Live cost data

Live U.S. manufacturing cost benchmarks.

Current U.S. manufacturing cost benchmarks: industrial electricity by state, natural gas, production and nonsupervisory earnings, and PPIs for steel

Headline U.S. benchmarks

  • Industrial electricity: 9.77 cents per kWh, U.S. average, Jul 2026 (EIA).
  • Industrial natural gas: 4.58 per Mcf, U.S. average, Jul 2026 (EIA).
  • Manufacturing average hourly earnings, production and nonsupervisory employees: 30.37 per hour, Aug 2026 (BLS).

Fuels this week and spot energy

  • On-highway diesel: 6.382 per gallon U.S. average for the week of 2026-09-28 (EIA), with regional averages from 5.955 to 7.357 dollars.
  • Regular gasoline: 4.465 per gallon U.S. average, same week (EIA).
  • Spot energy, 2026-09-29 (EIA daily): WTI crude 96.16 per barrel, Brent 113.96, Henry Hub natural gas 3.18 per MMBtu.

Where EIA expects prices to go

  • Industrial electricity price: EIA projects 9 cents/kWh in 2026 and 9.1 cents/kWh in 2027 (Short-Term Energy Outlook).
  • Industrial natural gas price: EIA projects 4.87 USD/Mcf in 2026 and 4.21 USD/Mcf in 2027 (Short-Term Energy Outlook).
  • On-highway diesel retail price: EIA projects 5.07 USD/gal in 2026 and 4.4 USD/gal in 2027 (Short-Term Energy Outlook).
  • WTI crude oil spot: EIA projects 84.65 USD/bbl in 2026 and 69.74 USD/bbl in 2027 (Short-Term Energy Outlook).

Producer price indexes, year over year

  • PPI: steel mill products: 381.162 (Aug 2026), up 23.4% year over year.
  • PPI: nonferrous mill shapes: 399.03 (Aug 2026), up 23.3% year over year.
  • PPI: primary nonferrous metals: 544.731 (Aug 2026), up 49.3% year over year.
  • PPI: plastic resins and materials: 280.569 (Aug 2026), up 6.6% year over year.
  • PPI: iron and steel: 378.128 (Aug 2026), up 17.9% year over year.
  • PPI: lumber: 286.633 (Aug 2026), up 7.6% year over year.
  • PPI: industrial chemicals: 336.006 (Aug 2026), up 13.3% year over year.
  • PPI: paper: 282.266 (Aug 2026), up 10% year over year.
  • PPI: machinery and equipment: 201.922 (Aug 2026), up 7.8% year over year.
  • PPI: foundry and forge shop products: 296.486 (Aug 2026), up 3.7% year over year.
  • PPI: bolts, nuts, screws, rivets, and washers: 329.559 (Aug 2026), down 4% year over year.
  • PPI: allied and miscellaneous paint products: 422.953 (Aug 2026), up 0.3% year over year.
  • PPI: other agricultural chemicals: 208.525 (Aug 2026), down 5.1% year over year.

Lowest industrial electricity prices by state (cents per kWh)

  • New Mexico: 4.16 cents/kWh
  • Louisiana: 6.08 cents/kWh
  • Texas: 7.07 cents/kWh
  • Tennessee: 7.13 cents/kWh
  • Kentucky: 7.51 cents/kWh
  • Washington: 7.51 cents/kWh
  • Mississippi: 7.66 cents/kWh
  • Montana: 7.71 cents/kWh

Highest industrial electricity prices by state (cents per kWh)

  • Hawaii: 39.33 cents/kWh
  • District of Columbia: 32.15 cents/kWh
  • California: 25.11 cents/kWh
  • Alaska: 24.81 cents/kWh
  • Rhode Island: 22.86 cents/kWh
  • Massachusetts: 20.25 cents/kWh
  • New Hampshire: 18.17 cents/kWh
  • Connecticut: 17.29 cents/kWh

Sources and update cadence

  • Electricity and natural gas prices come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration; labor earnings and producer price indexes come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  • A scheduled job checks both agencies twice a week and republishes this page only when a number actually changes, so the date on this page means what it says.
  • Full state tables are downloadable as CSV on this page, and matching calculators preload these benchmarks next to their inputs.

Last reviewed 2026-09-30.