U.S. Reshoring Accelerates in 2026, Survey Finds

U.S. Reshoring Gains Momentum Amid Shifting Conditions

A new survey from the Reshoring Initiative and Regions Recruiting finds manufacturers increasing their focus on U.S. production and sourcing amid shifting conditions. According to the 2026 USA Reshoring Survey, U.S. manufacturers are moving more production and sourcing to the United States. However, policy uncertainty, import price competition, and shortages of skilled workers are limiting the pace of reshoring, the survey also found.

The 2026 USA Reshoring Survey was conducted by the Reshoring Initiative® in collaboration with Regions Recruiting®. The second annual study surveyed 249 manufacturers — 118 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and 131 contract manufacturers (CMs) — to examine reshoring activity, trade-policy conditions, sourcing economics, workforce availability, AI and automation, and other issues affecting U.S. manufacturing.

The survey found stronger reshoring activity among OEMs, a growing pipeline of reshoring opportunities for domestic suppliers, and substantial planned U.S. investments.

Key Findings on U.S. Reshoring Activity

• 6% of OEMs had reshored or were actively engaged in additional reshoring in 2026, up from 29% in 2025.
• 32% of CMs were currently quoting reshoring projects — double the 16% reported in 2025 — and 79% said at least some customers had discussed reshoring in the prior year.
• 63% of OEMs planned U.S. capital expenditures in 2026 or 2027 to support reshoring or other domestic expansion.
• 57% of OEMs named policy uncertainty as their primary challenge in the current U.S. trade-policy environment. Market pricing impact was a distant second at 15%.

Geopolitical Risk Considerations

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,” said Harry Moser, Founder and President of the Reshoring Initiative. “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.”

Operational Benefits, Beyond Tariffs

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 Constraints Slow U.S. Reshoring Progress

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%).

Said Kathy Nunnally Anemogiannis of Regions Recruiting, “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.”

The report is available for PDF download from the Reshoring Initiative website.

A Strategic Perspective on Reshoring

The companies that will benefit most from the reshoring movement are not necessarily those that move production home first. They are the companies that make the right location decision and structure the right incentives strategy before committing capital.

Today’s manufacturing investments require far more than identifying an available site and pursuing incentives. Executives must evaluate workforce availability, infrastructure capacity, supply chain resilience, utility readiness, operating costs, geopolitical risk, and long-term scalability. As the 2026 reshoring survey makes clear, manufacturers are placing a growing premium on predictability, speed-to-market, workforce access, and total cost of ownership.

The difference between an average project outcome and an exceptional one often comes down to decisions made long before a final location is selected. That is where a disciplined site selection and incentives strategy creates value.

At Ashmore Consulting, we help manufacturers and supply chain leaders identify locations that support long-term business objectives, create competition among jurisdictions, quantify the full value of available incentives, and negotiate packages that improve project economics while reducing execution risk.

If your organization is evaluating a reshoring initiative, domestic expansion, supplier relocation, or new manufacturing investment, now is the time to determine whether your project is being positioned to maximize both operational success and financial return.

Before you commit to a location, let’s discuss whether your project is capturing its full value in the marketplace. Because successful reshoring is not simply about bringing production back to the United States. It’s about selecting the location that gives your company the greatest competitive advantage for the next decade and beyond.

The information contained herein is general in nature and is not intended and should not be construed as legal, accounting, or tax advice or opinion provided by Ashmore Consulting LLC to the reader. The reader is also cautioned that this material may not be applicable to, or suitable for, the reader’s specific circumstances or needs and may require consideration of non-tax and other tax factors if any action is to be contemplated. The reader should contact Ashmore Consulting LLC or another tax professional prior to taking any action based upon this information. Ashmore Consulting LLC assumes no obligation to inform the reader of any changes in tax laws or other factors that could affect the information contained herein.