Live cost data

Live U.S. manufacturing cost benchmarks.

Current U.S. manufacturing cost benchmarks: industrial electricity by state, natural gas, factory earnings, and PPIs for steel, aluminum, copper, resin.

Headline U.S. benchmarks

  • Industrial electricity: 8.71 cents per kWh, U.S. average, May 2026 (EIA).
  • Industrial natural gas: 4.27 per Mcf, U.S. average, May 2026 (EIA).
  • Manufacturing average hourly earnings: 30.35 per hour, Jul 2026 (BLS).

Fuels this week and spot energy

  • On-highway diesel: 5.257 per gallon U.S. average for the week of 2026-08-10 (EIA), with regional averages from 5.044 to 6.033 dollars.
  • Regular gasoline: 4.006 per gallon U.S. average, same week (EIA).
  • Spot energy, 2026-08-03 (EIA daily): WTI crude 81.96 per barrel, Brent 88.9, Henry Hub natural gas 2.81 per MMBtu.

Where EIA expects prices to go

  • Industrial electricity price: EIA projects 9.01 cents/kWh in 2026 and 9.05 cents/kWh in 2027 (Short-Term Energy Outlook).
  • Industrial natural gas price: EIA projects 4.86 USD/Mcf in 2026 and 4.26 USD/Mcf in 2027 (Short-Term Energy Outlook).
  • On-highway diesel retail price: EIA projects 4.85 USD/gal in 2026 and 4.07 USD/gal in 2027 (Short-Term Energy Outlook).
  • WTI crude oil spot: EIA projects 80.88 USD/bbl in 2026 and 65.39 USD/bbl in 2027 (Short-Term Energy Outlook).

Producer price indexes, year over year

  • PPI: steel mill products: 361.439 (Jun 2026), up 16.9% year over year.
  • PPI: aluminum mill shapes: 411.422 (Jun 2026), up 38.8% year over year.
  • PPI: copper and brass mill shapes: 557.232 (Jun 2026), up 66.2% year over year.
  • PPI: plastic resins and materials: 310.753 (Jun 2026), up 17.2% year over year.
  • PPI: iron and steel: 366.341 (Jun 2026), up 14.2% year over year.
  • PPI: lumber and wood products: 280.114 (Jun 2026), up 5.1% year over year.
  • PPI: industrial chemicals: 343.719 (Jun 2026), up 15.1% year over year.
  • PPI: paperboard and containers: 283.86 (Jun 2026), up 11.7% year over year.
  • PPI: machinery and equipment: 199.38 (Jun 2026), up 7.4% year over year.
  • PPI: iron and steel castings: 295.755 (Jun 2026), up 4.4% year over year.
  • PPI: bolts, nuts, screws, rivets, and washers: 328.585 (Jun 2026), down 4.2% year over year.
  • PPI: paints and allied products: 422.953 (Jun 2026), up 0.6% year over year.
  • PPI: industrial gases: 208.746 (Jun 2026), down 4.9% year over year.

Lowest industrial electricity prices by state (cents per kWh)

  • New Mexico: 4.45 cents/kWh
  • Oklahoma: 6.17 cents/kWh
  • Texas: 6.33 cents/kWh
  • Tennessee: 6.45 cents/kWh
  • Iowa: 6.62 cents/kWh
  • Arkansas: 6.69 cents/kWh
  • Louisiana: 6.88 cents/kWh
  • Montana: 6.97 cents/kWh

Highest industrial electricity prices by state (cents per kWh)

  • Hawaii: 41.9 cents/kWh
  • Alaska: 31.36 cents/kWh
  • Rhode Island: 22.18 cents/kWh
  • California: 20.2 cents/kWh
  • Massachusetts: 19.94 cents/kWh
  • New Hampshire: 17.04 cents/kWh
  • Connecticut: 16.76 cents/kWh
  • District of Columbia: 14.6 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 2026-05-12.