Federal Reserve Economic Data

Table Data - Chicago Fed Survey of Economic Conditions: Manufacturing Activity Index in Federal Reserve District 7: Chicago

Title Chicago Fed Survey of Economic Conditions: Manufacturing Activity Index in Federal Reserve District 7: Chicago
Series ID CFSBCACTIVITYMFG
Source Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Release Chicago Fed Survey of Economic Conditions
Seasonal Adjustment Not Seasonally Adjusted
Frequency Monthly
Units Index
Date Range 2013-02-01 to 2025-11-01
Last Updated 2025-11-24 9:05 AM CST
Notes What is the Survey of Economic Conditions?
Contacts located in the Seventh Federal Reserve District are asked to rate various aspects of economic conditions along a seven-point scale ranging from "large increase" to "large decrease." A series of diffusion indexes summarizing the distribution of responses is then calculated.

How are the indexes constructed?
Respondents' answers on the seven-point scale are assigned a numeric value ranging from +3 to –3. Each diffusion index is calculated as the difference between the number of respondents with answers above their respective average responses and the number of respondents with answers below their respective average responses, divided by the total number of respondents. The index is then multiplied by 100 so that it ranges from +100 to −100 and will be +100 if every respondent provides an above-average answer and –100 if every respondent provides a below-average answer. Respondents with no prior history of responses are excluded from the calculation.

What do the numbers mean?
Respondents' respective average answers to a question can be interpreted as representing their historical trends, or long-run averages. Thus, zero index values indicate, on balance, average growth (or a neutral outlook) for activity, hiring, capital spending, and cost pressures. Positive index values indicate above-average growth (or an optimistic outlook) on balance, and negative values indicate below-average growth (or a pessimistic outlook) on balance.

Beginning with the May 12, 2020 release, the CFSEC moved to a monthly release schedule. This release, with data for April 2020, now contains estimated monthly historical values for the CFSEC indexes, as will all future releases. For additional information on how the survey and indexes changed, see the CFSEC FAQs available here.

