State Monthly Activity Indexes

By Amanda Augustine and Boyd Nash-Stacey

In December, activity increased in 44 states, with the strongest gains in the West.

Across the Sunbelt region, activity decelerated despite pickups in the manufacturing, mining, and retail trade sectors. Despite a strong dollar and weak exports, manufacturing activity will benefit from improved domestic demand, and further gains in construction activity will aid the recovery of states such as California and Arizona.