Manufacturing · October 2, 2026 · 1 min read

August factory orders rise 0.1% to $663.5 billion as inventories reach $972.4 billion, Census reports

Published October 2, 2026 • Updated October 2, 2026

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The Census Bureau reported October 2, 2026 that August new orders for manufactured goods rose 0.1% to $663.5 billion after a 0.8% July gain. Shipments were virtually unchanged at $658.6 billion, unfilled orders rose 0.6% and inventories rose 0.5%.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported on Friday, October 2, 2026, in its full report on manufacturers' shipments, inventories and orders, that new orders for manufactured goods in August increased $0.7 billion, or 0.1 percent, to $663.5 billion. That followed a 0.8 percent increase in July, and orders have now risen two consecutive months. Shipments were virtually unchanged at $658.6 billion, down less than $0.1 billion after eight consecutive monthly increases. Unfilled orders rose $9.9 billion, or 0.6 percent, to $1,609.6 billion, and the ratio of unfilled orders to shipments was 6.87, up from 6.81 in July. Inventories rose $5.1 billion, or 0.5 percent, to $972.4 billion, their eleventh consecutive monthly increase. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.48, up from 1.47 in July. New orders for durable goods fell $0.2 billion, or 0.1 percent, to $338.5 billion, with transportation equipment down $0.8 billion, or 0.7 percent, to $114.1 billion. New orders for nondurable goods rose $0.9 billion, or 0.3 percent, to $325.0 billion. The data are seasonally adjusted but not adjusted for price changes. Census notes that statistical significance is not measurable for this survey. The next release is November 3, 2026. This brief reports Census figures only and does not include forecasts or commentary on causes.

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