Most Profitable Private US Businesses Ranked By Profit Margins

From Sageworks, Data Releases, "The Most Profitable Industries in the US:"

Sageworks today released its annual ranking of the most profitable industries in the U.S. Accounting firms, real estate lessors, and auto equipment leasing were at the top of the list. Companies operating in these three industries are seeing average net profit margins greater than 15 percent, or more than double the private-company average. Also well-represented on the list are companies in the professional services sector and industries related to renting/leasing and health care. A separate ranking of the most profitable small business industries is also included in this report. This list focuses on businesses with less than $5 million in annual revenue.

The analysis in this report is based on private-company financial statements filed over the 12 months ended August 27th, 2015. and uses net profit margin as the metric by which each industry is ranked. Net profit margin has been adjusted to exclude taxes and include owner compensation in excess of their market-rate salaries -- adjustments commonly made to private-company financials in order to provide a more accurate picture of the companies’ operational performance.

The Most Profitable Industries In The U.S.

Source: Sageworks

***With a few exceptions (warehousing, support activities for mining), the list of most profitable small business industries very closely mirrors the overall ranking. The full small business list, which focuses on companies with less than $5 million in annual revenue, is included below.

The Most Profitable Small Biz Industries In The U.S.

Source: Sageworks