According to a report by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), industrial production rose 0.7 percent in September, while manufacturing output stepped up 0.3 percent after ticking down 0.2 percent in August.
At 98.4 percent of its 2017 average, manufacturing production increased 1.1 percent from September 2025. Capacity utilization for manufacturing was 75.9 percent, up 0.1 percentage point from August and 1.0 percent over the past year. Capacity utilization for manufacturing remained 2.3 percentage points below its long-run average from 1972 to 2025.
In September, production for all but one of the major market groups posted gains. Consumer goods production rose 0.7 percent, while business equipment stayed the same. The 1.5 percent decline in consumer durables was driven by a 2.8 percent drop in automotive products output. Meanwhile, the index for consumer nondurables increased 1.2 percent, led by a 1.4 percent gain in chemical products. Among business equipment, a 1.3 percent gain in industrial and other equipment output offset losses in transit equipment (down 1.7 percent) and information processing equipment (down 0.9 percent). At the same time, the index for materials stepped up 0.7 percent, while construction supplies and business supplies increased 1.0 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively.
Durable goods manufacturing edged up 0.1 percent in September and rose 3.7 percent from the year prior. In September, the largest monthly gain occurred in primary metals (up 1.6 percent). Meanwhile, nondurable goods manufacturing increased 0.4 percent in September but fell 1.1 percent from September 2025 as a gain in printing and support (up 1.9 percent) helped offset a loss in paper manufacturing (down 1.1 percent). Year-over-year, the largest gain occurred in computer and electronic products (up 9.5 percent), while other manufacturing experienced the largest loss (down 13.2 percent).