Prior to April 2022, the Chicago Fed Survey of Economic Conditions was named the Chicago Fed Survey of Business Conditions (CFSBC). The name change was made to better represent the survey’s aim and base of respondents. The goal of the survey is to assess the state of the economy in the Seventh Federal Reserve District. Moreover, since the beginning of the survey, it was been filled out by both business and nonbusiness contacts.
DATE VALUE
2013-02-01 10.5263156890869140
2013-03-01 15.0576972961425780
2013-04-01 11.7647056579589840
2013-05-01 0.0000000000000000
2013-06-01 -14.4409942626953120
2013-07-01 -7.6159181594848630
2013-08-01 20.9302330017089840
2013-09-01 16.4524059295654300
2013-10-01 4.8553252220153810
2013-11-01 -14.6341457366943360
2013-12-01 6.8885660171508790
2014-01-01 2.0805110931396484
2014-02-01 -31.5789470672607420
2014-03-01 1.9610486030578613
2014-04-01 30.0845069885253900
2014-05-01 48.0000000000000000
2014-06-01 20.9725399017334000
2014-07-01 16.0410327911376950
2014-08-01 32.8767127990722660
2014-09-01 37.8783569335937500
2014-10-01 45.3253898620605500
2014-11-01 55.7142829895019500
2014-12-01 46.1805496215820300
2015-01-01 33.1909027099609400
2015-02-01 16.8539333343505860
2015-03-01 25.6092224121093750
2015-04-01 25.3101234436035160
2015-05-01 14.7058820724487300
2015-06-01 16.1534824371337900
2015-07-01 12.4955978393554690
2015-08-01 3.4883720874786377
2015-09-01 3.6646864414215090
2015-10-01 -5.8238329887390140
2015-11-01 -25.6097545623779300
2015-12-01 -21.2647209167480470
2016-01-01 -11.8713922500610350
2016-02-01 2.7522935867309570
2016-03-01 25.5548648834228500
2016-04-01 24.5308723449707030
2016-05-01 -2.6785714626312256
2016-06-01 -23.7610607147216800
2016-07-01 -21.0926399230957030
2016-08-01 5.5045871734619140
2016-09-01 -2.1692202091217040
2016-10-01 -9.3001623153686520
2016-11-01 -16.3636360168457030
2016-12-01 -7.6098580360412600
2017-01-01 4.1320333480834960
2017-02-01 18.7500000000000000
2017-03-01 49.6389122009277340
2017-04-01 53.0416297912597660
2017-05-01 24.5454540252685550
2017-06-01 11.7829036712646480
2017-07-01 9.4775590896606450
2017-08-01 17.4757289886474600
2017-09-01 17.9515724182128900
2017-10-01 19.3125782012939450
2017-11-01 21.6494846343994140
2017-12-01 56.9373703002929700
2018-01-01 69.5894851684570300
2018-02-01 56.8421058654785160
2018-03-01 49.8677177429199200
2018-04-01 50.0687522888183600
2018-05-01 58.4415588378906250
2018-06-01 41.5207977294921900
2018-07-01 28.5024147033691400
2018-08-01 18.5185184478759770
2018-09-01 21.0941505432128900
2018-10-01 26.0359840393066400
2018-11-01 33.6734695434570300
2018-12-01 4.2590947151184080
2019-01-01 -4.6447982788085940
2019-02-01 9.3750000000000000
2019-03-01 1.3995214700698853
2019-04-01 -5.2631578445434570
2019-05-01 -9.4736843109130860
2019-06-01 -20.2955341339111330
2019-07-01 -29.5632686614990230
2019-08-01 -37.8947372436523440
2019-09-01 -32.7785873413085940
2019-10-01 -23.3860340118408200
2019-11-01 -9.0909090042114260
2019-12-01 -18.2122230529785160
2020-01-01 -20.2102241516113280
2020-02-01 -14.2857141494750980
2020-03-01 -26.5608463287353500
2020-04-01 -98.9361648559570300
2020-05-01 -60.7412452697753900
2020-06-01 -1.7322835922241210
2020-07-01 20.4654808044433600
2020-08-01 32.8877601623535160
2020-09-01 33.3333358764648440
2020-10-01 10.3339996337890620
2020-11-01 -4.9105062484741210
2020-12-01 6.4692521095275880
2021-01-01 24.2181644439697270
2021-02-01 22.4753341674804700
2021-03-01 37.2390556335449200
2021-04-01 62.4180870056152340
2021-05-01 49.3087539672851560
2021-06-01 33.1804275512695300
2021-07-01 31.9695854187011720
2021-08-01 26.7711772918701170
2021-09-01 15.5418758392333980
2021-10-01 14.3318319320678710
2021-11-01 15.4267330169677730
2021-12-01 3.7328298091888428
2022-01-01 -1.7797552347183228
2022-02-01 3.1206657886505127
2022-03-01 10.1223268508911130
2022-04-01 5.9893045425415040
2022-05-01 3.6414639949798584
2022-06-01 -8.4189720153808600
2022-07-01 -31.1540451049804700
2022-08-01 -31.5227699279785160
2022-09-01 -28.0357131958007800
2022-10-01 -20.4615554809570300
2022-11-01 -20.6596107482910160
2022-12-01 -31.4285717010498050
2023-01-01 5.5045871734619140
2023-02-01 18.7500000000000000
2023-03-01 0.0000000000000000
2023-04-01 -50.8474578857421900
2023-05-01 -20.8695659637451170
2023-06-01 -37.1681404113769500
2023-07-01 -32.7731094360351560
2023-08-01 -14.7540979385375980
2023-09-01 -19.3548393249511720
2023-10-01 -44.7368431091308600
2023-11-01 -25.7142848968505860
2023-12-01 -5.9405937194824220
2024-01-01 14.0186910629272460
2024-02-01 5.5045871734619140
2024-03-01 2.8846151828765870
2024-04-01 -16.3043479919433600
2024-05-01 3.0927836894989014
2024-06-01 -29.3478260040283200
2024-07-01 -22.3404254913330080
2024-08-01 0.0000000000000000
2024-09-01 -16.3043479919433600
2024-10-01 0.0000000000000000
2024-11-01 -6.9767441749572750
2024-12-01 3.2967033386230470
2025-01-01 12.7659568786621100
2025-02-01 3.0303030014038086
2025-03-01 18.3673458099365230
2025-04-01 -9.0000000000000000
2025-05-01 -21.4285697937011720
2025-06-01 6.5217394828796390
2025-07-01 3.2967033386230470
2025-08-01 6.7415733337402340
2025-09-01 -6.5934066772460940
2025-10-01 16.8539333343505860
2025-11-01 16.9491519927978500

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