What does every business need but not every industry has?

The Indicator from Planet Money by NPR

Sep 29, 20269:13Business

What rhymes with "snakes" and helps the government classify economic activity? NAICS — or the North American Industry Classification System. These codes categorize every industry from artificial turf installation to zucc...

Related Episodes

Continue listening to more episodes from The Indicator from Planet Money.

One economist's answer to data center anxiety

Oct 7, 2026 - 9:28

Rising electricity prices are one of the primary reasons why data centers are a public enemy this electio...

Inside Norway's sovereign wealth fund dilemma to divest from Israel

Oct 6, 2026 - 8:04

Norway has the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, but it’s facing a self-imposed dilemma. Should the...

The proper etiquette of the Venmo nudge

Oct 5, 2026 - 9:14

How do you ask your friends to pay you back in a timely way? We’ve got an etiquette coach to help with th...

Can we make Social Security better for blue-collar workers?

Oct 2, 2026 - 9:09

Most workers can’t start collecting full Social Security benefits until age 67. But a new proposal from M...

New college degrees designed to job-proof graduates

Oct 1, 2026 - 8:22

What do influencing, AI and health sciences have in common? They’re all degree programs colleges have lau...

Is investing in sports worth it for universities?

Sep 30, 2026 - 9:05

Universities spend millions of dollars every year on their athletics programs. But does that investment p...

How the rich make money by losing money

Sep 28, 2026 - 9:25

Decades ago, rich Americans used to pay taxes as high as 40% on their investments. Nowadays, an obscure i...

Unaffordability index: Rent, GLP-1s, Obamacare

Sep 25, 2026 - 9:10

This week’s indicators: Rent is squeezing middle-income earners, the Trump admin is squeezing ACA enrolle...