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Country benchmark · 2026
OEE benchmark United States 2026: manufacturing data, sector targets and downtime cost
The short answer: Manufacturing is 9.7% of GDP in United States (2026) and employs about 12,652,000 people. Robot density is 307 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees (2024), against a world average of 132. Loaded labour cost in manufacturing is 48.6 USD/h (2026), which is the number that turns an hour of downtime into money. Typical OEE in the country's leading sectors runs 45–92%; the sector world-class targets are in the table below.
Official manufacturing statistics for United States, the OEE ranges that apply to its leading sectors, a downtime-cost calculator preloaded with national labour and energy costs, and the incentives that can fund a monitoring project.
Key figures
Enterprises using AI
not published in an official source we could read
Leading sectors and the OEE ranges that apply
The first columns are United States's own sector mix (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) / U.S. Census Bureau). The OEE columns are the oee-benchmark.org editorial ranges for that sector type: they are benchmarks for plants, not national statistics.
| Sector | Weight | Typical OEE | World-class target | Dominant loss | A × P × Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food manufacturing | 1,768.2 thousand employees (Sept 2026, SA, prelim.) (2026) | 60–80% | 82% | Changeover & startup losses | 90% × 93% × 98% |
| Transportation equipment (incl. motor vehicles & parts 962.5k) | 1,766.4 thousand employees (Sept 2026, SA, prelim.) (2026) | 70–85% | 85% | Changeover & minor stops | 92% × 95% × 99.5% |
| Fabricated metal products | 1,460.6 thousand employees (Sept 2026, SA, prelim.) (2026) | 45–65% | 78% | Setup & idling | 85% × 88% × 96% |
| Machinery | 1,101.0 thousand employees (Sept 2026, SA, prelim.) (2026) | 45–65% | 78% | Setup & idling | 85% × 88% × 96% |
| Computer and electronic products | 1,000.4 thousand employees (Sept 2026, SA, prelim.) (2026) | 75–90% | 88% | Reduced speed & defects | 93% × 96% × 99% |
| Chemicals | 905.5 thousand employees (Sept 2026, SA, prelim.) (2026) | 80–92% | 92% | Unplanned stops | 95% × 97% × 99.5% |
| Plastics and rubber products | 694.9 thousand employees (Sept 2026, SA, prelim.) (2026) | 55–70% | 80% | Minor stops | 88% × 90% × 97% |
Downtime cost calculator: United States defaults
Change any input and the result updates. The labour and electricity defaults are the national statistics quoted above, not your plant's figures; replace them with your own numbers for a real estimate.
Estimated downtime cost
–
per year · – per month
- labour–
- energy–
- lost margin–
Industrial hubs
Regions ranked by official manufacturing employment or output. Each hub page lists the plants that set the local benchmark.
| Hub | Manufacturing employment | Key sectors | Notable plants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit / Michigan | 583.3 thousand persons (2026) | motor vehicles & parts, EV & battery, machinery & tooling | Ford, General Motors, Stellantis |
| Cleveland / Columbus / Toledo (Ohio) | 688.3 thousand persons (2026) | motor vehicles & parts, aerospace engines, metals & fabricated metals, chemicals & plastics | Honda, Honda, Ford, General Motors |
| Indianapolis / Indiana | 516.9 thousand persons (2026) | motor vehicles & parts, engines, pharmaceuticals, steel & metals | Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Toyota, Honda, General Motors |
| Chicago / Illinois | 571.4 thousand persons (2026) | food processing, machinery, fabricated metals, chemicals & pharma, motor vehicles | Ford |
| Milwaukee / Wisconsin | 458.4 thousand persons (2026) | machinery & engines, food & beverage, paper, fabricated metals, electrical equipment | |
| Houston / Dallas-Fort Worth (Texas) | 982.8 thousand persons (2026) | petrochemicals & refining, oil & gas equipment, semiconductors, aerospace, motor vehicles | Tesla, Toyota, General Motors |
| Greenville-Spartanburg / South Carolina | 266 thousand persons (2026) | motor vehicles, aerospace, tires & rubber, textiles | BMW Group |
| Charlotte / North Carolina | 450 thousand persons (2026) | trucks & heavy vehicles, EV batteries, pharma & biotech, furniture & textiles, energy equipment | Daimler Truck North America, Daimler Truck North America, Toyota |
Funding and incentives for monitoring projects (status October 2026)
Programmes a production-monitoring or OEE project can use. Status was checked on the operator's page in October 2026; anything we could not confirm is marked unverified.
