Industry Statistics Sampler
NAICS 492
Couriers and messengers

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Definition	Data from the Economic Census					Annual data
	Employers	Nonemployers	Compare to '97	States	Products, Size, etc.

Employers: 2002
Table includes only establishments of firms with payroll. Nonemployers are shown below. Introductory text includes scope, methodology, non-sampling error, and confidentiality protection. For descriptions of column headings and rows (industries), click on the appropriate underlined element in the table.
NAICS code	Description	Estab- lish- ments	Revenue ($1,000)	Annual payroll ($1,000)	Paid employees

48-49	Transportation & warehousing	199,618	382,152,040	115,988,733	3,650,859
492	Couriers & messengers	12,655	58,164,869	17,175,401	561,514
4921	Couriers	7,382	54,820,521	16,180,242	514,921
4922	Local messengers & local delivery	5,273	3,344,348	995,159	46,593

Nonemployers: 2002
Data based on 2002 Nonemployer Statistics. Table includes only firms subject to federal income tax. Nonemployers are businesses with no paid employees. Introductory text includes scope and methodology. For descriptions of column headings and rows (industries), click on the appropriate underlined element in the table.
NAICS code	NAICS Title	All firms		Nonemployers				Employers
		Establish- ments	Receipts ($1,000)	Establishments		Receipts		Establish- ments	Revenue ($1,000)
		Establish- ments	Receipts ($1,000)	Number	% of all	$1,000	% of all	Establish- ments	Revenue ($1,000)
N = Not available
48-49	Transportation & warehousing	1,008,617	422,849,549	808,999	80.2	40,697,509	9.6	199,618	382,152,040
492	Couriers & messengers	152,100	60,980,079	139,445	91.7	2,815,210	4.6	12,655	58,164,869

Definition: NAICS 492 Couriers and messengers

Industries in the Couriers and Messengers subsector provide intercity and/or local delivery of parcels. These articles can be described as those that may be handled by one person without using special equipment. This allows the collection, pick-up, and delivery operations to be done with limited labor costs and minimal equipment. Sorting and transportation activities, where necessary, are generally mechanized. The restriction to small parcels partly distinguishes these establishments from those in the transportation industries. The complete network of courier services establishments also distinguishes these transportation services from local messenger and delivery establishments in this subsector. This includes the establishments that perform intercity transportation as well as establishments that, under contract to them, perform local pick-up and delivery. Messengers, which usually deliver within a metropolitan or single urban area, may use bicycle, foot, small truck, or van.

Historical comparability

NAICS 492, Couriers and messengers, is comparable between 2002 and 1997.

For comparisons with data before 1997, see the Bridge Between 1997 NAICS and 1987 SIC.

Comparative Statistics: 2002 and 1997

Data are in current dollars and have not been adjusted for inflation. Table includes only establishments of firms with payroll. Introductory text includes scope, methodology, non-sampling error, and confidentiality protection. "% change" rows show percent change between 1997 and 2002.
1997 NAICS code	1997 NAICS Description	Year	Establishments	Revenue ($1,000)	Annual payroll ($1,000)	Paid employees
(1) Data for NAICS 481111 do not include large certificated passenger carriers that report to the Office of Airline Information, U.S. Department of Transportation.
492	Couriers & messengers	2002	12,655	58,164,869	17,175,401	561,514
		1997	10,887	39,812,433	14,071,630	530,839
		% change	16.2	46.1	22.1	5.8

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Industry
Snapshot

Geographic Distribution -- Couriers and messengers: 2002

Data for the Transportation & warehousing sector are published for the U.S., states and metropolitan areas

Table includes only establishments of firms with payroll. Nonemployers are shown above. Introductory text includes scope, methodology, non-sampling error, and confidentiality protection. For descriptions of column headings and rows (industries), click on the appropriate underlined element in the table.

Other
Indus-
tries

Description

Estab-
lish-
ments

Revenue
($1,000)

Revenue
% of
U.S.

Revenue
per capita
($)

Annual
payroll
($1,000)

