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Size of the US Motor Vehicle Towing industry

NAICS 48841, Motor Vehicle Towing. 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)
$12.0 billion
2022 · Economic Census
All establishments, current dollars
Employment
73,110
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter
Establishments
10,794
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private ownership
Firms
10,066
2022 · Economic Census
Annual payroll
$3.8 billion
2023 · County Business Patterns

Over time

Employment · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 73,110 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 67,3522019-Q2: 67,1662019-Q3: 67,4082019-Q4: 68,0982020-Q1: 67,1062020-Q2: 62,6902020-Q3: 64,3562020-Q4: 66,1202021-Q1: 66,3872021-Q2: 67,0722021-Q3: 68,5592021-Q4: 70,2682022-Q1: 70,9392022-Q2: 71,8242022-Q3: 72,5302022-Q4: 73,2302023-Q1: 73,3842023-Q2: 73,2342023-Q3: 73,7362023-Q4: 74,4422024-Q1: 73,7872024-Q2: 72,8942024-Q3: 72,9542024-Q4: 72,9472025-Q1: 73,3832025-Q2: 73,0522025-Q3: 73,1422025-Q4: 73,3672026-Q1: 73,110NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q173,1102022
2025-Q473,3672022
2025-Q373,1422022
2025-Q273,0522022
2025-Q173,3832022
2024-Q472,9472022
2024-Q372,9542022
2024-Q272,8942022
2024-Q173,7872022
2023-Q474,4422022
2023-Q373,7362022
2023-Q273,2342022
2023-Q173,3842022
2022-Q473,2302022
2022-Q372,5302022
2022-Q271,8242022
2022-Q170,9392022
2021-Q470,2682017
2021-Q368,5592017
2021-Q267,0722017
2021-Q166,3872017
2020-Q466,1202017
2020-Q364,3562017
2020-Q262,6902017
2020-Q167,1062017
2019-Q468,0982017
2019-Q367,4082017
2019-Q267,1662017
2019-Q167,3522017

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 73,320 · 2023
2017: 62,3172018: 63,9552019: 66,1232020: 65,5612021: 64,5302022: 69,8252023: 73,320
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
202373,320
202269,825
202164,530
202065,561
201966,123
201863,955
201762,317

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

Establishments · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 10,794 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 9,4862019-Q2: 9,5682019-Q3: 9,6442019-Q4: 9,6902020-Q1: 9,7472020-Q2: 9,7102020-Q3: 9,7902020-Q4: 9,8412021-Q1: 9,9092021-Q2: 10,0042021-Q3: 10,1852021-Q4: 10,2462022-Q1: 10,2832022-Q2: 10,3732022-Q3: 10,4512022-Q4: 10,5682023-Q1: 10,5972023-Q2: 10,6352023-Q3: 10,6752023-Q4: 10,7622024-Q1: 10,6942024-Q2: 10,7212024-Q3: 10,7542024-Q4: 10,7352025-Q1: 10,6802025-Q2: 10,7132025-Q3: 10,7512025-Q4: 10,7452026-Q1: 10,794NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q110,7942022
2025-Q410,7452022
2025-Q310,7512022
2025-Q210,7132022
2025-Q110,6802022
2024-Q410,7352022
2024-Q310,7542022
2024-Q210,7212022
2024-Q110,6942022
2023-Q410,7622022
2023-Q310,6752022
2023-Q210,6352022
2023-Q110,5972022
2022-Q410,5682022
2022-Q310,4512022
2022-Q210,3732022
2022-Q110,2832022
2021-Q410,2462017
2021-Q310,1852017
2021-Q210,0042017
2021-Q19,9092017
2020-Q49,8412017
2020-Q39,7902017
2020-Q29,7102017
2020-Q19,7472017
2019-Q49,6902017
2019-Q39,6442017
2019-Q29,5682017
2019-Q19,4862017

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

Establishments · County Business PatternsLatest 10,566 · 2023
2017: 9,2112018: 9,3072019: 9,5022020: 9,6092021: 10,1192022: 10,5542023: 10,566
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
202310,566
202210,554
202110,119
20209,609
20199,502
20189,307
20179,211

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

Total wages in the quarter · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest $1.1 billion · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: $672.7 million2019-Q2: $685.4 million2019-Q3: $704.7 million2019-Q4: $740.1 million2020-Q1: $696.6 million2020-Q2: $624.9 million2020-Q3: $698.8 million2020-Q4: $775.6 million2021-Q1: $718.9 million2021-Q2: $773.7 million2021-Q3: $841.0 million2021-Q4: $930.0 million2022-Q1: $834.8 million2022-Q2: $904.1 million2022-Q3: $993.9 million2022-Q4: $1.0 billion2023-Q1: $983.2 million2023-Q2: $965.5 million2023-Q3: $1.0 billion2023-Q4: $1.0 billion2024-Q1: $1.0 billion2024-Q2: $998.6 million2024-Q3: $1.0 billion2024-Q4: $1.1 billion2025-Q1: $1.1 billion2025-Q2: $1.0 billion2025-Q3: $1.1 billion2025-Q4: $1.1 billion2026-Q1: $1.1 billionNAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1$1.1 billion2022
2025-Q4$1.1 billion2022
2025-Q3$1.1 billion2022
2025-Q2$1.0 billion2022
2025-Q1$1.1 billion2022
2024-Q4$1.1 billion2022
2024-Q3$1.0 billion2022
2024-Q2$998.6 million2022
2024-Q1$1.0 billion2022
2023-Q4$1.0 billion2022
2023-Q3$1.0 billion2022
2023-Q2$965.5 million2022
2023-Q1$983.2 million2022
2022-Q4$1.0 billion2022
2022-Q3$993.9 million2022
2022-Q2$904.1 million2022
2022-Q1$834.8 million2022
2021-Q4$930.0 million2017
2021-Q3$841.0 million2017
2021-Q2$773.7 million2017
2021-Q1$718.9 million2017
2020-Q4$775.6 million2017
2020-Q3$698.8 million2017
2020-Q2$624.9 million2017
2020-Q1$696.6 million2017
2019-Q4$740.1 million2017
2019-Q3$704.7 million2017
2019-Q2$685.4 million2017
2019-Q1$672.7 million2017

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

Annual payroll · County Business PatternsLatest $3.8 billion · 2023
2017: $2.3 billion2018: $2.5 billion2019: $2.7 billion2020: $2.6 billion2021: $3.0 billion2022: $3.5 billion2023: $3.8 billion
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023$3.8 billion
2022$3.5 billion
2021$3.0 billion
2020$2.6 billion
2019$2.7 billion
2018$2.5 billion
2017$2.3 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 Wages73,1102026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
EstablishmentsPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages10,7942026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Total wages in the quarterPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages$1.1 billion2026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Annual payrollCounty Business Patterns$3.8 billion20232017–2023 · 7 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12County Business Patterns73,32020232017–2023 · 7 published
EstablishmentsCounty Business Patterns10,56620232017–2023 · 7 published
Annual payrollEconomic Census$3.5 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12Economic Census75,29520222017–2022 · 2 published
EstablishmentsEconomic Census10,41420222017–2022 · 2 published
FirmsEconomic Census10,06620222017–2022 · 2 published
Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)All establishments, current dollarsEconomic Census$12.0 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published

Breakdown

Industries within Motor Vehicle Towing

NAICSIndustrySizeEmployment
488410Motor Vehicle Towing$12.0 billionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census73,1102026-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.