NAICS 211120

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the framework federal statistical agencies use to classify business establishments for collecting, analyzing, and publishing data on the U.S. economy. Developed under the Office of Management and Budget with partners in Canada and Mexico, NAICS replaced the SIC system in 1997 and is updated every five years; the current U.S. statistical vintage is 2022. ¹

Under the 2022 structure, industry NAICS 211120 — Crude Petroleum Extraction — covers establishments that operate oil field properties and carry out on-site activities to produce crude petroleum up to the point of shipment from the producing property. Included activities may involve exploration for crude petroleum; drilling, completing, and equipping oil wells; and operating separators, emulsion breakers, desilting equipment, and field gathering lines associated with crude production. Extraction from oil shale and oil sands is included; operations performed on a contract or fee basis for others are classified in support industries. ³

What this NAICS covers

• Operating crude oil field properties on own account (operators). ³
• Drilling, completing, and equipping oil wells as part of own extraction operations. ³
• Field-level separation and treatment (e.g., separators, emulsion breakers, desilting). ³
• Operating crude petroleum field gathering lines prior to shipment. ³
• Extraction of crude petroleum from oil shale and oil sands. ³
• Exploration activities for crude petroleum conducted by the operator of the producing property. ³

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	211130	Natural Gas Extraction
NAICS	213111	Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
NAICS	213112	Support Activities for Oil and Gas Operations
NAICS	324110	Petroleum Refineries

2022 coding note

The 2022 NAICS structure recognizes NAICS 211120 (Crude Petroleum Extraction) and NAICS 211130 (Natural Gas Extraction) as distinct industries within subsector NAICS 211. Titles are confirmed in official NAICS 2022 code lists used by Census LEHD products. ²

Cross‑references and exclusions (official)

• Contract drilling for oil and gas is classified in NAICS 213111; other oil and gas field services on a contract or fee basis are in NAICS 213112. ³
• Refining crude petroleum into refined products is classified in NAICS 324110 Petroleum Refineries. ³

Frequently asked questions

• What activities are included in NAICS 211120?

  • Establishments that operate oil field properties to produce crude petroleum, including drilling, completing, and equipping wells for their own operations, and performing field-level separation and treatment up to the point of shipment from the producing property. ³

• How does NAICS 211120 differ from NAICS 211130?

  • NAICS 211120 covers crude petroleum extraction, whereas NAICS 211130 covers natural gas extraction. The two are separate industries in the 2022 NAICS code set. ²

• Are oil field services like cementing or well servicing included in NAICS 211120?

  • When performed on a contract or fee basis for others, these services are classified under NAICS 213112 (or NAICS 213111 for contract drilling). Operators performing such activities for their own wells remain in NAICS 211120. ³

• Are petroleum refineries part of NAICS 211120?

  • No. Refining crude petroleum into finished products is covered by NAICS 324110 Petroleum Refineries, not extraction. ³

• Is there an official government mapping from NAICS 211120 to PSC codes?

  • Not specified by official sources. NAICS defines industries for statistical purposes and does not prescribe PSC mappings used in procurement. ¹

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 211120 overview
• U.S. Census Bureau — The Census Bureau’s Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (overview, timing, and resources). ¹
• U.S. Census Bureau — LEHD Snapshot Documentation: NAICS 2022 code list (confirms 211120 and 211130 titles). ²
• U.S. Census Bureau — Oil and Gas Extraction (archival industry descriptions with official cross-references). ³
• U.S. Census Bureau — 2022 Economic Census: Sector 21 (Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction) data access. ⁴

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau — The Census Bureau’s Implementation of the 2022 NAICS. https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/naics/2022/implementation-timeline.html
2. U.S. Census Bureau — LEHD Snapshot Documentation, Selected Codebook Value Labels (NAICS 2022 codes). https://lehd.ces.census.gov/data/lehd-snapshot-doc/latest/appendices/value_labels.html
3. U.S. Census Bureau — Oil and Gas Extraction (archival NAICS descriptions and cross-references). https://www.census.gov/naics/resources/archives/sect21.html
4. U.S. Census Bureau — 2022 Economic Census: Sector 21 (Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction). https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2022/econ/economic-census/naics-sector-21.html