Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
07/15/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/15/2026 09:17
SORCE Insights: Tracking Operating Margins in the Fourth District
Cleveland Fed District Data Brief
SORCE Insights: Tracking Operating Margins in the Fourth District
The Cleveland Fed's Survey of Regional Conditions and Expectations (SORCE) fielded from June 18 through June 25, 2026, included a set of special questions focused on firms' operating margins. This District Data Brief discusses the top-line results from these questions.
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Brett HuettnerSenior Research Analyst
Topics
The views authors express in District Data Briefs are theirs and not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland or the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The series editor is Harrison Markel.
The Cleveland Fed's Survey of Regional Conditions and Expectations (SORCE) fielded from June 18 through June 25, 2026, included a set of special questions focused on firms' operating margins. A company's operating margin is the percentage of money it keeps from sales after paying operating costs like salaries, supplies, and rent but before considering interest or taxes. This District Data Brief discusses the top-line results from these questions.
Past-Year Change in Operating Margins
Compared to the same quarter in the previous year, 36 percent of firms said their operating margins decreased, 28 percent reported no change, and 37 percent reported an increase.
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland published this content on July 15, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on July 15, 2026 at 15:17 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]