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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Productivity > Home

Productivity Home Page

The Office of Productivity and Technology (OPT) measures how efficiently the U.S. converts inputs into the outputs of goods and services. Measures of labor productivity compare the growth in output to the growth in hours worked and measures of total factor productivity (TFP), also known as multifactor productivity (MFP), compare growth in output to the growth in a combination of inputs that include labor, capital, energy, materials, and purchased services.

Notices

Revised total factor productivity 2023 Read More »
Revisions and Corrections to Productivity and Costs for Detailed Industries - November 2024 Read More »
Total Factor Productivity for Major Industries 2023 News Release Rescheduled Read More »

Videos

Graphics

Chart data can be found on https://www.bls.gov/productivity/charts/long-term-labor-productivity-by-sector-for-selected-periods.htm. Bar chart of labor productivity average annual percent changes in the non farm business sector for business cycles since 1947.

Click the graphic to enlarge chart: Long-term labor productivity in the nonfarm business sector since 1947.

State map of labor productivity, 1-year percent change. Chart data are included in the linked table below.

Click the graphic to enlarge chart: Labor Productivity by State, Percent Change.

Chart data can be found at https://www.bls.gov/productivity/tables/total-factor-productivity-major-sectors-historical.xlsx. Stacked bar graph of the contribution of sources that total labor productivity, total factor productivity, labor composition, capital intensity. Average annual percent changem in in private business sector business cycles.

Click the graphic to enlarge chart: Contributions to Labor Productivity Growth, Private Nonfarm Business Sector, Selected Time Periods.

Chart data are found at https://www.bls.gov/productivity/graphics/2022/graphic-4.htm. Line graph of labor productivity and real hourly compenstation since 1973, commonly referred to as the wage gap. In log index values with base year 1973.

Click the graphic to enlarge chart: Labor Productivity and Real Hourly Compensation, Nonfarm Business Sector since 1973.

Line graph of detailed industries labor productivity indexes of food and beverage store industries: Beer and wine liquor stores (NAICS 4453), Food and beverage stores (NAICS 445), Grocery stores (NAICS 4451), and Specialty food stores (NAICS 4452). Chart data are included in the linked table below.

Click the graphic to enlarge chart: Detailed Industries Help Tell the Story, Indexes of Productivity Within Food and Beverage Stores.

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Latest Numbers

NONFARM BUSINESS SECTOR:

Labor productivity (output per hour) +2.2% in 3rd Qtr of 2024

Hourly compensation +3.1%(r) in 3rd Qtr of 2024

Unit labor costs +0.8%(r) in 3rd Qtr of 2024

Real value-added output +3.5% in 3rd Qtr of 2024

Hours worked +1.2% in 3rd Qtr of 2024

MANUFACTURING SECTOR:

Labor productivity (output per hour) +0.9%(r) in 3rd Qtr of 2024

Hourly compensation +2.6%(r) in 3rd Qtr of 2024

Unit labor costs +1.7%(r) in 3rd Qtr of 2024

Real sectoral output -0.4%(r) in 3rd Qtr of 2024

Hours worked -1.3%(r) in 3rd Qtr of 2024

News Releases

Productivity increases 2.2% in Q3 2024; unit labor costs increase 0.8% (annual rates)

12/10/2024

Productivity increased 2.2 percent in the nonfarm business sector in the third quarter of 2024; unit labor costs increased 0.8 percent (seasonally adjusted annual rates). In manufacturing, productivity increased 0.9 percent and unit labor costs increased 1.7 percent.
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Productivity falls in 25 of 46 wholesale and retail trade industries in 2023

05/30/2024

Wholesale trade productivity fell 1.6 percent with hours worked growing at a higher rate than output. Retail trade productivity increased 1.6 percent in 2023, rebounding from the decline in 2022. Unit labor costs rose 6.4 percent in wholesale trade and 0.5 percent in retail trade.
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Productivity increases in 15 of 30 selected service-providing industries in 2023

06/27/2024

Labor productivity rose in 15 of 30 selected service-providing industries in 2023. Output increased in 16 industries while hours worked rose in 14 industries.
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Productivity rises in 36 states in 2023

05/30/2024

Labor productivity increased in 36 states in 2023. Output increased in 47 states and the District of Columbia and hours worked increased in 42 states and the District.
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Productivity falls in 63 of 91 manufacturing and mining industries in 2023

04/25/2024

Labor productivity decreased in 60 of the 86 NAICS 4-digit manufacturing industries and in 3 of the 5 mining industries in 2023. Output fell in 74 of the 91 manufacturing and mining industries while hours worked fell in 45 industries. Thirty-eight industries decreased both output and hours worked.
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Total factor productivity increased 0.7% in 2023, following a 1.6% decrease in 2022

03/21/2024

Total factor productivity increased 0.7 percent in the private nonfarm business sector in 2023 as output increased 2.6 percent and combined inputs increased 1.9 percent.
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Total factor productivity increases in 12 out of 21 major industries in 2023

12/04/2024

In 2023, total factor productivity increased in 12 out of 21 major industries, led by the mining and retail trade industries.
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Total factor productivity up in 78 of 86 4-digit NAICS manufacturing industries in 2021

08/31/2023

Total factor productivity rose in 78 of 86 4-digit NAICS manufacturing industries in 2021, up from 25 industries in 2020. Among the two measured transportation industries, total factor productivity increased in both air transportation and line-haul railroads.
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Next Releases

Productivity and Costs: Fourth Quarter 2024, Preliminary is scheduled to be released on February 6, 2025 at 8:30 A.M. Eastern Time.

The Economics Daily

Productivity up 2.2 percent in third quarter 2024

Labor productivity in the nonfarm business sector increased 2.2 percent in third quarter 2024, as output increased 3.5 percent and hours worked increased 1.2 percent. read more »

Beyond the Numbers

The rise in remote work since the pandemic and its impact on productivity

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about dramatic changes in the work environment. Although 6.5 percent of workers in the private business sector worked primarily from home in 2019, the pandemic was the start of a massive experiment in full-time remote work for most workers and firms. People often ask: are workers more productive or less productive when working from home? read more »

Spotlight on Statistics

Scanning grocery store productivity statistics

In the aftermath of the pandemic, the services offered by grocery stores greatly expanded to include curbside pickup, online ordering, self-checkouts, and more. What better time to make a trip back to the grocery store to see how productivity has changed since all these developments? read more »

Monthly Labor Review

An improved estimate of self-employment hours for quarterly labor productivity

This article describes two adjustments to self-employment hours that will improve quarterly measures of labor productivity. read more »

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