Manufacturing Pulse Index: Oct 2026 Reading Is 38

The U.S. Manufacturing Pulse Index reads 38 for Oct 2026. The composite fell 1 point versus the prior month and sits 2 points above its year-ago reading, against a trailing-12-month range of 37 to 47. Readings above 50 indicate expanding U.S. manufacturing conditions across the demand, labor, materials, and energy series the index tracks; readings below 50 indicate contraction.

U.S. Manufacturing Pulse Index, Oct 2026: 38. Trailing 12 months: low 37, high 47. Built from federal data (FRED, BLS, EIA, Census) and refreshed automatically as agencies publish.

Pillar readings

Current verdict (data through 2026-11-02): Cooling

• Output: 36
• Demand: 42
• Labor: 91
• Logistics: 19
• Costs: 14
• Financial: 29

Pillar scores summarize the underlying federal series in each area; the full breakdown, every input series, and the interactive history live on the Manufacturing Pulse dashboard. This release regenerates automatically if source agencies revise their data.

About this release

This is the archived Oct 2026 release of the U.S. Manufacturing Pulse Index, published under the index's monthly release calendar (a reading for month M is released early in month M+1). The index methodology, input series, and weighting are documented on the methodology page, and the full monthly history is downloadable as JSON and CSV from the datasets page. Cite this release as: MFG Calcs, "U.S. Manufacturing Pulse Index, Oct 2026 release," MFG Calcs Data Library, 2026, https://www.mfgcalcs.com/news/manufacturing-pulse-index-2026-10.