The second annual study surveyed 249 manufacturers—118 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and 131 contract manufacturers (CMs). It found stronger reshoring activity among OEMs, a growing pipeline of reshoring opportunities for domestic suppliers and substantial planned U.S. investment. 2026 USA Reshoring Survey Report.
Key findings
Geopolitical risk is also becoming a stronger driver. Among CMs, 53% cited geopolitical risk as a reason customers are reshoring to domestic suppliers, up from 24% in 2025. Sixty percent said customers importing from China or Taiwan were at least discussing de-risking, although only 19% reported active transitions.
“Manufacturers can adjust to known costs and opportunities. What is much harder to manage is a moving target. The survey shows that reshoring interest and investment are there, but companies need greater predictability to commit capital and develop supply chains for the long term.” — Harry Moser, Founder and President, Reshoring Initiative
Reshoring is delivering operational benefits beyond tariff and geopolitical risk reduction. Among OEMs reporting impacts, 70% cited improved speed to market, 65% better fulfillment or on-time delivery and 60% logistics savings. Use of Total Cost of Ownership to compare domestic and offshore sourcing also rose among OEMs, from 30% in 2025 to 40% in 2026. Yet price remains a major hurdle: 94% of CMs said it is the primary reason they lose orders to imports.
Workforce availability remains a critical constraint. Sixty-six percent of respondents rated hiring technicians—including welders, machinists and electrical or chemical technicians—as very difficult or at crisis levels; 60% said the same for maintenance and repair technicians. Manufacturers are responding through trade and vocational schools (61%), internal upskilling or reskilling (58%) and community colleges (51%).
“Everyone's rightly focused on the skilled trades gap, and we're seeing it just as sharply in leadership. At the end of the day, it always comes back to execution. In the case of reshoring, it's the HR, operations, supply chain and engineering leaders who turn an investment plan into an optimized and highly profitable production facility." — Kathy Nunnally Anemogiannis, Regions Recruiting
About the Survey
The 2026 USA Reshoring Survey was conducted by the Reshoring Initiative® in collaboration with Regions Recruiting®. The second annual study examined reshoring activity, trade-policy conditions, sourcing economics, workforce availability, AI and automation, and other issues affecting U.S. manufacturing. 2026 USA Reshoring Survey Report.
About the Reshoring Initiative
Founded in 2010, the Reshoring Initiative helps companies accurately decide what to source and produce domestically versus offshore. Its mission is to help balance the U.S. goods trade deficit.
About Regions Recruiting
Regions Recruiting specializes in industrial manufacturing and B2B distribution, helping companies close leadership and continuous-improvement talent gaps.
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MEDIA CONTACTS: Harry Moser President Reshoring Initiative 847.867.1144 Harry.Moser@reshorenow.org or dgs Marketing Engineers® Chuck Bates, Public Relations Director 317.813.2230 bates@dgsmarketing.com or Kathy Nunnally Anemogiannis Regions Recruiting 404.445.7911 info@regionsrecruiting.com- - -