About the US real GDP growth rate
GDP growth is the change in real (inflation-adjusted) gross domestic product from one quarter to the next, expressed as an annual rate, as reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. A reading of 2% means the economy would grow 2% in a year if it kept that quarter’s pace.
Two negative quarters in a row is a common rule of thumb for a recession, but the official US recession dates (the grey bands) come from the National Bureau of Economic Research, which also looks at jobs, income and spending. Each quarter is estimated three times and revised later.
US GDP Growth by year
| Year | Average | High | Low | Q4 / latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to Q3) | 2.7% | 3.4% | 2.2% | 3.4% |
| 2025 | 2.0% | 4.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2024 | 2.6% | 3.6% | 1.4% | 2.4% |
| 2023 | 3.4% | 4.5% | 2.2% | 3.6% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | 2.7% | −1.0% | 2.7% |
| 2021 | 5.8% | 7.1% | 3.2% | 6.8% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | 34.9% | −28.0% | 4.6% |
| 2019 | 3.4% | 4.8% | 2.5% | 2.8% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | 3.3% | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| 2017 | 3.0% | 4.6% | 2.0% | 4.6% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | 2.9% | 1.3% | 2.2% |
| 2015 | 2.1% | 3.6% | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| 2014 | 2.7% | 5.3% | −1.4% | 2.0% |
| 2013 | 3.0% | 4.0% | 1.1% | 3.5% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | 3.4% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | 4.6% | −0.9% | 4.6% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | 3.9% | 1.9% | 2.1% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | 4.4% | −4.5% | 4.4% |
| 2008 | −2.5% | 2.4% | −8.5% | −8.5% |
| 2007 | 2.1% | 2.5% | 1.2% | 2.5% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | 5.5% | 0.6% | 3.5% |
| 2005 | 3.0% | 4.5% | 2.0% | 2.2% |
| 2004 | 3.3% | 4.1% | 2.3% | 4.1% |
| 2003 | 4.3% | 6.8% | 2.1% | 4.7% |
| 2002 | 2.0% | 3.4% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | 2.5% | −1.6% | 1.1% |
| 2000 | 3.0% | 7.5% | 0.4% | 2.4% |
| 1999 | 4.8% | 6.7% | 3.4% | 6.7% |
| 1998 | 4.9% | 6.6% | 3.8% | 6.6% |
| 1997 | 4.5% | 6.8% | 2.6% | 3.5% |
Quarterly values. The last 30 years are shown; the chart above has the full history since Q2 1947.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the current US real GDP growth rate?
The US real GDP growth rate was 3.4% in Q3 2026, down 0.5 points from a year earlier, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
What was the highest US real GDP growth rate on record?
Since Q2 1947, the highest reading was 34.9% in Q3 2020 and the lowest was −28.0% in Q2 2020.
Where does this data come from?
The numbers are published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and distributed by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in FRED (series A191RL1Q225SBEA). They are US government statistics in the public domain. Quotelinks checks for new data every day.
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