Manufacturing
Industrial output, capacity utilisation, freight, and manufacturing employment. All pure actuals — industrial production (output YoY%) and manufacturing employment (headcount diff) are different variables.
Pure Actuals — No Survey Counterpart
These metrics have no directly comparable survey-based counterpart measuring the same variable in the same units. Shown individually with signal assessment only.
FRED · monthlyActual
Industrial Production Index
1.4%+0.6pp vs year agoPositive signal
Federal Reserve measures actual physical output of factories, mines, and utilities.
Latest data: Feb 1, 2026Fetched: Apr 8, 2026
FRED · monthlyActual
Capacity Utilization Rate
76.3%+0.0pp YoYPositive signal
Federal Reserve measurement of how much of the nation's industrial capacity is being used.
Latest data: Feb 1, 2026Fetched: Apr 8, 2026
FRED · monthlyActual
Cass Freight Index
-7.1%+1.1pp vs year agoPositive signal
Tracks actual freight shipment volumes across North America. Real goods moving through the economy.
Latest data: Jan 1, 2026Fetched: Apr 8, 2026
FRED · monthlySurvey
BLS Manufacturing Employment
15K+20K vs year agoPositive signal
BLS survey-based estimate of manufacturing sector employment. Counts jobs, not output.
Latest data: Mar 1, 2026Fetched: Apr 8, 2026
Methodology
Reported (Left column) = official surveys, models, and lagged indices. Subject to revision and sampling error. Sources: BLS (CES/CPS surveys), Conference Board, University of Michigan, S&P CoreLogic.
Real (Right column) = actual counted transactions, filings, and real-time measurements. No estimation. Sources: ADP payroll data, Zillow listings, TSA checkpoint counts, AAR carloads, FRED transactional series.
Pairing rule: Only metrics measuring the same variable in the same units are paired side-by-side. Metrics without a true survey counterpart are shown in the “Pure Actuals” section without comparison banners.
YoY calculation: All year-over-year changes compare the latest available value to the value closest to 12 months prior, using identical methodology on both sides.
Last refreshed: 8 Apr 2026, 17:19 UTC — auto-refreshes daily at 06:00 UTC