United States Capacity Utilization

Last Release

Mar 31, 2025

Actual

77.8

Units In

78.2

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

May 15, 2025

Time to Release

27 Days 3 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
89.4 Jan 1967	63.4 Apr 2020	79.92 %	1967-2025	Federal Reserve

Capacity utilization rate is used to measure the rate at which potential output levels are being met or used. The capacity indexes cover all facilities located in the United States, regardless of their ownership; and are constructed for 89 detailed industries (71 in manufacturing, 16 in mining, and 2 in utilities).

Latest Updates

Capacity utilization in the U.S. declined to 77.8% in March 2025, from 78.2% in the previous month and falling short of the market estimate of 78%. The drop was largely driven by a decline in utility sector utilization (69.1% vs. 73.5%). Meanwhile, capacity utilization in manufacturing, which represents the bulk of U.S. industrial production, edged up to 77.3% from 77.1%, while mining capacity utilization increased slightly to 90.6% from 90.1%. The aggregate capacity utilization for industrial producers was 0.9 percentage points below its long-run average.