There are ten different main business industries, including transportation and communications; mining; agriculture, forestry, and fishing; construction; manufacturing; finance, insurance, and real estate; retail trade; wholesale trade; services; and public administration. These categories are defined by the United States Department of Labor and tracked via the standard industrial classification, or SIC, code system.
The U.S. government created and manages the SIC code classification system as a way to track business activity conducted by organizations within the country. This determines if organizations have to follow specific regulations or if they receive specialized funding from government entities, such as the Small Business Administration.
