The Complete LinkedIn Industry List in 2026 (+ Free Tool to Find Yours)

Everyone who sets up a LinkedIn profile hits the same question: which industry do I pick?

It feels minor. A dropdown you click through in three seconds. But that choice affects who finds you in search, which recruiter filters include your profile, and how LinkedIn categorizes your content.

The problem? LinkedIn doesn't publish a clean, browsable list anywhere. You get a dropdown that only shows results after you start typing. If you don't know the exact wording LinkedIn uses, you might miss the right option entirely.

Here's the full list for 2026, plus how to pick strategically instead of just picking what sounds right.

Find Your LinkedIn Industry

Not sure which industry fits your role? Use our free tool below. Just describe what you do, and it will suggest the closest LinkedIn industry options.

Or keep scrolling for the complete list organized by sector.

What Is the LinkedIn Industry List?

LinkedIn assigns every profile and company page an industry classification. This comes from Microsoft's standardized industry codes, built on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). LinkedIn has been owned by Microsoft since 2016, and the taxonomy has been updated to reflect this.

The system is organized in a hierarchy with 20 top-level sectors. Each sector contains subcategories that get progressively more specific:

• Profile industries: The dropdown you see when editing your profile or company page. You'll see industries from across the hierarchy — from broad labels like "Financial Services" to specific ones like "Investment Banking."
• Sales Navigator / Recruiter industries: The same underlying taxonomy, but with access to all levels of the hierarchy and multi-select filtering. Sales Navigator and Recruiter users can filter by sector, group, industry, and specialty simultaneously.

The complete list below covers all 20 sectors and their subcategories, what you'll see in the dropdown when editing your profile, and the extended options available in Sales Navigator.

The Complete LinkedIn Industry List (2026)

LinkedIn updated its industry taxonomy to align with the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The profile dropdown now uses this newer system, organized into 20 sectors with subcategories.

Below is every industry option available on LinkedIn, organized by sector. Use Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on Mac) to search for your specific field, or try our industry finder tool above.

Accommodation and Food Services

• Food and Beverage Services
  
  • Bars, Taverns, and Nightclubs
  • Caterers
  • Mobile Food Services
  • Restaurants
• Hospitality
  
  • Bed-and-Breakfasts, Hostels, Homestays
  • Hotels and Motels

Administrative and Support Services

• Collection Agencies
• Events Services
• Facilities Services
• Fundraising
• Office Administration
• Security and Investigations
• Staffing and Recruiting
• Telephone Call Centers
• Translation and Localization
• Travel Arrangements
• Writing and Editing

Construction

• Building Construction
• Civil Engineering
• Specialty Trade Contractors

Consumer Services

• Civic and Social Organizations
• Household Services
• Non-profit Organizations
• Personal and Laundry Services
• Philanthropic Fundraising Services
• Religious Institutions
• Repair and Maintenance

Education

• E-Learning Providers
• Higher Education
• Primary and Secondary Education
• Professional Training and Coaching
• Technical and Vocational Training

Entertainment Providers

• Artists and Writers
• Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos
  
  • Historical Sites
  • Museums
  • Zoos and Botanical Gardens
• Musicians
• Performing Arts and Spectator Sports
  
  • Circuses and Magic Shows
  • Dance Companies
  • Performing Arts
  • Theater Companies)
• Recreational Facilities
  
  • Amusement Parks and Arcades
  • Gambling Facilities and Casinos
  • Golf Courses and Country Clubs
  • Skiing Facilities
  • Wellness and Fitness Services
• Spectator Sports
  
  • Racetracks
  • Sports Teams and Clubs

Farming, Ranching, Forestry

• Farming
• Ranching and Fisheries
• Forestry and Logging

Financial Services

• Capital Markets
  
  • Investment Advice
  • Investment Banking
  • Investment Management
  • Securities and Commodity Exchanges
  • Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
• Credit Intermediation
  
  • Banking
    
  • International Trade and Development
    
  • Loan Brokers
  • Savings Institutions
• Funds and Trusts
  
  • Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds
  • Pension Funds
  • Trusts and Estates
• Insurance
  
  • Claims Adjusting, Actuarial Services
  • Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
  • Insurance Carriers

Government Administration

• Administration of Justice
  
  • Correctional Institutions
  • Courts of Law
  • Fire Protection
  • Law Enforcement
  • Public Safety
• Economic Programs
  
  • Transportation Programs
  • Utilities Administration
• Environmental Quality Programs
  
  • Air, Water, and Waste Program Management
  • Conservation Programs
• Health and Human Services
  
  • Education Administration Programs
  • Public Assistance Programs
  • Public Health
• Housing and Community Development
  
  • Community Development and Urban Planning
  • Housing Programs)
• Military and International Affairs
  
