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Nonfarm business productivity up 2.1 percent from third quarter 2025 to third quarter 2026

November 13, 2026

From the third quarter of 2025 to the third quarter of 2026, nonfarm business labor productivity increased 2.1 percent, reflecting a 2.3-percent increase in output and a 0.2-percent increase in hours worked. Since the third quarter of 2024, increases in labor productivity have ranged from 2.1 percent to 3.1 percent over the year.

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Chart Data

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Percent change in productivity measures from same quarter in previous year
Quarter	Nonfarm business			Manufacturing
Quarter	Labor productivity	Output	Hours worked	Labor productivity	Output	Hours worked
Q3 2016	0.2	2.0	1.7	-0.3	-0.3	0.0
Q4 2016	1.5	2.6	1.1	0.5	0.1	-0.4
Q1 2017	1.2	2.5	1.2	-0.7	-0.5	0.2
Q2 2017	1.2	2.8	1.6	0.2	0.2	0.0
Q3 2017	1.7	3.0	1.3	-1.2	-0.3	0.9
Q4 2017	1.8	3.7	1.9	-1.1	1.0	2.1
Q1 2018	1.9	4.1	2.1	-0.3	1.7	2.0
Q2 2018	1.9	3.9	1.9	-0.1	1.9	1.9
Q3 2018	1.4	3.6	2.2	1.1	2.9	1.8
Q4 2018	0.5	2.3	1.8	0.2	1.5	1.2
Q1 2019	1.0	2.3	1.3	-0.9	-0.2	0.7
Q2 2019	1.6	2.7	1.1	-2.6	-2.0	0.6
Q3 2019	2.4	3.4	0.9	-3.0	-3.0	0.0
Q4 2019	3.6	4.0	0.4	-2.7	-3.5	-0.7
Q1 2020	2.3	1.2	-1.1	-1.9	-4.0	-2.1
Q2 2020	6.6	-9.3	-14.9	-2.6	-16.0	-13.8
Q3 2020	7.1	-1.7	-8.1	2.0	-6.1	-7.9
Q4 2020	5.2	-1.0	-5.9	2.0	-3.5	-5.3
Q1 2021	6.6	2.9	-3.5	1.8	-1.8	-3.5
Q2 2021	2.0	16.0	13.7	4.9	15.3	9.9
Q3 2021	-0.3	6.4	6.6	0.4	4.3	3.8
Q4 2021	1.1	7.1	5.9	0.0	3.4	3.4
Q1 2022	-1.1	4.4	5.6	-0.8	3.8	4.6
Q2 2022	-2.1	2.3	4.5	-2.2	2.5	4.8
Q3 2022	-1.5	2.1	3.6	-2.8	1.6	4.5
Q4 2022	-1.4	0.9	2.3	-2.8	-0.2	2.6
Q1 2023	0.2	2.2	2.1	-1.8	-0.4	1.5
Q2 2023	1.8	2.9	1.1	-0.7	-0.6	0.1
Q3 2023	3.0	3.5	0.5	0.1	-0.6	-0.7
Q4 2023	3.5	3.7	0.2	1.4	-0.1	-1.5
Q1 2024	3.4	3.2	-0.2	1.1	-0.7	-1.8
Q2 2024	3.5	3.6	0.1	0.2	-0.6	-0.8
Q3 2024	3.1	3.2	0.1	0.4	-1.0	-1.4
Q4 2024	2.6	2.8	0.2	-0.2	-1.4	-1.1
Q1 2025	2.3	2.5	0.2	1.2	0.1	-1.1
Q2 2025	2.4	2.8	0.3	1.8	0.5	-1.2
Q3 2025	2.7	3.0	0.4	2.8	1.8	-0.9
Q4 2025	2.4	2.7	0.2	1.8	1.4	-0.4
Q1 2026	2.8	3.2	0.4	1.3	1.0	-0.3
Q2 2026	2.3	2.5	0.2	1.2	1.7	0.5
Q3 2026	2.1	2.3	0.2	0.4	1.3	0.9

In manufacturing, labor productivity increased 0.4 percent from the third quarter of 2025 to the third quarter of 2026, reflecting a 1.3-percent increase in output and a 0.9-percent increase in hours worked.

These data are from the Productivity program and are subject to revision. See Productivity and Costs — Third Quarter 2026, Preliminary to learn more. We also have more charts on productivity and costs. Labor productivity, or output per hour, is calculated by dividing an index of real output by an index of hours worked for all persons, including employees, proprietors, and unpaid family workers.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Nonfarm business productivity up 2.1 percent from third quarter 2025 to third quarter 2026 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/nonfarm-business-productivity-up-2-1-percent-from-third-quarter-2025-to-third-quarter-2026.htm (visited November 13, 2026).

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