NAICS 311911

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the federal standard for classifying business establishments to support the collection, analysis, and publication of statistics on the U.S. economy. Developed under the Office of Management and Budget and adopted in 1997 to replace the SIC system, NAICS was created jointly by the U.S. Economic Classification Policy Committee, Statistics Canada, and Mexico’s statistical agency to enable comparability across North America. The current structure used by federal statistical programs is the 2022 vintage. ¹

NAICS 311911 — Roasted Nuts and Peanut Butter Manufacturing — covers establishments primarily engaged in salting, roasting, drying, cooking, or canning nuts and seeds; processing grains or seeds into snack products; and manufacturing peanut butter. Related snack foods that are not roasted nuts or peanut butter fall in other industries (see “Key exclusions” below). ²

See also on G2X:

• G2X — NAICS 311911

What this NAICS covers

• Salting and roasting nuts and seeds (e.g., peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds). ²
• Drying, cooking, or canning nuts and seeds as finished snack products. ²
• Processing grains or seeds into snack items when performed by establishments in this industry. ²
• Manufacturing peanut butter as a primary product. ²
• Preparing seasoned or flavored nut snacks (e.g., salted, spiced, or cooked assortments). ²
• Snack manufacturing centered on roasted nuts and peanut butter for wholesale or retail distribution. ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	311919	Other Snack Food Manufacturing
NAICS	311340	Nonchocolate Confectionery Manufacturing
NAICS	311999	All Other Miscellaneous Food Manufacturing
PSC	8925	Sugar, Confectionery, and Nuts

Key exclusions and adjacent industries

• Chocolate- or candy‑coated nuts and candy‑covered popcorn are classified in Industry Group 3113 (Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing), not 311911. ²
• Snack foods other than roasted nuts and peanut butter (e.g., potato chips, tortilla chips, pork rinds, popped popcorn, pretzels except soft) fall under 311919. ²
• Unpopped popcorn is classified in 311999. ²
• Soft pretzels are classified in 31181 (Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing); commercial baking operations are in 311812. ²

Data and reporting touchpoints

• Census Bureau materials (e.g., newsroom features) routinely reference industry profiles for 311911 and related statistics available via data.census.gov and USA Trade Online. ⁴
• Census Employer/Nonemployer guidance trees list 311911 under the Snack Food Manufacturing category, indicating where this activity is captured in survey programs. ⁵

Frequently asked questions

• How does 311911 differ from 311919?

  • 311911 covers roasted nuts/seeds and peanut butter, plus certain seed-based snacks. 311919 covers other snack foods such as chips, popped popcorn, pork rinds, and pretzels (except soft). See the detailed cross-references for boundaries. ²

• Are chocolate‑covered nuts included in 311911?

  • No. Establishments primarily making chocolate‑ or candy‑coated nuts are classified in Industry Group 3113 (Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing), not 311911. This reflects the broader confectionery scope of 3113. ²

• Where do unpopped popcorn products fall?

  • Unpopped popcorn is not in 311911; it is classified under 311999 (All Other Miscellaneous Food Manufacturing). By contrast, popped popcorn is treated as a snack food in 311919. ²

• Which PSCs are commonly used when procuring roasted nuts or peanut butter?

  • PSC 8925 (“Sugar, Confectionery, and Nuts”) covers nuts. Other subsistence PSCs in Group 89 may apply based on item specifics and agency cataloging. Peanut butter’s precise PSC placement: Not specified by official sources. ³

• Where can official statistics for 311911 be found?

  • Census newsroom features link to industry profiles for 311911 on data.census.gov and to related import/export statistics via USA Trade Online. These pages periodically summarize trends and direct users to underlying tables and tools. ⁴

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 311911
• Census NAICS main/search page (2022 vintage overview and tools). ¹
• NAICS detailed description page for 311911 and related cross‑references. ²
• PSC Manual (Group 89 “Subsistence” product codes, including 8925). ³
• Census “National Nut Day” feature with pointers to 311911 profiles and datasets. ⁴

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau — North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) main/search page (includes 2022 NAICS introduction and tools). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=ec&year=2022
2. U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS Sector 31–33 (includes 31191 and 311911 definitions and cross‑references). https://www.census.gov/naics/resources/archives/sect31-33.html
3. U.S. General Services Administration — Product and Service Code (PSC) Manual, April 2025 (Group 89 “Subsistence”). https://origin-www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/manual/PSC%20Manual%20April%202025.pdf
4. U.S. Census Bureau — National Nut Day: October 22 (links to industry profile and data resources for NAICS 311911). https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/nut-day.html
5. U.S. Census Bureau — Employer Categories and Corresponding Establishment NAICS Industries (lists 311911 under Snack Food Manufacturing). https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/esp/guidance/employer.html