INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION AND CAPACITY UTILIZATION
[Annual Revision Notice Below]
Industrial production increased 0.1 percent in October after having averaged monthly gains of about 0.9 percent over the previous three months. Manufacturing production moved down 0.1 percent and the output of mines decreased 0.2 percent, but the index for utilities rose 1.6 percent. At 98.6 percent of its 2002 average, total industrial production was 7.1 percent below its level of a year earlier. Capacity utilization for total industry moved up 0.2 percentage point to 70.7 percent, a rate 10.2 percentage points below its average for 1972 through 2008, and capacity utilization for manufacturing was unchanged at 67.6 percent.
Industrial production |
2002=100 | Percent change | |||||||||||
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2009 | 2009 | Oct. '08 to Oct. '09 |
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May[r] | June[r] | July[r] | Aug.[r] | Sept.[r] | Oct.[p] | May[r] | June[r] | July[r] | Aug.[r] | Sept.[r] | Oct.[p] | ||
Total index | 96.2 | 95.8 | 96.7 | 97.9 | 98.6 | 98.6 | -1.1 | -.4 | .9 | 1.3 | .6 | .1 | -7.1 |
Previous estimates | 96.2 | 95.8 | 96.6 | 97.8 | 98.5 | -1.1 | -.4 | .9 | 1.2 | .7 | |||
Major market groups | |||||||||||||
Final Products | 99.5 | 99.0 | 99.8 | 101.3 | 102.2 | 102.2 | -1.2 | -.5 | .8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | .0 | -4.5 |
Consumer goods | 96.9 | 96.4 | 97.1 | 98.7 | 100.0 | 100.0 | -1.0 | -.5 | .8 | 1.6 | 1.3 | .0 | -2.9 |
Business equipment | 106.2 | 105.8 | 106.5 | 107.7 | 107.3 | 107.0 | -2.1 | -.4 | .7 | 1.1 | -.4 | -.2 | -6.8 |
Nonindustrial supplies | 90.5 | 90.6 | 90.5 | 91.0 | 90.7 | 90.4 | -.7 | .1 | .0 | .6 | -.4 | -.3 | -11.6 |
Construction | 82.1 | 82.1 | 82.5 | 83.1 | 82.2 | 81.2 | .2 | .0 | .6 | .7 | -1.1 | -1.2 | -17.0 |
Materials | 95.2 | 94.7 | 96.1 | 97.5 | 98.1 | 98.4 | -1.0 | -.6 | 1.5 | 1.4 | .7 | .3 | -7.9 |
Major industry groups | |||||||||||||
Manufacturing (see note below) | 94.8 | 94.5 | 95.6 | 97.0 | 97.7 | 97.6 | -.9 | -.3 | 1.2 | 1.4 | .8 | -.1 | -8.0 |
Previous estimates | 94.8 | 94.5 | 95.6 | 96.7 | 97.5 | -.9 | -.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 | .9 | |||
Mining | 95.1 | 93.8 | 95.0 | 96.1 | 96.7 | 96.4 | -1.1 | -1.4 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .6 | -.2 | -6.8 |
Utilities | 104.3 | 103.8 | 102.6 | 103.4 | 103.2 | 104.9 | -2.0 | -.5 | -1.2 | .8 | -.2 | 1.6 | -2.0 |
Capacity utilization |
Percent of capacity |
Capacity growth |
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Average 1972- 2008 |
1988- 89 high |
1990- 91 low |
1994- 95 high |
2001- 02 low |
2008 Oct. |
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2009 | Oct. '08 to Oct. '09 |
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May[r] | June[r] | July[r] | Aug.[r] | Sept.[r] | Oct.[p] | ||||||||
Total industry | 80.9 | 85.1 | 78.7 | 84.9 | 73.5 | 75.4 | 68.5 | 68.3 | 69.0 | 70.0 | 70.5 | 70.7 | -.8 |
Previous estimates | 68.5 | 68.3 | 69.0 | 69.9 | 70.5 | ||||||||
Manufacturing (see note below) | 79.6 | 85.4 | 77.2 | 84.5 | 71.4 | 72.7 | 65.3 | 65.1 | 66.0 | 67.0 | 67.6 | 67.6 | -1.0 |
Previous estimates | 65.2 | 65.1 | 66.0 | 66.8 | 67.5 | ||||||||
Mining | 87.6 | 86.5 | 83.8 | 89.1 | 84.9 | 89.2 | 81.9 | 80.8 | 82.0 | 83.0 | 83.6 | 83.5 | -.6 |
Utilities | 86.8 | 92.8 | 84.2 | 93.3 | 84.2 | 82.1 | 79.2 | 78.7 | 77.6 | 78.2 | 77.9 | 79.0 | 1.8 |
Stage-of-process groups | |||||||||||||
Crude | 86.6 | 88.3 | 84.7 | 89.9 | 81.7 | 84.7 | 79.8 | 79.5 | 80.5 | 81.5 | 83.0 | 83.1 | -1.0 |
Primary and semifinished | 82.0 | 86.5 | 77.9 | 87.9 | 74.3 | 75.4 | 65.9 | 65.8 | 66.4 | 67.1 | 67.3 | 67.4 | -.9 |
Finished | 77.7 | 83.0 | 77.2 | 80.3 | 70.0 | 71.5 | 67.0 | 66.7 | 67.4 | 68.7 | 69.4 | 69.5 | -.4 |
Market Groups