  • Armed Forces
  • International Affairs
• Public Policy
• Public Policy Offices
  
  • Executive Offices
  • Legislative Offices
• Space Research and Technology

Holding Companies

• Holding Companies

Hospitals and Health Care

• Community Services
• Hospitals, Individual and Family Services
• Medical Practices
• Nursing Homes and Residential Care Facilities

Manufacturing

• Apparel Manufacturing
  
  • Fashion Accessories Manufacturing
• Appliances, Electrical, and Electronics Manufacturing
  
  • Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing
  • Electrical Equipment Manufacturing
  • Household Appliance Manufacturing
• Chemical Manufacturing
  
  • Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing
  • Artificial Rubber and Synthetic Fiber Manufacturing
  • Chemical Raw Materials Manufacturing
  • Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing
  • Personal Care Product Manufacturing
  • Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
  • Soap and Cleaning Product Manufacturing
• Computers and Electronics Manufacturing
  
  • Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
  • Communications Equipment Manufacturing
  • Computer Hardware Manufacturing
  • Magnetic and Optical Media Manufacturing
  • Measuring and Control Instrument Manufacturing
  • Semiconductor Manufacturing
• Fabricated Metal Products
  
  • Architectural and Structural Metal Manufacturing
  • Boilers, Tanks, and Shipping Container Manufacturing
  • Construction Hardware Manufacturing
  • Cutlery and Handtool Manufacturing
  • Metal Treatments
  • Metal Valve, Ball, and Roller Manufacturing
  • Spring and Wire Product Manufacturing
  • Turned Products and Fastener Manufacturing
• Food and Beverage Manufacturing
  
  • Animal Feed Manufacturing
  • Baked Goods Manufacturing
  • Beverage Manufacturing
  • Dairy Product Manufacturing
  • Fruit and Vegetable Preserves Manufacturing
  • Meat Products Manufacturing
  • Seafood Product Manufacturing
  • Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing
• Furniture and Home Furnishings Manufacturing
  
  • Household and Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
  • Mattress and Blinds Manufacturing
  • Office Furniture and Fixtures Manufacturing)
• Glass, Ceramics and Concrete Manufacturing
  
  • Abrasives and Nonmetallic Minerals Manufacturing
  • Clay and Refractory Products Manufacturing
  • Glass Product Manufacturing
  • Lime and Gypsum Products Manufacturing
• Leather Product Manufacturing
  
  • Footwear Manufacturing
  • Women's Handbag Manufacturing
• Machinery Manufacturing
  
  • Agriculture, Construction, Mining Machinery Manufacturing
  • Automation Machinery Manufacturing
  • Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing
  • Engines and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing
  • HVAC and Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing
  • Industrial Machinery Manufacturing
  • Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing
• Medical Equipment Manufacturing
• Oil and Coal Product Manufacturing
• Paper and Forest Product Manufacturing
• Plastics and Rubber Product Manufacturing
  
  • Packaging and Containers Manufacturing
  • Plastics Manufacturing
  • Rubber Products Manufacturing
• Primary Metal Manufacturing
• Printing Services
• Sporting Goods Manufacturing
• Textile Manufacturing
• Tobacco Manufacturing
• Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
  
  • Aviation and Aerospace Component Manufacturing
  • Defense and Space Manufacturing
  • Motor Vehicle Manufacturing
  • Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing
  • Railroad Equipment Manufacturing
  • Shipbuilding
• Wood Product Manufacturing

Oil, Gas, and Mining

• Mining
• Oil and Gas

Professional Services

• Accounting
• Advertising Services
  
  • Government Relations Services
  • Market Research
  • Photography
  • Public Relations and Communications Services
• Architecture and Planning
• Business Consulting and Services
  
  • Environmental Services
  • Human Resources Services
  • Marketing Services
  • Operations Consulting
  • Outsourcing and Offshoring Consulting
  • Strategic Management Services
• Design Services
  
  • Graphic Design
    
  • Interior Design
• Engineering Services
• IT Services and IT Consulting
  
  • Computer and Network Security
  • IT System Custom Software Development
  • IT System Data Services
  • IT System Design Services
  • IT System Installation and Disposal
  • IT System Operations and Maintenance
  • IT System Testing and Evaluation
  • IT System Training and Support
• Legal Services
  
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Law Practice
• Research Services
  
  • Biotechnology Research
  • Nanotechnology Research
  • Think Tanks
• Services for Renewable Energy
• Veterinary Services