| Programme | Operator | What it funds | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100% bonus depreciation (IRC §168(k)) - restored permanently by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act | IRS / U.S. Treasury (federal tax) | Permanent 100% first-year depreciation for qualified property acquired after 19 Jan 2025 (phase-down and 2027 sunset removed); optional 40% election for first tax year ending after 19 Jan 2025. Applies to machinery, monitoring hardware, software with a determinable life, etc. | open | irs.gov |
| Section 179 expensing | IRS (federal tax) | Immediate expensing of qualifying equipment/software up to an annual limit (raised by OBBBA; exact 2026 limit not read on an IRS page in this session) | open | irs.gov |
| Section 48C Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit | DOE / IRS / Treasury | 30% investment tax credit for clean-energy / industrial decarbonisation manufacturing projects; $10B allocated over Round 1 (~$4B, Mar 2024) and Round 2 (~$6B, Jan 2025) | closed | energy.gov |
| NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) | NIST, U.S. Department of Commerce, via state MEP Centers in all 50 states + Puerto Rico (>450 service locations, ~1,400 advisors) | Subsidised consulting for SME manufacturers: Industry 4.0 / smart manufacturing assessments, lean, OEE improvement, workforce; 2026 awards: >$30M to centers in 11 states + PR (Sep 2026), $40M additive/critical-minerals pilot (Jun 2026) | open | nist.gov |
| Michigan Industry 4.0 Technology Implementation Grant | Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) with Automation Alley / MMTC | 50% reimbursement up to $25,000 for small manufacturers implementing I4.0 technology (IIoT, AI, robotics, cloud, connected worker, etc.) | closed | michiganbusiness.org |
| Ohio TechCred | Ohio Department of Development | Reimburses employers up to $1,000 per person per technology credential, cap $30,000 per application; one application per FEIN per round | open | development.ohio.gov |
| Indiana Manufacturing Readiness Grants | Conexus Indiana with Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) | Grants for capital investment in smart manufacturing (IIoT, cobots, advanced communications); $79.8M awarded across 772 grants to date | closed | conexusindiana.com |
| Wisconsin Manufacturing and Agriculture Credit (MAC) | Wisconsin Department of Revenue | 7.5% income/franchise tax credit on qualified production activities income from property assessed as manufacturing in Wisconsin | open | revenue.wi.gov |
| readySC | SC Technical College System | Workforce recruiting and training for new/expanding companies (4,226 trained, 86 companies served in FY2024-25) | open | readysc.org |
| Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) | Texas Economic Development & Tourism Office, Office of the Governor | 'Deal-closing' cash grants for projects in competition with out-of-state sites; >75 jobs urban / >25 rural, wages above county average | open | gov.texas.gov |
Trade shows and events 2026–2027
| Event | City | Dates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMTS 2026 (co-located Hannover Messe USA) | Chicago, IL (McCormick Place) | 14-19 Sep 2026 (already past) | imts.com |
| PACK EXPO International 2026 | Chicago, IL (McCormick Place) | 18-21 Oct 2026 | packexpointernational.com |
| FABTECH 2026 | Las Vegas, NV (Las Vegas Convention Center) | 21-23 Oct 2026 | fabtechexpo.com |
| The ASSEMBLY Show 2026 | Rosemont, IL (Donald E. Stephens Convention Center) | 27-29 Oct 2026 | assemblymag.com |
| Automate 2027 | Las Vegas, NV (Las Vegas Convention Center) | 10-13 May 2027 | automateshow.com |
| FABTECH 2027 | Chicago, IL (McCormick Place) | 13-16 Sep 2027 | fabtechexpo.com |
Editor's note
The United States has the largest manufacturing value added of any country in this set outside China (3.2 trillion dollars at an annual rate) and a loaded labour cost of 48.62 dollars per hour, so downtime is priced mainly in people. Energy is cheap by comparison: 8.1 cents per kWh on average, under 6.2 in Texas. Robot density (307) is well behind Germany and Korea, which is why most plants that start measuring OEE find availability, not performance, is the first loss. Full bonus depreciation is back permanently, and state programmes such as Ohio's TechCred and the MEP network fund the people and software side of a monitoring project.
How to use this benchmark
Measure first. Log availability, performance and quality per line for four weeks before comparing with the sector ranges; a benchmark without your own baseline is a guess.
Compare within your sector, not with the national average. A packaging line at 72% may be world-class; a bottling line at 72% has room.
Price the gap. Use the calculator with your own labour cost and margin, then check the incentives table: several programmes fund the sensors and software that close it.
Free download
United States OEE Benchmark Pack 2026
Excel workbook: country profile, hubs, sector OEE ranges, downtime-cost calculator and incentives, with every source linked.
