The Chicago Business Barometer fell to 52.8 in March 2026 from a near four-year high of 57.7 in February and below market estimates of 55. This marked the third consecutive month of growth in Chicago's economic activity, though the pace of expansion slowed significantly from the previous month. New orders and output continued to grow, but at a slower pace, while workforce numbers decreased. Meanwhile, order backlogs reached levels not seen since December 2022. On the price front, prices paid accelerated to its highest since December. source: Institute for Supply Management

Chicago PMI in the United States decreased to 52.80 points in March from 57.70 points in February of 2026. Chicago PMI in the United States averaged 54.26 points from 1967 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 81.00 points in November of 1973 and a record low of 20.70 points in June of 1980. This page provides the latest reported value for - United States Chicago PMI - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Chicago PMI in the United States decreased to 52.80 points in March from 57.70 points in February of 2026. Chicago PMI in the United States is expected to be 50.00 points by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United States Chicago PMI is projected to trend around 51.00 points in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Related Last Previous Unit Reference
ISM Manufacturing PMI 52.70 52.40 points Mar 2026
ISM Manufacturing Employment 48.70 48.80 points Mar 2026
ISM Manufacturing New Orders 53.50 55.80 points Mar 2026
ISM Manufacturing Prices 78.30 70.50 points Mar 2026
ISM Services Business Activity 53.90 59.90 points Mar 2026
ISM Services Employment 45.20 51.80 points Mar 2026
ISM Services New Orders 60.60 58.60 points Mar 2026
ISM Services Prices 70.70 63.00 points Mar 2026


United States Chicago PMI
The Chicago PMI (ISM-Chicago Business Barometer) measures the performance of the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sector in the Chicago region. The Index is computed from five weighted raw indexes: Production (0.25), New Orders (0.35), Order Backlog (0.15), Employment (0.10), and Supplier Deliveries (0.15) and then seasonally adjusted to support month-to-month comparisons. A reading above 50 indicates an expansion; below 50 represents a contraction; while 50 indicates no change. Chicago PMI is released one day before the ISM Manufacturing Index.

News Stream
Chicago Business Activity Slows in March
The Chicago Business Barometer fell to 52.8 in March 2026 from a near four-year high of 57.7 in February and below market estimates of 55. This marked the third consecutive month of growth in Chicago's economic activity, though the pace of expansion slowed significantly from the previous month. New orders and output continued to grow, but at a slower pace, while workforce numbers decreased. Meanwhile, order backlogs reached levels not seen since December 2022. On the price front, prices paid accelerated to its highest since December.
2026-03-31
Chicago PMI Rises to Near 4-Year High
The Chicago Business Barometer rose to 57.7 in February of 2026 from 54 in the previous month, firmly above expectations that it would slow to 52.8, to capitulate as the second expansion since November of 2023 and reflect the sharpest pace of growth in activity in the United States since May of 2022.
2026-02-27
Chicago PMI Signals First Expansion in 2 Years
The Chicago Business Barometer climbed to 54 in January 2026, up from 42.7 in the prior month and well above market estimates of 44. This marked a solid return to growth in Chicago's economic activity after 25 consecutive months of decline. Employment rose 17.5 points to its highest level since December 2024, while new orders surged 15.8 points to levels not seen since March 2022. Production, backlogs, and inventories rose, while supplier deliveries slowed and prices paid fell nine points to a one-year low.
2026-01-30