March 7, 2025

Historical Data Files for the Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey

Historical monthly data for all of the Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey 
diffusion indexes, as well as aggregate proportions series (percentage of firms 
reporting increases, decreases, and no change), are available from May 1968 to 
the most current month. The columns in the accompanying data file correspond to 
the following variables where:
      #=s represents seasonally adjusted (SA) data; 
      #=n represents not seasonally adjusted (NSA) data;
      $=c represents a current variable; and
      $=f represents a future (expectations for six months from now) variable. 
          
For example, 'gacdfsa' is the seasonally adjusted diffusion index for current 
general activity. 

Variable name, column location, and definitions appear in the
bos_historyx.txt, bos_historyx.csv, and bos_historyx.xls files as follows:


name     definition

date     survey date, monthly, Mon-YY
ga$d#a   current/future general activity; percent reporting decreases; SA/NSA
ga$n#a   current/future general activity; percent reporting no change; SA/NSA
ga$i#a   current/future general activity; percent reporting increases; SA/NSA
ga$df#a  current/future general activity; diffusion index; SA/NSA
no$d#a   current/future new orders; percent reporting decreases; SA/NSA
no$n#a   current/future new orders; percent reporting no change; SA/NSA
no$i#a   current/future new orders; percent reporting increases; SA/NSA 
no$df#a  current/future new orders; diffusion index; SA/NSA
sh$d#a   current/future shipments; percent reporting decreases; SA/NSA
sh$n#a   current/future shipments; percent reporting no change; SA/NSA 
sh$i#a   current/future shipments; percent reporting increases; SA/NSA 
sh$df#a  current/future shipments; diffusion index; SA/NSA
dt$d#a   current/future delivery time; percent reporting decreases; SA/NSA
dt$n#a   current/future delivery time; percent reporting no change; SA/NSA 
dt$i#a   current/future delivery time; percent reporting increases; SA/NSA
dt$df#a  current/future delivery time; diffusion index; SA/NSA
iv$d#a   current/future inventories; percent reporting decreases; SA/NSA
iv$n#a   current/future inventories; percent reporting no change; SA/NSA
iv$i#a   current/future inventories; percent reporting increases; SA/NSA 
iv$df#a  current/future inventories; diffusion index; SA/NSA
uo$d#a   current/future unfilled orders; percent reporting decreases; SA/NSA 
uo$n#a   current/future unfilled orders; percent reporting no change; SA/NSA 
uo$i#a   current/future unfilled orders; percent reporting increases; SA/NSA 
uo$df#a  current/future unfilled orders; diffusion index; SA/NSA
pp$d#a   current/future prices paid; percent reporting decreases; SA/NSA
pp$n#a   current/future prices paid; percent reporting no change; SA/NSA
pp$i#a   current/future prices paid; percent reporting increases; SA/NSA
pp$df#a  current/future prices paid; diffusion index; SA/NSA
pr$d#a   current/future prices received; percent reporting decreases; SA/NSA
pr$n#a   current/future prices received; percent reporting no change; SA/NSA
pr$i#a   current/future prices received; percent reporting increases; SA/NSA
pr$df#a  current/future prices received; diffusion index; SA/NSA
ne$d#a   current/future employment; percent reporting decreases; SA/NSA
ne$n#a   current/future employment; percent reporting no change; SA/NSA
ne$i#a   current/future employment; percent reporting increases; SA/NSA
ne$df#a  current/future employment; diffusion index; SA/NSA
aw$d#a   current/future workhours; percent reporting decreases; SA/NSA
aw$n#a   current/future workhours; percent reporting no change; SA/NSA
aw$i#a   current/future workhours; percent reporting increases; SA/NSA 
aw$df#a  current/future workhours; diffusion index; SA/NSA
cefd#a   future capital expenditures; percent expecting decreases; SA/NSA
cefn#a   future capital expenditures; percent expecting no change; SA/NSA
cefi#a   future capital expenditures; percent expecting increases; SA/NSA
cefdf#a  future capital expenditures; diffusion index; SA/NSA


Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey