INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION AND CAPACITY UTILIZATION
[Annual Revision Notice Below]
Industrial production decreased 1.1 percent in May after having fallen a downward-revised 0.7 percent in
April. The average decrease in industrial production during the first three months of the year was 1.6
percent. Manufacturing output moved down 1.0 percent in May with broad-based declines across industries.
Outside of manufacturing, the output of mines dropped 2.1 percent, and the output of utilities fell 1.4
percent. At 95.8 percent of its 2002 average, overall industrial output in May was 13.4 percent below its
year-earlier level. The rate of capacity utilization for total industry declined further in May to
68.3 percent, a level 12.6 percentage points below its average for 1972-2008. Prior to the current
recession, the low over the history of this series, which begins in 1967, was 70.9 percent in December 1982.
Industrial production |
2002=100 | Percent change | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 Dec.[r] |
2009 | 2008 Dec.[r] |
2009 | May '08 to May '09 |
|||||||||
Jan.[r] | Feb.[r] | Mar.[r] | Apr.[r] | May[p] | Jan.[r] | Feb.[r] | Mar.[r] | Apr.[r] | May[p] | ||||
Total index | 102.4 | 100.2 | 99.4 | 97.6 | 96.9 | 95.8 | -2.3 | -2.1 | -.8 | -1.8 | -.7 | -1.1 | -13.4 |
Previous estimates | 102.4 | 100.3 | 99.3 | 97.6 | 97.1 | -2.2 | -2.1 | -1.0 | -1.7 | -.5 | |||
Major market groups | |||||||||||||
Final Products | 106.1 | 103.5 | 102.8 | 101.6 | 100.9 | 100.0 | -.6 | -2.5 | -.6 | -1.2 | -.7 | -1.0 | -9.8 |
Consumer goods | 100.6 | 98.7 | 98.8 | 98.3 | 98.1 | 97.2 | -1.4 | -1.9 | .1 | -.5 | -.2 | -.8 | -7.1 |
Business equipment | 120.8 | 115.8 | 113.9 | 110.8 | 108.7 | 107.2 | 2.7 | -4.1 | -1.6 | -2.7 | -1.9 | -1.4 | -16.5 |
Nonindustrial supplies | 96.5 | 94.7 | 93.2 | 91.2 | 90.4 | 89.5 | -3.3 | -1.9 | -1.6 | -2.2 | -.8 | -1.0 | -15.8 |
Construction | 89.1 | 85.9 | 84.6 | 82.3 | 81.0 | 80.2 | -4.9 | -3.6 | -1.4 | -2.8 | -1.5 | -1.0 | -21.5 |
Materials | 101.0 | 99.1 | 98.5 | 96.2 | 95.6 | 94.3 | -3.6 | -1.9 | -.6 | -2.3 | -.7 | -1.4 | -15.9 |
Major industry groups | |||||||||||||
Manufacturing (see note below) | 100.6 | 97.9 | 97.8 | 96.0 | 95.4 | 94.4 | -2.9 | -2.7 | -.1 | -1.9 | -.6 | -1.0 | -15.3 |
Previous estimates | 100.7 | 98.0 | 97.9 | 95.8 | 95.5 | -2.9 | -2.7 | -.1 | -2.1 | -.3 | |||
Mining | 103.4 | 102.9 | 101.0 | 99.1 | 95.9 | 93.8 | -1.9 | -.5 | -1.8 | -1.9 | -3.2 | -2.1 | -10.5 |
Utilities | 111.3 | 111.5 | 106.4 | 105.3 | 106.0 | 104.5 | 2.0 | .2 | -4.5 | -1.1 | .7 | -1.4 | -3.4 |
Capacity utilization |
Percent of capacity |
Capacity growth |
|||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Average 1972- 2008 |
1988- 89 high |
1990- 91 low |
1994- 95 high |
2001- 02 low |
2008 May |
||||||||
2008 Dec.[r] |
2009 | May '08 to May '09 |
|||||||||||
Jan.[r] | Feb.[r] | Mar.[r] | Apr.[r] | May[p] | |||||||||
Total industry | 80.9 | 85.1 | 78.7 | 84.9 | 73.5 | 78.9 | 72.7 | 71.2 | 70.7 | 69.4 | 69.0 | 68.3 | .1 |
Previous estimates | 72.8 | 71.3 | 70.6 | 69.4 | 69.1 | ||||||||
Manufacturing (see note below) | 79.6 | 85.4 | 77.2 | 84.5 | 71.4 | 76.7 | 69.0 | 67.1 | 67.1 | 65.9 | 65.6 | 65.0 | .0 |
Previous estimates | 69.1 | 67.2 | 67.2 | 65.8 | 65.7 | ||||||||
Mining | 87.6 | 86.5 | 83.8 | 89.1 | 84.9 | 90.8 | 89.0 | 88.5 | 86.9 | 85.2 | 82.5 | 80.8 | .5 |
Utilities | 86.8 | 92.8 | 84.2 | 93.3 | 84.2 | 83.7 | 85.1 | 85.1 | 81.1 | 80.1 | 80.6 | 79.3 | 1.9 |
Stage-of-process groups | |||||||||||||
Crude | 86.6 | 88.3 | 84.7 | 89.9 | 81.7 | 88.6 | 82.1 | 81.6 | 81.6 | 79.5 | 78.6 | 77.7 | .2 |
Primary and semifinished | 82.0 | 86.5 | 77.9 | 87.9 | 74.3 | 78.8 | 71.4 | 69.7 | 68.5 | 67.0 | 66.7 | 65.6 | -.2 |
Finished | 77.7 | 83.0 | 77.2 | 80.3 | 70.0 | 75.0 | 70.3 | 68.5 | 68.6 | 68.1 | 67.6 | 67.4 | .7 |
Market Groups
The production of consumer goods fell 0.8 percent in May with declines in both consumer durables and nondurables. The output of consumer durables dropped 2.9 percent; all major categories registered significant declines. The index for automotive products fell 5.2 percent but still remained above its trough in January of this year. The output indexes for the other major categories of consumer durables declined between 1 and 2 percent in May. The production of consumer nondurables moved down 0.4 percent. A decline of 3.1 percent in consumer energy products more than offset a 0.5 percent increase in nondurable non-energy goods. A decrease in gasoline output was the largest contributor to the drop in consumer energy products. Among consumer nondurable non-energy goods, production of foods and tobacco and of chemical products increased, while the output indexes for both clothing and paper products declined slightly.
