The Federal Reserve's Fifth District manufacturing index rose by 10 points from the previous month to 0 in March of 2026, ahead of market expectations of a -5. The result reflected an unchanged level of manufacturing activity in the district, the first period without a contraction since February of the previous year despite pressure from the surge in energy prices since the outbreak of war in the Middle East during the month. Shipments contracted less (-2 vs -13 in February) amid a rebound in the volume of new orders (4 vs -9). Likewise, the pace of staff reduction fell sharply (-2 vs -7), although wage growth eased (14 vs 18) despite remaining sharp. In the meantime, prices paid decelerated (6.11 vs 6.52) despite the surge in wholesale energy commodities. Looking ahead, shipments (26 vs 29) and new orders growth (30 vs 35) eased but remained strong. source: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index in the United States increased to 0 points in March from -10 points in February of 2026. Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index in the United States averaged 1.81 points from 1993 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 27.00 points in March of 2004 and a record low of -54.00 points in April of 2020. This page provides - United States Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. United States Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on April of 2026.

Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index in the United States increased to 0 points in March from -10 points in February of 2026. Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index in the United States is expected to be -4.00 points by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United States Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index is projected to trend around 3.00 points in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-02-24 03:00 PM
Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index
Feb -10 -6 -4 -8
2026-03-24 02:00 PM
Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index
Mar 0 -10 -5 -11
2026-04-28 02:00 PM
Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index
Apr 0 6


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index 0.00 -10.00 points Mar 2026
Richmond Fed Manufacturing Shipments Index -2.00 -13.00 points Mar 2026
Richmond Fed Services Index 9.00 -8.00 points Mar 2026


United States Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index
The Richmond Manufacturing Index measures the conditions of the manufacturing sector for the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and most of West Virginia. The index is derived from a survey of 190 manufacturing plants and based on three individual index with the following weights: Shipments (33 percent), New Orders (40 percent) and Employment (27 percent). The index can range between +100 and -100; a reading above zero indicates expansion, while below zero suggests a contraction.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
0.00 -10.00 27.00 -54.00 1993 - 2026 points Monthly
SA

News Stream
5th District Manufacturing Halts Decline Streak
The Federal Reserve's Fifth District manufacturing index rose by 10 points from the previous month to 0 in March of 2026, ahead of market expectations of a -5. The result reflected an unchanged level of manufacturing activity in the district, the first period without a contraction since February of the previous year despite pressure from the surge in energy prices since the outbreak of war in the Middle East during the month. Shipments contracted less (-2 vs -13 in February) amid a rebound in the volume of new orders (4 vs -9). Likewise, the pace of staff reduction fell sharply (-2 vs -7), although wage growth eased (14 vs 18) despite remaining sharp. In the meantime, prices paid decelerated (6.11 vs 6.52) despite the surge in wholesale energy commodities. Looking ahead, shipments (26 vs 29) and new orders growth (30 vs 35) eased but remained strong.
2026-03-24
5th District Manufacturing Falls Further
The Federal Reserve's Fifth District manufacturing index fell to -10 in February of 2025 from -6 in the previous month, the lowest in three months and missing expectations that it would improve to -4. The result reflected 12 months of negative readings, aligned with pessimistic signals from other regions of the US as tariffs magnified higher producer inflation to dent sentiment among goods producers. Shipments fall further (.13 vs .5 in January) as new orders dropped (-9 vs -6), even though companies continued to run through their order backlogs (-15 vs -13). In turn, prices paid remained elevated but at a softer pace than in the previous month (6.25 vs 7.06).
2026-02-24
US 5th District Manufacturing Sentiment Improves
The Federal Reserve's Fifth District manufacturing index inched higher by one point from the previous month to -6 in January of 2026, the highest in four months, and ahead of the market consensus of a slight decrease to -8. Still, the result reflected an 11th consecutive month of pessimism on the district's goods producing sector. The drop in shipments softened (-5 vs -11 in December 2025) with support from a slower drop in new orders (-6 vs -8) and a faster depletion of backlog of orders (-13 vs -7). In the meantime, employment levels were seen lower (-6 vs -7) and wage growth fell (14 vs 24). Meanwhile, prices paid for inputs rose faster (7.06 vs 6.53), although competition prevented firms from passing those on to clients as output charges slowed (4.58 vs 4.98). Meanwhile, the expectations index for both shipments (34 vs 28) and new order volumes (36 vs 27) improved.
2026-01-27