On the general subject of manufacturing, I got interested yesterday in who, operationally, decides what does and doesn’t count as manufacturing. The answer is that the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) decides:
The official 2007 U.S. NAICS Manual, includes definitions for each industry, background information, tables showing changes between 2002 and 2007, and a comprehensive index. The official 2007 U.S. NAICS Manual is available in print and on CD_ROM from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) at (800) 553-6847 or (703) 605-6000, or through the NTIS Web site. Previous versions of the NAICS Manual are available.
I took that to mean I could download the NAICS Manual at the NTIS website, but that turns out not to be the case. Instead, I can use the website to . . . order the CD-ROM:
Peter Orszag is looking to improve public sector information technology, and that improvement can’t come soon enough. CD-ROM! For eighty dollars!
Update
Ask and the Internet shall provide. This right here (PDF) is a downloadable PDF of the 2007 NAICS document.
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