- Country profile and hub table with sources
- Sector OEE ranges: typical, world-class, A×P×Q
- Downtime-cost calculator preloaded with United States labour and energy costs
- Incentives and 2026–2027 events
You're all set ✓
Your download should start automatically. If not, click here.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good OEE in United States?
There is no national OEE statistic: OEE is measured per line, and the useful comparison is by sector. For United States's leading sectors the typical range is 45–92% and the world-class targets are listed above. Most plants that start measuring sit near 60%.
Where do these figures come from?
Manufacturing weight, employment, labour cost, energy price and robot density come from official statistics (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) / U.S. Census Bureau, Eurostat, the World Bank and the IFR); every figure links to the page it was read from. The OEE ranges are oee-benchmark.org editorial benchmarks.
What is in the United States benchmark pack?
An Excel workbook with the country profile and sources, the hub table, the sector OEE ranges, a downtime-cost calculator with the national defaults already filled in, and the incentives and events lists. It is free; we ask for a work email.
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Sources and method
Figures are quoted as published, with the year and unit of each source; we do not convert currencies or estimate missing values. OEE ranges follow the oee-benchmark.org editorial process. Published by TEEPTRAK SAS, which sells production-monitoring and OEE software.
- https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/USA/indicator/NV.IND.MANF.ZS?format=json&date=2019:2025
- https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-industry
- https://www.bea.gov/news/2026/gdp-third-estimate-industries-corporate-profits-state-gdp-and-state-personal-income-2nd
- https://www.bea.gov/sites/default/files/2026-09/gdp2q26-3rd.pdf
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/VAPGDPMA
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/VAMA
- https://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag31-33.htm
- https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t17.htm
- https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm
- https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.t04.htm
- https://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual/html/epa_02_10.html
- https://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/
- https://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/michigan/
- https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/robot-density-surges-in-europe-asia-and-americas
- https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/us-robot-industry-returns-to-double-digit-growth
- https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/2023-county-business-patterns.html
- https://nam.org/mfgdata/facts-about-manufacturing-expanded/
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/MIMANNGSP
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/OHMANNGSP
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/INMANNGSP
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/ILMANNGSP
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/WIMANNGSP
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/TXMANNGSP
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/SCMANNGSP
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/NCMANNGSP
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/TNMANNGSP
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/KYMANNGSP
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/MIMFG
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/OHMFG
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/INMFG
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/ILMFG
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/WIMFG
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/TXMFG
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/SCMFG
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/NCMFG
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/TNMFG
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/KYMFG
- https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/one-big-beautiful-bill-provisions
- https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-26-11.pdf
- https://www.energy.gov/infrastructure/qualifying-advanced-energy-project-credit-48c-program
- https://www.nist.gov/mep
- https://michiganbusiness.org/industry4-0/grant
- https://development.ohio.gov/business/workforce-development/tech-cred/apply
- https://www.conexusindiana.com/manufacturing-readiness-grants/
- https://www.revenue.wi.gov/Pages/FAQS/ise-MandA-CreditComp.aspx
- https://www.readysc.org/
- https://gov.texas.gov/business/page/texas-enterprise-fund
- https://corporate.ford.com/operations/locations/global-plants/dearborn-truck-plant.html
- https://corporate.ford.com/operations/locations/global-plants/chicago-assembly-plant.html
- https://www.gm.com/company/facilities/factory-zero
- https://www.stellantis.com/en/news/press-releases/2024/september/stellantis-invests-more-than-406-million-dollars-in-three-michigan-facilities-to-execute-multi-energy-strategy
- https://hondanews.com/releases/digital-factbook-north-america-manufacturing
- https://pressroom.toyota.com/facility/toyota-motor-manufacturing-kentucky-tmmk/
- https://pressroom.toyota.com/facility/toyota-motor-manufacturing-indiana-tmmi/
- https://pressroom.toyota.com/facility/toyota-motor-manufacturing-texas-tmmtx/
- https://pressroom.toyota.com/facility/toyota-battery-manufacturing-north-carolina-tbmnc/
- https://www.subaru-sia.com/
- https://www.bmwgroup-werke.com/spartanburg/en.html
- https://www.tesla.com/giga-texas
- https://northamerica.daimlertruck.com/company/locations/
- https://www.generac.com/about-us/
- https://www.oshkoshcorp.com/
- https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/about-us/company.html
- https://www.boeing.com/commercial/787
- https://www.oee.com/world-class-oee/
- https://www.imts.com/
- https://www.fabtechexpo.com/
- https://www.automateshow.com/
- https://www.packexpointernational.com/
- https://www.assemblymag.com/the-assembly-show
- https://www.hannovermesseusa.com/