NAICS industry sectorNAICS 45Rank #6Updated May 2026

Retail Trade (general)

H-1B sponsorship activity by employers classified under NAICS 2-digit sector 45. 161,910 filings from 1,806 distinct sponsoring employers.

Filings

161,910

Rank #6

Employers

1,806

distinct sponsors

Filings / employer

concentration hint

Summary

Retail Trade (NAICS 45) is the sector encompassing general merchandise stores, grocery retailers, gas stations, and specialty retail outlets. The sector has filed 161,910 H-1B applications, making it a significant participant in the H-1B sponsorship system.

With 1,806 distinct employers sponsoring H-1B workers, Retail Trade demonstrates distributed participation across the industry. This broad employer base—rather than concentration among a few large players—suggests sustained labor demand across multiple retailers and store formats, rather than episodic or company-specific hiring.

The scale of filings reflects demand for specialized roles including store management, visual merchandising, supply chain coordination, and buyer positions that retailers struggle to fill domestically. The relatively high number of employers indicates that H-1B recruitment in retail extends beyond flagship corporations to regional chains, specialty retailers, and independent large-scale operations.

Retail Trade H-1B sponsorship
NAICS 45 H-1B filings
retail employer visa sponsorship
H-1B retail management roles
retail trade labor demand

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Filings by fiscal year

H-1B filing volume in the Retail Trade (general) sector year over year.

Top sponsoring employers

Largest H-1B sponsors in the Retail Trade (general) sector.

#	Employer	Filings
1	AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC (WA)	34,435
2	AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC (VA)	30,460
3	WAL-MART ASSOCIATES, INC.	9,464
4	eBay Inc.	1,855
5	Amazon Web Services, Inc.	890
7	Target Enterprise, Inc.	587
8	Amazon Development Center U.S., Inc.	555
9	Chewy, Inc.	492
10	Nordstrom, Inc.	485

AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC (WA)

34,435

AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC (VA)

30,460

WAL-MART ASSOCIATES, INC.

9,464

eBay Inc.

1,855

Amazon Web Services, Inc.

890

Target Enterprise, Inc.

587

Amazon Development Center …

555

Chewy, Inc.

492

Nordstrom, Inc.

485

Top occupations sponsored

SOC codes filed most by employers in this sector.

#	SOC	Title	Filings
1	15-1252	Software Developers	78,953
2	15-2051	Data Scientists	20,915
3	11-3021	Computer and Information Systems Managers	8,024
4	15-1299	Computer Occupations, All Other	7,983
5	15-2031	Operations Research Analysts	5,569
6	15-1221	Computer and Information Research Scientists	4,389
7	15-1253	Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers	3,778
8	11-3071	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	2,744
9	13-2011	Accountants and Auditors	2,648
10	13-1161	Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	2,007

Software Developers

78,953

Data Scientists

20,915

Computer and Information S…

8,024

Computer Occupations, All …

7,983

Operations Research Analysts

5,569

Computer and Information R…

4,389

Software Quality Assurance…

3,778

Transportation, Storage, a…

2,744

Accountants and Auditors

2,648

Market Research Analysts a…

2,007

Top hiring states

Worksite states with the most filings from the Retail Trade (general) sector.

#	State	Filings
1	WA	54,377
2	CA	38,674
3	TX	13,845
4	NY	9,760
5	AR	9,041
6	MA	7,900
7	VA	5,089
8	NJ	3,083
9	GA	2,322
10	MN	2,174

54,377

38,674

13,845

9,760

9,041

7,900

5,089

3,083

2,322

2,174

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Side-by-side view of KPIs, outcomes, top breakdowns and yearly trend.

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