What NAICS codes qualify for WOSB set-asides?

WOSB set-asides are not available across all federal procurement — only in NAICS codes where the SBA has determined women-owned businesses are under-represented or substantially under-represented relative to the broader federal contracting pool.

**The two designation categories:**

- **WOSB-designated NAICS codes:** women-owned small businesses are under-represented. Eligible WOSB firms can compete in WOSB set-asides in these NAICS.

- **EDWOSB-designated NAICS codes:** women-owned small businesses are substantially under-represented. EDWOSB-certified firms (those that also pass the economic disadvantage test) can compete in EDWOSB set-asides in these NAICS, which carve out an additional set-aside pool above what WOSB alone provides.

**The current list covers:**

- Most **professional services NAICS** (54xxxx codes — engineering, scientific, management, computer services, design)

- Many **construction NAICS** (23xxxx codes — both residential and commercial)

- A meaningful slice of **manufacturing NAICS** (31xxxx through 33xxxx — furniture, apparel, electronics, fabricated metal, etc.)

- Specific **administrative and support service NAICS** (56xxxx)

- Specific **healthcare NAICS** (62xxxx)

**The current list does NOT broadly cover:**

- Wholesale trade (42xxxx)
- Retail trade (44xxxx-45xxxx)
- Transportation and warehousing (48xxxx-49xxxx)
- Most accommodation and food services (72xxxx)

**How the list is updated:** the SBA periodically refreshes the designation based on updated under-representation analysis (the most recent comprehensive update was in 2020, with adjustments since). When the SBA finds a NAICS where women-owned firms are no longer under-represented, that NAICS can be removed from the WOSB-designated list.

**To check your NAICS:** search the SBA's designated WOSB NAICS code list at sba.gov. The list is published as a spreadsheet with both WOSB and EDWOSB designations marked separately.

**If your NAICS isn't on the list:** WOSB certification doesn't unlock contract opportunities for you. You may still qualify for 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides depending on demographics — and corporate certifications (WBENC WBE) operate completely independently of the federal WOSB designation list.

**EDWOSB also has economic eligibility tests** identical to 8(a) — personal net worth cap of $850K, AGI cap of $400K (3-year average), total assets cap of $6.5M. WOSB itself has no economic eligibility test, just the demographic and small-business size tests.