A process for production of 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene is disclosed, comprising the steps: (1) an acylation step where p-tolyl sec-butyl ketone is produced from toluene, n-butene and carbon monoxide: (2) a hydrogenation step where the carbonyl group of the p-tolyl sec-butyl ketone is hydrogenated: and (3) a dehydrogenation and cyclization step where the hydrogenated product obtained above is subjected to dehydrogenation and cyclization to produce the desired 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene. The process enables efficiently producing a high quality or high purity 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene.