--- title: "Compare CBP years: NAICS editions and manufacturing scope" description: "Compare CBP years with matching NAICS editions, geography, measures, size classes, and publication flags before describing manufacturing changes." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/cbp-naics-edition-manufacturing-year-comparison" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # CBP year comparisons: check NAICS editions before reading manufacturing growth Two annual manufacturing figures can differ because activity changed, because their definitions changed, or because they describe different populations. Before calling a difference growth, inspect the scope on both sides. For County Business Patterns, or CBP, start with the reference year and the industry classification edition. Then check geography, measure, employment-size selection, and publication status. Arithmetic belongs after that comparison. The [establishment-count guide](/articles/cbp-establishments-fabricator-territory-buyer-limits) explains why a location count cannot become a buyer count. This article adds the time dimension. It helps a fabrication sales lead decide whether two rows support a historical territory comparison. Use the result to improve a research decision. Keep purchasing demand, available work, and technical capability as separate questions. None follows automatically from a higher establishment figure. ## A data year does not name the NAICS edition The North American Industry Classification System, or NAICS, classifies establishments for economic statistics. Census provides edition-specific reference material and concordances between classifications. [Official NAICS hub, checked 2026.10.28](https://www.census.gov/naics/). Do not assume that a dataset labeled 2023 uses the 2022 NAICS edition. The CBP industry-reference page assigns the 2017 NAICS descriptions to reference years 2017 through 2023. It assigns the 2012 descriptions to reference years 2012 through 2016. [CBP industry references, checked 2026.10.28](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/technical-documentation/reference/naics-descriptions.html). That distinction prevents an avoidable mismatch. If you compare CBP 2022 with CBP 2023, the published industry-reference page places both within the 2017 edition. The calendar labels alone do not create a classification change. If you compare 2016 with 2017, the same reference page points to different editions. You then need to inspect the relationship between the selected industries. Do not apply a blanket adjustment to every manufacturing row. Write both edition names into the comparison note. Keep the industry code and full description with each figure. A familiar code number is useful for lookup, but the documented scope controls the comparison. ## Give each row a complete identity Copy enough context to distinguish the two rows without opening the source again. At minimum, retain the following fields for each side of the comparison. | Field | What to record | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | | Reference year | Year represented by the data | Separates activity from publication timing | | Release and access dates | Publication date and when you checked | Keeps the version traceable | | Industry | Code, description, and NAICS edition | Defines the activity selected | | Geographic scope | Unit, identifier, and boundary reference | Defines the area selected | | Measure | Establishments, employment, or a payroll measure | Prevents comparing unlike quantities | | Employment size | Total or the exact band | Defines a further selection | | Publication status | Original value and associated flags | Preserves limits on interpretation | CBP's reference files provide both industry and geography references. Use them to identify selections instead of relying on shortened chart labels. [Census reference files, checked 2026.10.28](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/technical-documentation/reference.html). For a custom sales territory, also retain the list of included geographic units. If the business added a county between annual planning meetings, prepare a constant-area comparison before describing a territory-wide change. Do not solve that problem by renaming both rows “our region.” A stable label can hide a changed boundary. The note should make the difference visible to the person deciding where to research next. Check measures with the same discipline. Establishments and employees answer different questions. An employment-size band narrows the selected establishments; it does not describe an enterprise's purchasing organization. ## Read a concordance in the direction of your question An official concordance describes relationships between classifications. It is a source for mapping scope, not a formula for estimating how many businesses moved between categories. [Census concordance directory, checked 2026.10.28](https://www.census.gov/naics/concordances/concordances.html). For a comparison crossing the CBP 2016-to-2017 edition boundary, inspect the 2017-to-2012 workbook. Its columns identify the newer industry and the corresponding older industry or relevant part. Read every row for your selected category. [Official 2017-to-2012 full concordance, checked 2026.10.28](https://www.census.gov/naics/concordances/2017_to_2012_NAICS.xlsx). Keep three possible relationships distinct. An unchanged relationship may support a direct scope match after other checks. A split requires attention to all destination pieces. A merger requires attention to all contributing pieces. These relationships describe what you must investigate. They do not establish a real change for a particular manufacturing code. This guide uses fictional category letters below to explain the logic without inventing a historical manufacturing revision. The official 2022-to-2017 workbook also explains combinations and splits in its introductory note. Its column descriptions refer to the relevant portion of the older industry. [Official 2022-to-2017 full concordance, checked 2026.10.28](https://www.census.gov/naics/concordances/2022_to_2017_NAICS.xlsx). Use that workbook only when those editions are relevant to your sources. Its existence does not mean CBP 2023 switched to the 2022 classification. Dataset-specific documentation still determines which bridge you need. If one older category splits into two newer categories, do not assign the older total equally between them. A concordance does not supply those shares. Keep the narrow comparison unavailable unless another official table supports a common scope. If several older categories combine, inspect whether you have every required component. Missing one piece can produce an apparent increase caused by broader coverage. Adding available fragments is not automatically a valid reconstruction. ## Work through three fictional comparisons The following figures, category letters, and territories are synthetic. They illustrate review outcomes. They describe no actual county, manufacturing industry, or NAICS revision. | Case | Earlier figure | Later figure | Scope finding | Permitted interpretation | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Matched scope | 40 establishments in category A | 44 establishments in category A | Same documented activity, area, measure, and size selection | Four more published establishments within the matched scope | | Unmatched scope | 40 establishments in category A | 55 establishments in combined categories A and B | Later figure covers additional activity | No direct growth comparison | | Unavailable data | 40 establishments in category A | Unavailable entry for category A | No comparable numeric value | Change cannot be calculated from