Paid
employees

United States

12,655

58,164,869

100.00

202

17,175,401

561,514

California

1,486

9,711,576

16.70

277

2,601,695

86,871

New York

1,054

3,655,330

6.28

191

1,093,260

35,783

Texas

891

3,414,265

5.87

157

951,926

34,508

Florida

932

3,108,305

5.34

186

885,931

29,189

Illinois

509

3,035,094

5.22

241

757,241

25,637

Kentucky

126

2,817,326

4.84

689

326,047

9,061

New Jersey

433

2,734,747

4.70

319

807,058

22,862

Pennsylvania

437

2,550,103

4.38

207

834,924

28,453

Ohio

388

2,099,592

3.61

184

994,623

29,482

Georgia

304

1,446,482

2.49

168

418,287

14,848

Indiana

261

1,262,951

2.17

205

371,148

15,225

North Carolina

297

1,257,498

2.16

151

386,395

13,523

Michigan

327

1,191,360

2.05

119

493,853

15,999

Wisconsin

234

1,109,947

1.91

204

276,996

9,374

Minnesota

256

1,109,090

1.91

221

288,288

9,962

Maryland

270

1,022,105

1.76

188

384,755

12,386

Virginia

309

984,786

1.69

135

312,975

10,339

Washington

252

965,717

1.66

159

330,198

10,580

Colorado

249

893,560

1.54

199

348,943

10,740

Missouri

278

884,451

1.52

156

293,096

9,619

Connecticut

122

774,188

1.33

224

242,095

7,451

Kansas

120

645,813

1.11

238

207,342

6,974

Oregon

176

587,737

1.01

167

194,083

6,528

Nebraska

107

468,555

0.81

271

150,608

4,508

South Carolina

107

467,251

0.80

114

148,354

5,428

Alabama

122

435,311

0.75

173,316

5,567

Iowa

152

429,847

0.74

146

149,319

4,996

Louisiana

137

416,916

0.72

193,897

6,161

Oklahoma

151

327,673

0.56

112,735

4,015

Alaska

221,951

0.38

347

90,495

1,763

Nevada

206,040

0.35

38,976

1,600

New Mexico

99,837

0.17

22,456

923

Hawaii

99,590

0.17

36,555

1,154

Maine

84,557

0.15

24,842

1,069

Mississippi

79,768

0.14

19,182

818

Idaho

76,574

0.13

21,101

945

West Virginia

73,968

0.13

21,204

925

Montana

57,329

0.10

15,248

666

North Dakota

42,031

0.07

10,222

427

Vermont

35,223

0.06

10,058

552

South Dakota

33,758

0.06

10,170

415

Wyoming

14,879

0.03

5,131

228

All other states, including those below

1,384

7,231,788

12.43

2,120,373

63,960

Arizona

247

(10k-24k)

Massachusetts

242

(10k-24k)

Tennessee

539

(10k-24k)

Arkansas

100

(5000-9999)

New Hampshire

(5000-9999)

Utah

(2500-4999)

Delaware

(500-999)

District of Columbia

(500-999)

Rhode Island

(500-999)

Products Lines for Couriers and messengers
Product code	Product description	Sales of this line ($000)	Percent of industry sales (%)
40000	Industry total	58,164,869	100.00
42020	Courier and messenger services, including parcel delivery	34,439,315	59.21
45220	Domestic air mail, revenue including air courier services	12,005,433	20.64
45200	Domestic air freight revenue, including air courier services	5,819,098	10.00
45230	International air mail revenue, including air courier services	4,286,604	7.37
	-Other	1,614,419	2.78

For more product detail, see the AFF links below for Product Lines

Products, Size, and Other Data from the Economic Census -- Couriers and messengers
Series number	Title	Contents	Geography
EC02-00C-COMP	Comparative Statistics	2002 and 1997 data side by side on a comparable NAICS 1997 basis	US, states
EC02-48SL-LS	Product Lines	Product Lines by Kind of Business	US
EC02-48SS-SZ	Establishment and Firm Size	Revenue Size of Establishments	US
		Employment Size of Establishments	US
		Single Unit & Multiunit Firms	US
		Revenue Size of Firms	US
		Employment Size of Firms	US
		Concentration by Largest Firms	US
		Legal Form of Organization	US
EC02-48I-06	Industry Series	Preliminary data now superseded	US
BE02-00I-1	Business Expenses	Sales & Operating Expenses by Kind of Business (1997 NAICS Basis)	US
BE02-00I-1	Business Expenses	Relative Standard Errors for Sales & Operating Expenses by Kind of Business (1997 NAICS Basis)	US
EC02-48A	Geographic Area Series	Summary Statistics	US, states, metros
EC02-48A	Geographic Area Series	Enterprise Support Statistics	US
SB02-00A	Survey of Business Owners	Business Ownership by Gender, Hispanic or Latino Origin, and Race	US

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Data from the Other Census Bureau Programs -- NAICS 492
Title (with link to data)	Frequency	Contents	Geography
Annual Capital Expenditures Survey	Annual	Capital expenditures for structures and equipment for companies with paid employees	US
County Business Patterns	Annual	Employees; payroll; number of establishments by employment size of establishment	US, states, metro areas, counties
E-Commerce Statistics	Annual	Total sales and e-commerce sales, receipts or value of shipments	US
Nonemployer Statistics	Annual	Number of establishments and sales of firms with no paid employees	US, states, metro areas, counties
Serviced Annual Survey: Truck Transportation, Messenger Services & Warehousing	Annual	Estimated revenue for employer and nonemployer firms	US
Statistics of U.S. Businesses	Annual	Number of firms, employees, payroll, (and revenue, for 2002 only) by employment-size of the enterprise	US, states, metro areas