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Size of the US Testing Laboratories and Services industry

NAICS 54138, Testing Laboratories and 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)
$27.9 billion
2022 · Economic Census
All establishments, current dollars
Employment
173,961
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter
Establishments
11,532
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private ownership
Firms
5,690
2022 · Economic Census
Annual payroll
$11.9 billion
2023 · County Business Patterns

Over time

Employment · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 173,961 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 172,9752019-Q2: 176,1912019-Q3: 176,0352019-Q4: 176,6202020-Q1: 175,4902020-Q2: 169,4162020-Q3: 170,5462020-Q4: 172,6432021-Q1: 171,2422021-Q2: 174,0792021-Q3: 174,2162021-Q4: 176,0592022-Q1: 176,4112022-Q2: 177,9602022-Q3: 178,0172022-Q4: 176,5992023-Q1: 173,3552023-Q2: 176,8742023-Q3: 175,4482023-Q4: 174,3622024-Q1: 175,5952024-Q2: 177,6752024-Q3: 176,3082024-Q4: 174,7132025-Q1: 175,5052025-Q2: 177,1632025-Q3: 176,0162025-Q4: 177,0022026-Q1: 173,961NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1173,9612022
2025-Q4177,0022022
2025-Q3176,0162022
2025-Q2177,1632022
2025-Q1175,5052022
2024-Q4174,7132022
2024-Q3176,3082022
2024-Q2177,6752022
2024-Q1175,5952022
2023-Q4174,3622022
2023-Q3175,4482022
2023-Q2176,8742022
2023-Q1173,3552022
2022-Q4176,5992022
2022-Q3178,0172022
2022-Q2177,9602022
2022-Q1176,4112022
2021-Q4176,0592017
2021-Q3174,2162017
2021-Q2174,0792017
2021-Q1171,2422017
2020-Q4172,6432017
2020-Q3170,5462017
2020-Q2169,4162017
2020-Q1175,4902017
2019-Q4176,6202017
2019-Q3176,0352017
2019-Q2176,1912017
2019-Q1172,9752017

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 158,265 · 2023
2017: 134,6052018: 138,1292019: 144,0532020: 144,9222021: 146,4262022: 154,7152023: 158,265
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023158,265
2022154,715
2021146,426
2020144,922
2019144,053
2018138,129
2017134,605

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

Establishments · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 11,532 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 9,9572019-Q2: 10,0462019-Q3: 10,1442019-Q4: 10,1982020-Q1: 10,2422020-Q2: 10,2672020-Q3: 10,3642020-Q4: 10,4852021-Q1: 10,5172021-Q2: 10,6412021-Q3: 10,7382021-Q4: 10,9302022-Q1: 10,9862022-Q2: 11,0822022-Q3: 11,2582022-Q4: 11,3212023-Q1: 11,3622023-Q2: 11,4482023-Q3: 11,5002023-Q4: 11,5722024-Q1: 11,4692024-Q2: 11,5312024-Q3: 11,5342024-Q4: 11,5822025-Q1: 11,4392025-Q2: 11,4762025-Q3: 11,5272025-Q4: 11,5302026-Q1: 11,532NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q111,5322022
2025-Q411,5302022
2025-Q311,5272022
2025-Q211,4762022
2025-Q111,4392022
2024-Q411,5822022
2024-Q311,5342022
2024-Q211,5312022
2024-Q111,4692022
2023-Q411,5722022
2023-Q311,5002022
2023-Q211,4482022
2023-Q111,3622022
2022-Q411,3212022
2022-Q311,2582022
2022-Q211,0822022
2022-Q110,9862022
2021-Q410,9302017
2021-Q310,7382017
2021-Q210,6412017
2021-Q110,5172017
2020-Q410,4852017
2020-Q310,3642017
2020-Q210,2672017
2020-Q110,2422017
2019-Q410,1982017
2019-Q310,1442017
2019-Q210,0462017
2019-Q19,9572017

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

Establishments · County Business PatternsLatest 7,463 · 2023
2017: 7,0752018: 7,1042019: 7,1372020: 7,3892021: 7,4492022: 7,4882023: 7,463
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
20237,463
20227,488
20217,449
20207,389
20197,137
20187,104
20177,075

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

Total wages in the quarter · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest $4.7 billion · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: $3.5 billion2019-Q2: $3.4 billion2019-Q3: $3.3 billion2019-Q4: $3.7 billion2020-Q1: $3.6 billion2020-Q2: $3.2 billion2020-Q3: $3.3 billion2020-Q4: $4.1 billion2021-Q1: $3.5 billion2021-Q2: $3.5 billion2021-Q3: $3.6 billion2021-Q4: $4.0 billion2022-Q1: $4.0 billion2022-Q2: $3.9 billion2022-Q3: $4.0 billion2022-Q4: $4.0 billion2023-Q1: $4.2 billion2023-Q2: $4.0 billion2023-Q3: $3.9 billion2023-Q4: $4.1 billion2024-Q1: $4.4 billion2024-Q2: $4.2 billion2024-Q3: $4.1 billion2024-Q4: $4.4 billion2025-Q1: $4.5 billion2025-Q2: $4.3 billion2025-Q3: $4.3 billion2025-Q4: $4.5 billion2026-Q1: $4.7 billionNAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1$4.7 billion2022
2025-Q4$4.5 billion2022
2025-Q3$4.3 billion2022
2025-Q2$4.3 billion2022
2025-Q1$4.5 billion2022
2024-Q4$4.4 billion2022
2024-Q3$4.1 billion2022
2024-Q2$4.2 billion2022
2024-Q1$4.4 billion2022
2023-Q4$4.1 billion2022
2023-Q3$3.9 billion2022
2023-Q2$4.0 billion2022
2023-Q1$4.2 billion2022
2022-Q4$4.0 billion2022
2022-Q3$4.0 billion2022
2022-Q2$3.9 billion2022
2022-Q1$4.0 billion2022
2021-Q4$4.0 billion2017
2021-Q3$3.6 billion2017
2021-Q2$3.5 billion2017
2021-Q1$3.5 billion2017
2020-Q4$4.1 billion2017
2020-Q3$3.3 billion2017
2020-Q2$3.2 billion2017
2020-Q1$3.6 billion2017
2019-Q4$3.7 billion2017
2019-Q3$3.3 billion2017
2019-Q2$3.4 billion2017
2019-Q1$3.5 billion2017

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

Annual payroll · County Business PatternsLatest $11.9 billion · 2023
2017: $8.6 billion2018: $9.2 billion2019: $9.9 billion2020: $9.8 billion2021: $10.5 billion2022: $11.4 billion2023: $11.9 billion
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023$11.9 billion
2022$11.4 billion
2021$10.5 billion
2020$9.8 billion
2019$9.9 billion
2018$9.2 billion
2017$8.6 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 Wages173,9612026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
EstablishmentsPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages11,5322026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Total wages in the quarterPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages$4.7 billion2026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Annual payrollCounty Business Patterns$11.9 billion20232017–2023 · 7 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12County Business Patterns158,26520232017–2023 · 7 published
EstablishmentsCounty Business Patterns7,46320232017–2023 · 7 published
Annual payrollEconomic Census$11.2 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12Economic Census164,75520222017–2022 · 2 published
EstablishmentsEconomic Census7,97020222017–2022 · 2 published
FirmsEconomic Census5,69020222017–2022 · 2 published
Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)All establishments, current dollarsEconomic Census$27.9 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published

Breakdown

Industries within Testing Laboratories and Services

NAICSIndustrySizeEmployment
541380Testing Laboratories and Services$27.9 billionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census173,9612026-Q1 · QCEW

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.