The production of consumer goods was unchanged in October, as a decrease in the production of durables was offset by a gain in nondurables. A decline of 1.4 percent in the index for durable consumer goods reflected decreases in all of its major components, including a drop of 2.0 percent in the output of automotive products. Assemblies of light motor vehicles edged down to an annual rate of 6.8 million units in October after having climbed from 4.1 million units in June to 7.1 million units in September. The index for consumer nondurables moved up 0.3 percent in October, as an increase in non-energy nondurables more than offset a decrease in consumer energy products. The advance in non-energy nondurables resulted from gains of around 1 percent in the production of foods and tobacco and of chemical products; the output of clothing and of paper products decreased.
The index for business equipment moved down 0.2 percent in October. This decline was driven by a decrease in the output of information processing equipment; the indexes for the transit and the industrial and other categories were unchanged. Production of defense and space equipment declined 0.2 percent after three months of gains of more than 1.0 percent.
Among nonindustrial supplies, the production of construction supplies fell 1.2 percent in October after a similarly sized decrease in September. The output of business supplies rose 0.1 percent; a decrease in general business supplies mostly offset an advance in sales of electricity to commercial businesses that boosted the output of commercial energy products. The production of materials moved up 0.3 percent. The index for non-energy materials edged up 0.1 percent, with identical increases for both durables and nondurables, and the index for energy materials rose 0.9 percent.
Industry Groups
Manufacturing output declined 0.1 percent in October after having risen appreciably in each of the previous three months. The factory operating rate showed no change from its September level of 67.6 percent. The index for durable goods fell 0.4 percent with decreases in most of its major components. Drops of more than 1-1/2 percent were recorded for nonmetallic mineral products, for motor vehicles and parts, and for furniture and related products. Wood products; fabricated metals; computer and electronic products; electrical equipment, appliances, and components; and aerospace and miscellaneous transportation equipment all registered declines of less than 1.0 percent. In contrast, the output of primary metals jumped 3.5 percent, machinery output edged up 0.2 percent, and the output of miscellaneous manufacturing was unchanged.
The production of nondurable goods, which expanded 0.2 percent, included gains of more than 1.0 percent in the indexes for textile and product mills and for paper. Smaller increases were registered in the output of chemicals and of food, beverage, and tobacco products. The indexes for apparel and leather, for printing and support, and for petroleum and coal products declined. The production of plastics and rubber products was unchanged. Production in the non-NAICS manufacturing industries (logging and publishing) dropped 1.2 percent.
The output of mines dropped 0.2 percent in October after three months of increases, and the capacity utilization rate for mining fell 0.1 percentage point to 83.5 percent. The output of utilities increased 1.6 percent, and the operating rate for utilities advanced 1.1 percentage points to 79.0 percent. Both electric and natural gas utilities posted output gains of more than 1.0 percent.
Capacity utilization at industries grouped by stage of process changed as follows: For the crude stage, utilization edged up 0.1 percentage point to 83.1 percent, a rate 3.5 percentage points below its 1972-2008 average; for the primary and semifinished stages, utilization increased 0.1 percentage point, to 67.4 percent, a rate 14.6 percentage points below its long-run average; and for the finished stage, utilization edged up 0.1 percentage point to 69.5 percent, a rate 8.2 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 |