022
2025-Q3218,8742022
2025-Q2221,0002022
2025-Q1213,0652022
2024-Q4232,0122022
2024-Q3232,2012022
2024-Q2231,9962022
2024-Q1228,8212022
2023-Q4234,8242022
2023-Q3227,9292022
2023-Q2226,2302022
2023-Q1217,7682022
2022-Q4218,6472022
2022-Q3219,7392022
2022-Q2212,5692022
2022-Q1205,4472022
2021-Q4202,7902017
2021-Q3194,5882017
2021-Q2182,0552017
2021-Q1175,3732017
2020-Q4173,1782017
2020-Q3162,9262017
2020-Q2153,6132017
2020-Q1179,0652017
2019-Q4180,8152017
2019-Q3180,3022017
2019-Q2178,3162017
2019-Q1173,9092017

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter

Employment · County Business PatternsLatest 309,518 · 2023
2017: 232,5412018: 243,3952019: 248,8042020: 257,5882021: 247,2242022: 278,6522023: 309,518
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023309,518
2022278,652
2021247,224
2020257,588
2019248,804
2018243,395
2017232,541

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns · Paid employees in the pay period including March 12

Establishments · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 13,133 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 9,1362019-Q2: 9,2982019-Q3: 9,5682019-Q4: 9,6232020-Q1: 9,6292020-Q2: 9,6952020-Q3: 9,8042020-Q4: 10,0762021-Q1: 10,1562021-Q2: 10,4722021-Q3: 10,7562021-Q4: 10,9612022-Q1: 11,1602022-Q2: 11,4182022-Q3: 11,7312022-Q4: 12,0782023-Q1: 12,3662023-Q2: 12,5722023-Q3: 12,7602023-Q4: 12,8972024-Q1: 12,9092024-Q2: 13,0832024-Q3: 13,1892024-Q4: 13,4152025-Q1: 12,8212025-Q2: 12,8982025-Q3: 12,9802025-Q4: 13,0492026-Q1: 13,133NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q113,1332022
2025-Q413,0492022
2025-Q312,9802022
2025-Q212,8982022
2025-Q112,8212022
2024-Q413,4152022
2024-Q313,1892022
2024-Q213,0832022
2024-Q112,9092022
2023-Q412,8972022
2023-Q312,7602022
2023-Q212,5722022
2023-Q112,3662022
2022-Q412,0782022
2022-Q311,7312022
2022-Q211,4182022
2022-Q111,1602022
2021-Q410,9612017
2021-Q310,7562017
2021-Q210,4722017
2021-Q110,1562017
2020-Q410,0762017
2020-Q39,8042017
2020-Q29,6952017
2020-Q19,6292017
2019-Q49,6232017
2019-Q39,5682017
2019-Q29,2982017
2019-Q19,1362017

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · Private ownership

Establishments · County Business PatternsLatest 5,556 · 2023
2017: 5,7532018: 5,6852019: 5,7452020: 5,7502021: 5,5452022: 5,4802023: 5,556
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
20235,556
20225,480
20215,545
20205,750
20195,745
20185,685
20175,753

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns

Total wages in the quarter · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest $6.0 billion · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: $3.8 billion2019-Q2: $3.6 billion2019-Q3: $3.9 billion2019-Q4: $4.5 billion2020-Q1: $3.9 billion2020-Q2: $3.3 billion2020-Q3: $3.5 billion2020-Q4: $4.6 billion2021-Q1: $4.1 billion2021-Q2: $3.9 billion2021-Q3: $4.5 billion2021-Q4: $5.4 billion2022-Q1: $4.6 billion2022-Q2: $4.4 billion2022-Q3: $5.2 billion2022-Q4: $5.4 billion2023-Q1: $5.3 billion2023-Q2: $4.8 billion2023-Q3: $5.2 billion2023-Q4: $5.7 billion2024-Q1: $5.5 billion2024-Q2: $4.9 billion2024-Q3: $5.4 billion2024-Q4: $6.3 billion2025-Q1: $5.5 billion2025-Q2: $5.1 billion2025-Q3: $5.5 billion2025-Q4: $6.8 billion2026-Q1: $6.0 billionNAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1$6.0 billion2022
2025-Q4$6.8 billion2022
2025-Q3$5.5 billion2022
2025-Q2$5.1 billion2022
2025-Q1$5.5 billion2022
2024-Q4$6.3 billion2022
2024-Q3$5.4 billion2022
2024-Q2$4.9 billion2022
2024-Q1$5.5 billion2022
2023-Q4$5.7 billion2022
2023-Q3$5.2 billion2022
2023-Q2$4.8 billion2022
2023-Q1$5.3 billion2022
2022-Q4$5.4 billion2022
2022-Q3$5.2 billion2022
2022-Q2$4.4 billion2022
2022-Q1$4.6 billion2022
2021-Q4$5.4 billion2017
2021-Q3$4.5 billion2017
2021-Q2$3.9 billion2017
2021-Q1$4.1 billion2017
2020-Q4$4.6 billion2017
2020-Q3$3.5 billion2017
2020-Q2$3.3 billion2017
2020-Q1$3.9 billion2017
2019-Q4$4.5 billion2017
2019-Q3$3.9 billion2017
2019-Q2$3.6 billion2017
2019-Q1$3.8 billion2017

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · Private ownership

Annual payroll · County Business PatternsLatest $20.5 billion · 2023
2017: $13.8 billion2018: $14.9 billion2019: $16.4 billion2020: $16.8 billion2021: $18.9 billion2022: $20.1 billion2023: $20.5 billion
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023$20.5 billion
2022$20.1 billion
2021$18.9 billion
2020$16.8 billion
2019$16.4 billion
2018$14.9 billion
2017$13.8 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns

The ledger

Every published measure

MeasureSourceLatestPeriodHistory
EmploymentPrivate-sector jobs in the third month of each quarterQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages211,7572026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
EstablishmentsPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages13,1332026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Total wages in the quarterPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages$6.0 billion2026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Annual payrollCounty Business Patterns$20.5 billion20232017–2023 · 7 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12County Business Patterns309,51820232017–2023 · 7 published
EstablishmentsCounty Business Patterns5,55620232017–2023 · 7 published
Annual payrollEconomic Census$16.4 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12Economic Census296,91620222017–2022 · 2 published
EstablishmentsEconomic Census5,96620222017–2022 · 2 published
FirmsEconomic Census4,90220222017–2022 · 2 published
Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)All establishments, current dollarsEconomic Census$26.6 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published

Sources

Where every number comes from

Figures are in current dollars and are the agencies’ own, revised when they revise. Each program defines its universe differently (employer firms, private ownership, all establishments), so figures from different sources are not meant to add up. This page is not endorsed by the Census Bureau, BEA or BLS. The same data is in the Palanor API (/v1/industries) and the MCP (palanor_get_industry). All industries.