The output of business equipment dropped 1.4 percent in May and was more than 16 percent below its year-earlier level. The declines in May for information processing equipment and for industrial and other equipment were similar to those in April. The production of information processing equipment decreased 0.4 percent, and the production of industrial and other equipment fell 2.3 percent. The index for transit equipment moved down 0.5 percent in May after having fallen 3.6 percent in April. The production of defense and space equipment increased 0.7 percent in May and was little changed from its year-earlier level.
Among nonindustrial supplies, the output indexes for both business supplies and construction supplies fell 1.0 percent in May. The production of materials declined 1.4 percent. The output of durable materials dropped 2.3 percent, with decreases in all major categories. Lower production of motor vehicle parts was largely responsible for a decline of 5.5 percent in consumer parts. Among non-energy nondurable materials, the indexes for textiles and paper each moved down about 1 percent; the production of chemicals edged up 0.1 percent. The output of energy materials decreased 1.4 percent.
Industry Groups
Manufacturing output fell 1.0 percent in May and was more than 15 percent below its year-earlier level. The factory operating rate decreased 0.6 percentage point to a historical low of 65.0 percent in May; prior to this recession, the low for this series, which begins in 1948, was 68.6 percent in December 1982. The production of durable goods fell 1.8 percent with declines in most categories. The largest decreases were in motor vehicles and parts and in machinery. Gains were recorded in primary metals, aerospace and miscellaneous transportation equipment, and miscellaneous manufacturing. The production of nondurable goods edged down 0.2 percent. Gains in the output of food, beverages, and tobacco products; apparel and leather; and chemicals were offset by declines of more than 1 percent in textile and product mills, paper, and petroleum and coal products. Production in non-NAICS manufacturing, which consists of publishing and logging, decreased 0.6 percent.
The output of electric and gas utilities fell 1.4 percent, and the sector's operating rate dropped 1.3 percentage points to 79.3 percent, a rate 7.5 percentage points below its 1972-2008 average. Mining output moved down 2.1 percent, and the utilization rate fell to 80.8 percent.
Capacity utilization rates in May at industries grouped by stage of process were as follows: At the crude stage, utilization fell 0.9 percentage point, to 77.7 percent, a rate 8.9 percentage points below its 1972-2008 average; at the primary and semifinished stages, utilization dropped 1.1 percentage points, to 65.6 percent, a rate 16.4 percentage points below its long-run average; and at the finished stage, utilization decreased 0.2 percentage point, to 67.4 percent, a rate 10.3 percentage points below its long-run average.
Revision of Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization
Ascii | Screen reader | Summary: Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization |
Chart | Chart 1: Industrial Production, Capacity, and Capacity Utilization | |
Chart | Chart 2: Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization | |
Chart | Chart 3: Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization, High Technology Industries | |
Ascii | Screen reader | Table 1: Industrial Production: Market and Industry Groups (percent change) |
Ascii | Screen reader | Table 2: Industrial Production: Special Aggregates and Selected Detail (percent change) |
Ascii | Screen reader | Table 3: Motor Vehicle Assemblies |
Ascii | Screen reader | Table 4: Industrial Production Indexes: Market and Industry Group Summary |
Ascii | Screen reader | Table 5: Industrial Production Indexes: Special Aggregates |
Ascii | Screen reader | Table 6: Diffusion Indexes of Industrial Production |
Ascii | Screen reader | Table 7: Capacity Utilization: Manufacturing, Mining, and Utilities |
Ascii | Screen reader | Table 8: Industrial Capacity: Manufacturing, Mining, and Utilities (percent change) |
Ascii | Screen reader | Table 9: Industrial Production: Gross Value of Products and Nonindustrial Supplies |
Ascii | Screen reader | Table 10: Gross-Value-Weighted Industrial Production: Stage-of-Process Groups |
Ascii | Screen reader | Table 11: Historical Statistics for IP, Capacity, and Utilization: Total Industry |
Ascii | Screen reader | Table 12: Historical Statistics for IP, Capacity, and Utilization: Manufacturing |
Ascii | Screen reader | Table 13: Historical Statistics for IP, Capacity, and Utilization: Total Industry excluding Selected High-Technology Industries |
Ascii | Screen reader | Table 14: Historical Statistics for IP, Capacity, and Utilization: Manufacturing excluding Selected High-Technology Industries |