these entries | In the first case, the arithmetic difference is four. Dividing that difference by forty gives ten percent. Those calculations describe the fictional matched establishment figures. They do not establish ten percent more potential buyers or ten percent more fabrication spending. In the second case, a calculation would still produce a number. It would answer the wrong question because the later category is broader. Retain both source figures and state that the direct comparison fails its scope check. You might investigate a broader common category across both years. That requires fresh source selections and another review of coverage and flags. Describe the resulting comparison at its broader level rather than preserving the old narrow label. In the third case, do not replace the unavailable entry with zero. There is no supported percentage change. The research note can still preserve the earlier observation and explain why the later comparison remains unresolved. ## Publication flags belong to their specific fields For the county files linked as covering 2020 through 2023, the dictionary separates establishment counts from employment and payroll. Employment and payroll have associated noise-flag fields. Establishment size-band fields can carry an unavailable-or-incomparable marker. [County layout page and covered years, checked 2026.10.28](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/technical-documentation/record-layouts/county-record-layout.html). The linked dictionary assigns G, H, and J to increasing noise bands for those flagged measures. It assigns N to unavailable or incomparable establishment size-band values. Read the relevant field definition before interpreting an entry. [County dictionary, field and flag definitions, checked 2026.10.28](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/technical-documentation/records-layouts/2020_record_layouts/county-layout-2020.txt). For example, an employment flag does not automatically describe the establishment total. A missing establishment-size value should not become a numeric observation. Preserve the field name, original entry, and flag together in your notes. Before using another vintage, reopen that vintage's record layout. Do not carry a flag meaning into a different file because the column occupies the same position. If the row or documentation is incomplete, mark the interpretation unresolved. Avoid calculating missing detail by subtracting published parts from a broader total. A territory research note should report what the source supports. It should not present a reconstructed confidential or unavailable value as an official statistic. ## Preserve the methodology warning with the comparison The general CBP methodology page says its information is no longer current. It directs readers' attention to work on alternative approaches following a Commerce order concerning noise infusion. [Census methodology warning, checked 2026.10.28](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/technical-documentation/methodology.html). Do not remove that warning when sharing the page internally. Save the release-specific layout reference alongside the comparison. Describe verified historical file definitions as definitions for those files, not as a promise about future releases. The program's data page currently identifies 2023 as the latest reference year. It gives no planned release date for 2024 data. [Census data notice, checked 2026.10.28](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/data.html). The 2022 and 2023 dataset pages carry publication dates in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Those publication years do not change the underlying reference years. [2022 release](https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/2022/econ/cbp/2022-cbp.html), [2023 release](https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/2023/econ/cbp/2023-cbp.html), checked 2026.10.28. Where a current notice and an older explanation leave a question unsettled, narrow the interpretation. Record what was verified and what still needs official clarification. A useful comparison can end with “not comparable” rather than a percentage. ## Turn the result into a bounded territory decision Finish with a short judgment about comparability before discussing sales action. Name the matched population and period. If scope differs, identify the exact difference. If data are unavailable, identify the missing field. Then state the decision the evidence can support. You might preserve a county as a research priority, investigate a neighboring area, or postpone a trend claim. Keep the decision proportional to the source. Use the [manufacturing overview](/for/small-manufacturers-and-fabricators) when the next step concerns an actual RFQ or order record. Use the [public intelligence overview](/intelligence/small-manufacturers-and-fabricators) when the next question concerns individual project evidence. Keep the source rows, edition relationship, geography selections, and reviewer correction together. The [business memory guide](/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) explains why a reusable research record needs more than a final summary. Scale With Search starts a written scope with the business question and the records available to answer it. Bring the two source selections and the decision they need to inform. The responsible sales lead and estimator keep commercial and technical judgments. [Send your brief](/work) Continue the website review: [AI-native manufacturing: the first functions to build](/articles/ai-native-manufacturing-first-functions); [County Business Patterns for fabricators: count establishments without inventing buyers](/articles/cbp-establishments-fabricator-territory-buyer-limits); [Manufacturer distributor pages: show where to buy](/articles/manufacturer-authorized-distributor-page); [Discontinued product pages on a manufacturer website](/articles/manufacturer-discontinued-product-pages); [Made in USA claims on a manufacturer website](/articles/manufacturer-made-in-usa-website-claims); [Metric and inch dimensions on manufacturer websites](/articles/manufacturer-metric-inch-dimensions-website); [Show minimum order quantities on a manufacturer site](/articles/manufacturer-minimum-order-quantity-page); [Keep customer drawings off your public website](/articles/manufacturer-private-drawings-website); [Manufacturer website: products or custom fabrication](/articles/manufacturer-product-and-custom-fabrication-pages); [GTIN and MPN on manufacturer product pages](/articles/manufacturer-product-identifiers-gtin-mpn); [CAD downloads on a manufacturer website](/articles/manufacturer-public-cad-downloads); [Recycled content claims on manufacturer websites](/articles/manufacturer-recycled-content-website-claims); [Manufacturer sample requests: explain the next step](/articles/manufacturer-sample-request-page); [Manufacturing AI rules: data, approvals, and spend](/articles/manufacturing-ai-data-approval-spend-rules); [SEO for manufacturers: make capabilities findable](/articles/manufacturing-seo-buyer-discovery-plan). [small manufacturers and fabricators](/for/small-manufacturers-and-fabricators): website and search resources. ## Related: small manufacturers and fabricators - [Manufacturer distributor pages: show where to buy](/articles/manufacturer-authorized-distributor-page) - [Discontinued product pages on a manufacturer website](/articles/manufacturer-discontinued-product-pages) - [Made in USA claims on a manufacturer website](/articles/manufacturer-made-in-usa-website-claims) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. Scale With Search 2026 [scalewithsearch.com](https://scalewithsearch.com) ```