Manufacturing output in the United States increased by 0.6% in April 2026, the largest monthly gain since February 2025 and well above market expectations of a 0.2% rise. Production of durable goods rose 1.2%, with gains across most categories. The strongest advance was in motor vehicles and parts, where output jumped 3.7%.
In contrast, production of nondurable goods slipped 0.1%. Declines in several categories—most notably chemicals and plastics and rubber products, each down 0.9%—were largely offset by increases in food, beverage, and tobacco products; printing and related support activities; and petroleum and coal products.
Manufacturing capacity utilization increased by 0.4 percentage point to 75.8% in April. Despite the improvement, it remains 2.4 percentage points below its long-run average for the 1972–2025 period.