Real Estate and Equipment Rental Services

• Equipment Rental Services
• Real Estate

Retail

• Food and Beverage Retail
• Online and Mail Order Retaill
• Retail Apparel and Fashion
• Retail Appliances, Electrical, and Electronic Equipment
• Retail Art Dealers
• Retail Art Supplies
• Retail Books and Printed News
• Retail Building Materials and Garden Equipment
• Retail Florists
• Retail Furniture and Home Furnishings
• Retail Gasoline
• Retail Health and Personal Care Products
• Retail Luxury Goods and Jewelry
• Retail Motor Vehicles
• Retail Musical Instruments
• Retail Office Equipment
• Retail Office Supplies and Gifts
• Retail Recyclable Materials & Used Merchandise

Technology, Information and Media

• Book and Periodical Publishing
• Broadcast Media Production and Distribution
• Data Infrastructure and Analytics
• Information Services
• Internet Marketplace Platforms
• Movies, Videos, and Sound
• Social Networking Platforms
• Software Development
  
  • Computer Games
• Telecommunications

Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage

• Airlines and Aviation
• Freight and Package Transportation
• Ground Passenger Transportation
• Maritime Transportation
• Pipeline Transportation
• Postal Services
• Rail Transportation
• Truck Transportation
• Warehousing
• Warehousing and Storage

Utilities

• Electric Power Generation
• Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution
• Natural Gas Distribution
• Water, Waste, Steam, and Air Conditioning Services

Wholesale

• Wholesale Alcoholic Beverages
• Wholesale Apparel and Sewing Supplies
• Wholesale AppliancesElectri cal, and Electronics
• Wholesale Building Materials
• Wholesale Chemical and Allied Products
• Wholesale Computer Equipment
• Wholesale Drugs and Sundries
• Wholesale Food and Beverage
• Wholesale Footwear
• Wholesale Furniture and Home Furnishings
• Wholesale Hardware, Plumbing, Heating Equipment
• Wholesale Import and Export
• Wholesale Luxury Goods and Jewelry
• Wholesale Machinery
• Wholesale Metals and Minerals
• Wholesale Motor Vehicles and Parts
• Wholesale Paper Products
• Wholesale Petroleum and Petroleum Products
• Wholesale Photography Equipment and Supplies
• Wholesale Raw Farm ProductsWholesale Recyclable Materials

How to Change Your Industry on LinkedIn

Updating your industry takes less than a minute.

On desktop:

         1. Go to your LinkedIn profile
         2. Click the pencil icon next to your intro section

         3. Scroll down to "Industry"
         4. Start typing your industry name. LinkedIn will show matching options from its list
         5. Select the right one and click Save

On mobile:

1. Open the LinkedIn app and go to your profile
2. Tap the pencil icon on your intro card
3. Scroll to "Industry" and tap to edit
4. Search and select your industry

For company pages:

1. Go to your company page and click "Edit Page"
2. Under "Company Details," find the Industry field
3. Select from the same 149-option list

One thing to note: you can only select ONE industry per profile. Company pages also get one. If your work spans multiple sectors, you'll need to choose the one that best represents your primary focus.

What Industry Should You Put on LinkedIn?

This is where most guides stop at "just pick your industry." But the choice is more strategic than that.

Pick for your audience, not just for yourself. If you're a marketing consultant who works exclusively with healthcare companies, "Marketing and Advertising" is accurate. But "Hospital and Health Care" might make you more visible to the exact people searching for help in that sector. Recruiters and Sales Navigator users filter by industry constantly.

Check what your target connections use. Look at 10-15 profiles of people you want to connect with (potential clients, employers, collaborators). What industry do they list? Matching their industry means LinkedIn's algorithm is more likely to surface your profile in their searches.

Think about recruiter searches. Recruiters on LinkedIn Recruiter can filter candidates by industry. If you're a software engineer listing "Internet" but recruiters search for "Information Technology and Services," you won't show up. The wording matters.

Company pages follow the same logic. Your company page's industry affects which competitor pages LinkedIn groups you with and which search filters include your page.

The Sales Navigator Industry System: What's Different

If you or your team uses LinkedIn Sales Navigator or Recruiter, you get access to the full depth of LinkedIn's V2 industry classification system.

Key differences from the standard profile dropdown:

This matters because a Sales Navigator user searching for "Semiconductor Manufacturing" can drill down to that exact level, while standard search uses broader filters. LinkedIn maps between profile selections and the full hierarchy internally.

If your company sells to specific verticals and your sales team uses Sales Navigator, make sure your profile industry aligns with how those verticals appear in the V2 system.

What If No Industry Option Fits You?

Even with 280+ industry options, the list doesn't cover every role. If you're a creator economy professional, a Web3 startup, or a fractional executive working across industries, none of the options feel right.

Here's what to do:

1. Pick the closest match
‍"Management Consulting" works for most cross-industry advisory roles. "Information Technology and Services" covers a wide range of tech-adjacent work. "Professional Training and Coaching" fits many independent consultants.

