How does the NAICS compare to the SIC?
There are some differences between the 1997 NAICS and 1987 SIC, but much of the layout is similar. The user is able to obtain data for more than two thirds of all 4-digit SICs from the new 6-digit NAICS. Either the new NAICS industries are subdivisions of the old SIC industries or the industry definitions have not changed. However, there are some very basic differences between the two. SIC had only 9 divisions, while NAICS has 20 sectors. Some of the NAICS sectors were created by splitting SIC divisions. NAICS includes the advanced technologies and new and emerging industries, which SIC did not. For example, NAICS has an information sector, which is not included in SIC. There is a crosswalk that shows the relationship between SIC and NAICS. Click here if you are interested in a crosswalk showing the relationship between 1990 Census Codes, 2000 Census Codes, and the 1997 NAICS.
