Market Wire

Manufacturing in District of Columbia Runs 36% Above the National Cost Average

District of Columbia's manufacturing cost index stands at 136.3 against a national 100 as of June 2026 — labor at 122.8 and industrial energy at 176.8. That places it 47th cheapest of 51 jurisdictions.

District of Columbia's manufacturing cost index stands at 136.3 against a national 100 as of June 2026 — labor at 122.8 and industrial energy at 176.8. That places it 47th cheapest of 51 jurisdictions.

• composite (US = 100): 136.3
• labor: 122.8
• industrial energy: 176.8

The composite weights labor at 75% and industrial electricity at 25%, so District of Columbia's position is mostly a energy story: its energy component indexes at 176.8 against the national 100. A premium of 36 points compounds differently across shops — a labor-heavy job shop feels the labor line, an energy-hungry process plant feels the kilowatt-hours.

For a site decision the index is the starting point, not the answer: freight to customers, workforce depth, and incentives move individual cases. The per-state page carries the underlying wage and electricity series this index is built from, both refreshed automatically.

Published 2026-08-28.