A Snapshot of American Manufacturing in April & May of 2026

According to recent statistics by S&P Global (S&P) released in early June, May of 2026 saw the largest upturn in U.S. manufacturing since April of 2022. Toward the end of 2022, high inflation combined with a torpid supply chain slowed manufacturing growth at a rapid rate. According to S&P’s latest seasonally adjusted Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI), the month of May came in at 55.1, up from 54.5 in April, which indicates a strong expansion rate in the manufacturing sector. This coincides with the recent upward surge in jobs numbers in April and May. For ten successive months, S&P’s PMI has topped the critical 50.0 no-change mark.

Economists mainly credit the recent influx of U.S. employment to higher domestic manufacturing output as many new factories and facilities have, and are, coming online, which likely stems from reshoring efforts which began in 2022 and 2023, as well as newer construction from 2024 and 2025, the latter either new freestanding facilities or additions to infrastructure already in place. 

A previous Interpower article from April of 2023 entitled, Is Reshoring America’s Second Great Industrial Revolution? underscores the mindset of that time:

“ . . . Fast-forward to 2023. According to Deloitte, 62% of 305 U.S. transport and manufacturing executives have confirmed their companies have begun to reshore or near-shore to the U.S. Nearly 350,000 jobs were created due to reshoring efforts in 2022, a 25% increase from 2021. From the Deloitte survey, the trend for 2023 looks even more promising for reshoring. The survey sums it up neatly:

[These industrial and political reasons] . . . “are combining to create conditions for this movement to finally have legs,” Deloitte wrote in its report.

Mike McGaugh, the CEO of Myers Industries Inc., of Akron, Ohio, (plastics and rubber) indicated to Bloomberg that reshoring is a reality and not merely a blip on the radar. McGaugh on the supply chain movement: “Supply chain issues spooked customers in the last two or three years. Even if the costs are higher on labor, the ability to have rapid feedback and rapid delivery means something to our customers.”

Commercial Metals CEO Barbara Smith of Irving, Texas, agrees. “Pandemic and geopolitical events have reminded us of the need for a more distributed set of sourcing options, ensuring reliability and flexibility in securing critical materials and equipment,” she said.

In 2023, it is estimated that 18,000 companies in the U.S. plan to reshore production to the states. According to figures cited in Deloitte’s ‘Future of Freight’ report, the reshoring shift could reduce the share of Asian imports to the U.S. by 40% by 2030.”

In April and May of 2026, new orders rose sharply, but PMI output growth was recorded as “notably faster” than new orders during this period allowing companies to add safety stocks of finished goods for the second consecutive month.

Worldwide, raw material costs rose. This was likely due to a spike in various oil and precious-metals markets. However, purchasing numbers also rose during April and May riding the coattails of manufacturing growth and an improved economy overall. Though occurring case by case, many companies in the manufacturing sector passed those rising raw material expenses onto clients. A general snapshot shows the current U.S. economic growth with new production as “positive” going forward.

While the shipping supply chain took a bump in one major world waterway, many economists see this as temporary. Meanwhile, the U.S. remains oil independent, and is exporting oil. This will likely continue for the foreseeable future due to stateside growth in the oil and natural gas sectors, as well as previously signing an oil deal with Venezuela which already uses American oil-producing equipment.

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