By NAICS code
Federal construction in context: NAICS 236220 in FY2026
Federal agencies classify every contract with a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. Commercial and institutional building construction is NAICS 236220 — and in FY2026 it was the number one federal contract market by obligated dollars, at $52.7B.
| Rank | NAICS | Industry | FY2026 obligations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 236220 | Commercial and Institutional Building Construction | $52.7B |
| 2 | 524114 | Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers | $48.6B |
| 3 | 336411 | Aircraft Manufacturing | $46.0B |
| 4 | 541330 | Engineering Services | $44.1B |
| 5 | 541715 | Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) | $42.9B |
| 6 | 561210 | Facilities Support Services | $37.5B |
| 7 | 336414 | Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing | $36.3B |
| 8 | 336611 | Ship Building and Repairing | $32.4B |
| 9 | 541512 | Computer Systems Design Services | $31.0B |
| 10 | 541519 | Other Computer Related Services | $24.0B |
| 11 | 336413 | Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing | $16.9B |
| 12 | 325412 | Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing | $14.5B |
| 13 | 334511 | Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing | $14.4B |
| 14 | 541990 | All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | $11.5B |
| 15 | 541511 | Custom Computer Programming Services | $11.5B |
| 16 | 237990 | Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | $11.5B |
| 17 | 541611 | Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services | $9.7B |
| 18 | 336412 | Aircraft Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing | $9.6B |
| 19 | 541710 | Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences | $9.1B |
| 20 | 324110 | Petroleum Refineries | $9.0B |
| 21 | 621111 | Offices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists) | $8.3B |
| 22 | 561612 | Security Guards and Patrol Services | $7.4B |
| 23 | 488190 | Other Support Activities for Air Transportation | $7.3B |
| 24 | 541712 | Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology) | $6.6B |
| 25 | 511210 | Software Publishers | $6.0B |
| 26 | 562910 | Remediation Services | $5.4B |
| 27 | 332993 | Ammunition (except Small Arms) Manufacturing | $4.9B |
| 28 | 336992 | Military Armored Vehicle, Tank, and Tank Component Manufacturing | $4.6B |
| 29 | 541614 | Process, Physical Distribution, and Logistics Consulting Services | $4.6B |
| 30 | 325411 | Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing | $4.3B |
| 31 | 481212 | Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation | $4.3B |
| 32 | 423850 | Service Establishment Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers | $4.1B |
| 33 | 518210 | Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services | $4.0B |
| 34 | 334220 | Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing | $3.1B |
| 35 | 325180 | Other Basic Inorganic Chemical Manufacturing | $3.1B |
| 36 | 483111 | Deep Sea Freight Transportation | $3.0B |
| 37 | 541513 | Computer Facilities Management Services | $2.9B |
| 38 | 339999 | All Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | $2.9B |
| 39 | 423450 | Medical, Dental, and Hospital Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers | $2.6B |
| 40 | 336111 | Automobile Manufacturing | $2.6B |
How to use a NAICS code
Your NAICS code determines which solicitations you are eligible for and how federal spending is reported. A firm that registers under NAICS 236220 signals that it performs commercial and institutional building construction; agencies and teaming partners use that code, together with your size standard, to screen for set-aside eligibility.
A high dollar total does not by itself tell you how crowded a market is. What this ranking measures is obligated dollars by code — not the number of firms competing or how easy a market is to enter. That said, the largest federal markets tend to draw the most attention, so the codes around construction — specialty trades, engineering services and site preparation — can be easier entry points for a firm building a federal past-performance record.
Frequently asked questions
What does NAICS 236220 cover?
NAICS 236220 is Commercial and Institutional Building Construction: building construction work carried out under a contract for a third party, such as office, retail, school, medical and government buildings.
Why does this code matter for federal contracting?
Your NAICS code determines the size standard the government uses to judge whether you are small, and it is how spending is reported. Agencies also use it to find vendors when they build a bidder list.
Can a firm have more than one NAICS code?
Yes. Most contractors register several codes in SAM.gov and use the one that best fits each solicitation.
Related guide: NAICS 236220 explained
Turn this data into wins
The same federal-contracting fundamentals behind this analysis are taught in the FCEXperts Pro Membership. The full federal-contracting training library, templates, and member-only expert briefings.