Analyses of relationships between macroinvertebrate production and factors that may influence levels of production such as organic matter standing stocks are becoming more feasible as the number of studies combining these and other related measures continues to grow.  We used simple linear regression and multiple regression techniques to examine the influence of organic matter standing stocks on macroinvertebrate production in perennial streams in eastern North America.  Overall, we included fifteen estimates of secondary production (7–26 g AFDM m^–2 y^–1) and organic matter (60–1008 g AFDM m^–2) from studies of eight streams in Illinois, Kansas, Maine, and North Carolina, USA.  Exploratory analyses suggested standing stocks of small wood, a relatively refractory component of organic matter standing stocks, are important in determining relationships between macroinvertebrate production and organic matter.  Secondary production estimates in our dataset were a function of both adjusted total organic matter excluding wood and wood standing stocks (r²=0.78, p<0.0001, n=15).  Although production–organic matter relationships may be obscured by other factors at the local level, our results indicate that patterns of macroinvertebrate production across large geographic areas may be driven largely by the availability of organic matter resources.