2. Let your headline and About section do the precision work
‍Your industry is a filter. Your headline and About section are where you describe what you actually do. A coach who selects "Professional Training and Coaching" can specify their niche entirely through their headline: "Leadership Coach for Series A Founders."

3. Check what competitors or peers use
‍Find 5-10 people doing similar work on LinkedIn. See which industry they chose. This tells you what the standard is in your space and ensures you show up in the same searches they do.

4. Prioritize searchability over accuracy
‍If you're torn between two options, pick the one with more people searching for it. "Marketing and Advertising" gets far more recruiter searches than "Online Media," even if "Online Media" describes your work better.

Why Your Industry Choice Actually Matters

The industry field isn't just metadata sitting in the background. It affects three things directly:

1. Search visibility
‍When someone searches LinkedIn for "marketing consultant" and filters by industry, only profiles with matching industries appear. Wrong industry = invisible to that search.

2. Recruiter filtering
‍LinkedIn Recruiter shows industry as a primary filter. Staffing and recruiting firms use it as one of their first screening criteria. According to LinkedIn's own help documentation, industry is one of the "core filters" in recruiter search.

3. Content reach
‍LinkedIn's algorithm factors your profile data (including industry) when deciding who sees your posts. Posting about fintech while your industry says "Construction" creates a mismatch that can reduce how many relevant people see your content.

4. Company page analytics
‍If you manage a company page, your industry classification determines which companies LinkedIn shows as your competitors in the analytics section. Wrong industry = irrelevant competitor benchmarks.

For anyone building a presence on LinkedIn, tracking which content formats perform best in your industry helps refine your strategy over time. AuthoredUp, a LinkedIn content creation and analytics platform, lets you compare post performance side by side to spot patterns specific to your audience.

Industries With the Highest LinkedIn Activity

Not every industry has the same level of activity on LinkedIn. Based on platform data:

• Technology (Software, IT Services, Computer Hardware) has the largest user base and the most active content sharing
• Financial Services (Banking, Capital Markets, Investment Management) is the second most represented sector
• Healthcare (Hospital and Health Care, Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology) has grown significantly, especially since 2020
• Professional Services (Management Consulting, Staffing, HR) drives high engagement because these professionals use LinkedIn as a primary business development channel
• Marketing and Advertising is one of the most content-active industries, with professionals regularly sharing insights, case studies, and thought leadership

If your industry has lower LinkedIn activity (Agriculture, Mining, Textiles), that's not necessarily bad. Less competition means your content can stand out more easily. A well-written post in the Farming industry faces far less competition than one in Marketing.

Regardless of your industry, understanding what types of posts drive engagement matters more than which sector you're in. Planning your content with a LinkedIn content calendar helps maintain consistency. Focus on writing effective LinkedIn posts with strong opening hooks. And if you're posting regularly and want to see what's actually working, try AuthoredUp's post comparison feature to see your top-performing content side by side. Save your post ideas as LinkedIn drafts so you always have content ready to publish.

FAQ

What should I put as my industry on LinkedIn?

Choose the industry that best matches what you do AND what your target audience searches for. If you're torn between two options, look at what peers in your field use and pick the one that aligns with how recruiters and potential clients would search for you.

How many industries are on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn's industry taxonomy includes 289 industries across 20 sectors (152 at the L2 level and 137 more specific L3 subcategories). The profile dropdown shows options from across this hierarchy. Sales Navigator and Recruiter users can filter across all levels simultaneously.

Can I select multiple industries on LinkedIn?

No. LinkedIn profiles and company pages can only have one industry selected at a time. If your work spans multiple sectors, choose the primary one and use your headline and About section to describe your full scope.

Does my industry affect who sees my LinkedIn posts?

Yes. LinkedIn's algorithm uses your profile data, including industry, as one signal for content distribution. Posting about topics that align with your listed industry helps LinkedIn match your content with the right audience.

What industry should I pick if I'm a freelancer or consultant?

It depends on who you serve. If you consult across industries, "Management Consulting" or "Professional Training and Coaching" are safe choices. If you specialize in one sector (like healthcare IT or fintech), consider listing that sector instead to appear in industry-specific searches.

How do I find what industry someone else is on LinkedIn?

Visit their profile and look in their intro section, right below their headline and location. The industry label appears there if they've set one. Not everyone fills this out, but most active profiles do.

Is the LinkedIn industry list the same as NAICS codes?

LinkedIn's current industry taxonomy is aligned with NAICS standards, though it's not an exact mirror. LinkedIn adapted the NAICS framework into its own V2 classification system with 20 sectors and multiple hierarchy levels. The names and groupings closely follow NAICS but are tailored for the platform.

What is the "industry" field on a LinkedIn company page?

The same industry taxonomy used for personal profiles. It determines how LinkedIn categorizes your company and affects which competitor pages appear in your company analytics. You set it under "Edit Page" > "Company Details."