Industry sectors

H-1B filings by industry sector

NAICS 2-digit sector breakdown of H-1B Labor Condition Applications. See which sectors are gaining or losing share of national hiring, and search the full list by code or label.

Summary

H-1B sponsorship concentrates heavily in a few key industries. Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (NAICS 54) leads by a wide margin with over 5.4 million filings across 57,468 employers—accounting for the vast majority of all H-1B activity. This sector includes IT consulting, engineering, research, and technical services firms.

The remaining top sectors show much lower volumes. Manufacturing (metal, machinery, electronics) ranks second with 657,405 filings, followed by Information (624,447), Educational Services (613,346), and Finance & Insurance (588,317). Health Care & Social Assistance, Retail Trade, and Wholesale Trade round out the top ten, each with under 400,000 filings.

Across 30 NAICS sectors tracked, the data reflects H-1B sponsorship's concentration in knowledge-intensive and technical fields, with professional services alone accounting for the overwhelming share of petitions and employer participation.

H-1B sponsorship by industry
H-1B filings by NAICS sector
which industries sponsor H-1B workers
H-1B professional services
top H-1B sectors
H-1B manufacturing employers

Total filings

9,329,261

Sectors tracked

Top-5 concentration

84.1%

of all H-1B filings

Biggest YoY mover

54 -1.6 pp

Professional, Scientific & Technical Services

Biggest share movers, FY2025 → FY2026

Year-over-year change in each sector’s share of national H-1B filings (in percentage points). Positive bars = gained share; negative = lost.

30 sectors

#	NAICS	Sector	Filings	Employers
1	54	Professional, Scientific & Technical Services	5,362,182	57,468
2	33	Manufacturing (metal/machinery/electronics)	657,405	12,667
3	51	Information	624,447	11,007
4	61	Educational Services	613,346	6,945
5	52	Finance & Insurance	588,317	9,250
6	62	Health Care & Social Assistance	383,320	13,141
7	45	Retail Trade (general)	250,553	2,757
8	32	Manufacturing (paper/chemicals)	119,027	4,712
9	42	Wholesale Trade	118,161	7,818
10	56	Administrative & Support Services	110,482	3,695
11	44	Retail Trade (motor/furniture)	85,110	3,494
12	23	Construction	60,209	5,192
13	55	Management of Companies	56,815	868
14	31	Manufacturing (food/textile)	46,226	2,403
15	48	Transportation	38,979	1,749
16	81	Other Services	38,240	3,364
17	72	Accommodation & Food Services	34,702	2,395
18	53	Real Estate, Rental & Leasing	34,069	2,805
19	21	Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas	26,302	829
20	22	Utilities	23,810	1,013
21	71	Arts, Entertainment & Recreation	22,023	1,753
22	92	Public Administration	17,012	1,394
23	49	Warehousing & Postal	9,614	409
24	11	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting	8,077	588
25	-4	Sector -4	179	97
26	15	Sector 15	160	28
27	74	Sector 74	146	3
28	43	Sector 43	128	9
29	73	Sector 73	124	17
30	34	Sector 34	96	9