Data through: September 2026 · updated Oct 2 · Updates: Monthly · Next: Nov 2
MThe three bars show the last 3 months for this indicator, oldest left to newest right. Bar height reflects each reading relative to the other two — the tallest is the highest of the three, the shortest the lowest.
↓ 0.2% MoM
What this means right now: The ISM Manufacturing PMI is between 52 and 55: a clear majority of purchasing managers report expansion in orders, production and employment. This site's record of the survey begins in June 2026, so it cannot yet say what has followed readings here.
ISM Manufacturing PMI® · Monthly · 2026–2026
NBER recessions
Scroll to read · zoom and pan in Expand
Monthly values
ISM Manufacturing PMI® — the last 4 months
Every month's reading, with the band the heatmap gives it. The chart above shows the same series in full.
Month
Value
Band
Sep 2026
54.5
Healthy reading
Aug 2026
54.6
Healthy reading
Jul 2026
55.6
Very strong reading
Jun 2026
53.3
Healthy reading
Month-end readings of the same series the chart shows, from ism_mfg. Values are the current record, not point-in-time: a month that has since been revised shows its revised value.
What is the ISM Mfg PMI?
The ISM Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) surveys supply chain executives at manufacturing companies across the United States. It asks whether new orders, production, employment, supplier deliveries and inventories are better, worse or the same as the month before. The answers are compiled into one index: above 50 means more respondents report expansion than contraction, and below 50 the reverse.
Purchasing managers see demand for their products as it changes, so the survey is read as an early reading on the factory sector. When new orders are rising, factories are expanding. The PMI is released on the first business day of each month for the month just ended, one of the earliest readings on any month.
Values on this site are reproduced under an ISM® reprint license, collected forward from the June 2026 report — history here accumulates from that point, with no earlier months and no sub-indices.
How We Color-Code the ISM Mfg PMI
Our heatmap colors this indicator against historically significant thresholds:
Below 48.0
Sharp contraction — below 48, a clear majority of purchasing managers report worse conditions. Seen in 0 of the 4 months of this site's record, which begins June 2026
48.0 – 50.0
Contraction — 48 to 50, more purchasing managers report worse conditions than better. Seen in 0 of the 4 months of this site's record, which begins June 2026
50.0 – 52.0
Just above the line — 50 to 52, a modest majority of purchasing managers report expansion
52.0 – 55.0
Solid expansion — 52 to 55, a clear majority of purchasing managers report expansion
Above 55.0
Strong expansion — above 55, a large majority of purchasing managers report expansion
Historical Extremes — What Happened Next?
The ISM Manufacturing PMI® is a monthly survey index published by the Institute for Supply Management®, which licenses its use. This site reproduces the headline reading under that licence from the June 2026 report onward. It holds the headline only, June 2026 to the present, with no earlier months and no sub-indices, so there is no history to show here yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a PMI above 50 actually mean?
A PMI above 50 means more purchasing managers reported improvement than deterioration in the month just ended. The index counts the share reporting better conditions plus half the share reporting no change, so 50 is the line where the two balance. The further from 50, the larger the majority one way.
Which parts of the ISM report matter most?
New Orders is the component most about the months ahead, since orders are placed before goods are made. Prices Paid is read for inflation. This site holds only the headline index, so it does not track the components.
How does ISM Manufacturing relate to the overall economy?
Manufacturing is a small part of US output, but the survey arrives first each month and the sector swings with the cycle. The ISM Services PMI covers the larger part of the economy and is read beside it. This site's record of the survey begins in June 2026, so it cannot yet measure how the index has moved against GDP.
Can the economy be healthy while manufacturing is contracting?
Yes. On this site's data, industrial production ran below the year before in 13 of the 16 months from November 2022 to February 2024. Real GDP grew in every one of those quarters, by between 1.4% and 4.5% annualised. The site's own ISM record begins in June 2026, so the survey's readings for those months are not held here.
Why is the ISM report watched so closely?
The ISM Manufacturing PMI is released on the first business day of the month, so it is one of the very first readings on the month just ended. It arrives ahead of the jobs report and about two weeks before industrial production. This site holds no measure of how markets react to it.