US Capacity Utilization Tops Forecasts

2026-10-16 13:30 By Luisa Carvalho 1 min. read

Industrial capacity utilization in the US rose to 76.9% in September 2026, the highest since December 2023, from an upwardly revised 76.4% in August and above market expectations of 76.5%.

Despite the improvement since the beginning of the year, the figure remained below its long-run average of 79.4%.

Among the major sectors, the rate for mining edged up 0.1 percentage point to 87.5%, about 2.3 percentage points above its long-run average.

The operating rate for utilities increased 2.3 percentage points to 73.8%, though it remained 10.2 percentage points below its historical average.

Capacity utilization for manufacturing increased 0.1 percentage point to 75.9%, a rate that is 2.3 percentage points below its long run average.



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US Capacity Utilization Tops Forecasts
Industrial capacity utilization in the US rose to 76.9% in September 2026, the highest since December 2023, from an upwardly revised 76.4% in August and above market expectations of 76.5%. Despite the improvement since the beginning of the year, the figure remained below its long-run average of 79.4%. Among the major sectors, the rate for mining edged up 0.1 percentage point to 87.5%, about 2.3 percentage points above its long-run average. The operating rate for utilities increased 2.3 percentage points to 73.8%, though it remained 10.2 percentage points below its historical average. Capacity utilization for manufacturing increased 0.1 percentage point to 75.9%, a rate that is 2.3 percentage points below its long run average.
2026-10-16
US Capacity Utilization Holds at 1-Year High
Industrial capacity utilization in the US was unchanged from the previous month at 76.3% in August of 2026, the highest in one year, but slightly under market expectations of 76.4%. Despite the growing momentum since the start of the year, the result remained well under the long-run average of 79.4%. Capacity rose for manufacturing (76% vs 75.9 in July) as utilization rates continued to surge for computer and electronic products (77.2% vs 76.2%) and electrical equipment (86.6% vs 85.5%), aligned with soaring levels of capital expenditure on AI infrastructure and compute. Meanwhile, nondurable manufacturing utilization rates fell to 75.6% from 76%.
2026-09-18
US Capacity Utilization Reaches Highest in a Year
US capacity utilization edged up to 76.3% in July 2026, the highest level in a year, from an upwardly revised 76.2% in June, matching market expectations. Despite the modest increase, the utilization rate remained 3.1 percentage points below its 1972-2025 historical average. Among the major sectors, utilities utilization rose the most, increasing 0.2 percentage points to 70%, although it also remained below its historical average. Manufacturing utilization increased 0.1 percentage point to 76%. Mining utilization also rose 0.1 percentage point to 86.1%, staying 0.9 percentage points above its long-term average.
2026-08-18