ISM Services Prices Paid Increases 109 Straight Months, Growth Slows

The ISM services growth slows a bit. Exports and imports treading water.

ISM services chart and excerpts by permission of the Institute for Supply Management.

The June 2026 ISM^® Services PMI^® Report shows production is expanding faster but employment is in negative territory for the third month.

The report was issued today by Steve Miller, CPSM, CSCP, Chair of the Institute for Supply Management^® (ISM^®) Services Business Survey Committee: “In June, the Services PMI^® registered 54 percent, a decrease of 0.5 percentage point compared to May’s figure of 54.5 percent. The Business Activity Index remained in expansion territory in June, decreasing 2.3 percentage points to 55.4 percent from May’s reading of 57.7 percent. The New Orders Index registered 55.1 percent, 2.2 percentage points below May’s figure of 57.3 percent. The Employment Index expanded for the first time in four months with a reading of 51.2 percent, a 3.3-percentage point increase from the 47.9 percent recorded in May. All of the four subindexes that make up the composite PMI® were above their 12-month moving averages,” says Miller.

“The Supplier Deliveries Index registered 54.4 percent, 0.8 percentage point lower than the 55.2 percent recorded in May. This is the 19th consecutive month that the index has been in expansion territory, indicating slower supplier delivery performance. (Supplier Deliveries is the only ISM^® PMI^® Reports index that is inversed; a reading of above 50 percent indicates slower deliveries, which is typical as the economy improves and customer demand increases.)

“The Prices Index decreased to 67.7 percent in June, 3.6 percentage points below May’s figure of 71.3 percent and its first time below 70 percent since February. The index has exceeded 60 percent for 19 straight months, maintaining its 12-month average of 68 percent. Diesel, gasoline, oil and related commodities were once again most frequently mentioned as up in price in June — and cited as down in price from other respondents. This is likely due to different contract terms for these commodities between companies

ISM Services Price Paid

Prices Paid

March: Higher 45.7%, Same 53.1%, Lower 1.2%
April: Higher 45.7%, Same 53.1%, Lower 1.3%
May: Higher 50.9%, Same 47.3%, Lower 1.8%
June: Higher 40.7%, Same 55.5%, Lower 3.8%

Starting July, there should be more reporting lower prices.

What Respondents Are Saying

“We continue to experience higher prices due to the Persian Gulf conflict through rising diesel fuel costs and increased input costs for resin-based packaging. The brunt of the impact will be experienced in the third quarter (Q3) of 2026, but we are feeling the impact now. Suppliers are aggressively attempting to pass through price increases.” [Accommodation & Food Services]
“Extreme drought in Virginia is creating financial problems for farmers and the agricultural industry. Dramatically reduced spring crops harvest has created significant cost increases in feed expense. The barley grain crop was nearly totally lost due to the early hot weather and spring freeze. High fertilizer cost increases due to the war in Iran and increased freight cost has driven cost for crops above breakeven levels on many farms. Many dairy farmers are struggling with crop shortages, high input cost and below milk price breakeven. The financial stress from higher cost due to the Iran war and drought-related forage losses has resulted in decreased spending in the agricultural sector.” [Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting]
“In general, our company (commercial construction) is doing well. Pipeline is healthy for current and future work. Material pricing is higher and lead times on certain components in support of data center piping is elongating.” [Construction]
“In addition to the known semiconductor manufacturing issue, now there are concerns regarding memory availability that is materially impacting our OEM’s purchasing patterns, which is affecting availability and driving my company’s purchasing decisions, including how much longer we are sweating our assets, how frequently we refresh, and how we approach maintenance contracts.” [Finance & Insurance]
“Despite economic headwinds like persistent inflation, patient volumes and overall business activity remain strong reflected mainly by outstanding revenue performance. Supply chains remain resilient as well; back orders are at a historical low, and few if any critical products are experiencing difficulties. Labor is steady, as we continue to add full-time workers while the forecast remains positive. Given the continuation of the conflict in the Middle East, we are beginning to hear that cost of goods increases are on the horizon but have yet to materialize. Cost increases are in focus for the next quarter.” [Health Care & Social Assistance]
“From a strategic supply chain perspective, we are seeing increased complexity in managing total landed cost due to tariffs, import/export constraints and duty recovery mechanisms, requiring more proactive coordination across sourcing, logistics and compliance teams. Recent discussions internally also highlight the impact of tariff programs and duty drawback evaluations on purchasing strategies.” [Mining]
“Demand remains strong in infrastructure, environmental, and resilience projects, while procurement faces persistent labor inflation, supplier capacity constraints, and regulatory complexity—particularly in California and other high-cost markets. Labor-driven categories remain elevated despite easing goods inflation. The impact is higher rates, longer lead times, and increased importance of capacity assurance vs. lowest-cost sourcing.” [Professional, Scientific & Technical Services]
“Business has been very strong during what is usually a less active time of the year. Pricing is stable, and employment just where we want it to be. Supply chain strong with no challenges.” [Retail Trade]
“The utility industry continues to experience extended lead times, supply-chain constraints, material shortages, and pricing volatility. As a result, suppliers are often limiting quotation validity periods, with many RFQs carrying expiration dates as short as 24 hours. These conditions require timely evaluation and procurement decisions to mitigate the risk of price changes and availability issues.” [Utilities]
“We are experiencing continued sequential top-line growth driven mostly by increased prices.” [Wholesale Trade]