U.S Industrial Production rose 0.2% in February, after moving up 0.7% in January in the strongest monthly increase since February 2025. 

The Federal Reserve’s latest Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization report, issued March 16, showed that manufacturing output advanced 0.2% during February. 

February’s index for mining rebounded, growing to 0.8% following a decrease to 0.2% in January and 0.7% fall in December, while utilities moved down 0.6% after a 2.1% increase in January.

Meanwhile, U.S. industrial capacity utilization remained unchanged at 76.3% — a rate 3.2 percentage points below its long-run (1972-2024) average. December’s utilization rate was revised down 60 basis points to 75.7%.

U.S. Industrial Production: Month-Over-Month % Change

U.S. Industrial Production: Year-Over-Year % Change

Market Groups

Major market groups posted mixed results in February. The output of consumer goods stepped up 0.4%, with increases in the production of automotive products, of appliances, furniture, and carpeting and of miscellaneous goods.

The index for nondurable consumer goods edged down 0.1%, with the non-energy component increasing 0.3% and the energy component declining 1.4%. The production of business equipment rose 0.2%, with growth in the indexes for transit and for information processing and a decrease in the output of industrial and other equipment. The index for construction supplies declined 0.2%, while the index for business supplies edged up 0.1%. The index for materials rose 0.3%.

Manufacturing Detail

Within manufacturing’s 0.2% February’s output increase, durable manufacturing output edged up 0.1%, with mixed results across categories. The index for motor vehicles and parts posted the largest gain, and the index for machinery posted the largest loss.

Nondurable manufacturing output rose 0.2%, with gains in the production of chemicals, of plastic and rubber products, and of paper products outweighing declines in the output of petroleum and coal products and of food, beverage and tobacco products. The output of other manufacturing (publishing and logging) rose 1.3%.