Real GDP Growth
Real GDP growth is the inflation-adjusted change in the total value of goods and services the US economy produces, reported by the BEA each quarter as an annualized quarter-over-quarter rate. It is the broadest single read on economic activity and the official scorecard against which recessions and expansions are measured.
Real GDP growth (q/q annualized)
Next release: Sep 30, 2026
Latest reading
As of Q2 2026, GDP (Real GDP growth (q/q annualized)) stands at 1.5% — down from 2.1% the prior reading, 33.4 pp below the Q3 2020 record of 34.9%. US trend growth sits around 1.8-2.0%; readings above 3% signal a hot economy and below 1% flag near-stagnation. Two consecutive negative quarters is the popular recession shorthand, though the NBER makes the actual call. Watch the 4-quarter average to cut through quarterly noise, and remember every estimate gets revised — sometimes substantially. Series history runs from 1947 to present.
Sources, methodology & freshnessLast updated 2026-09-04 · Open ↓Close ↑
Full history
Methodology & data
GDP is sourced from BEA via the Federal Reserve's FRED service (BEA via FRED (A191RL1Q225SBEA), quarterly, annualized rate). We pull the complete history, chart it on a quarterly basis, overlay SPY for context, and generate a dated plain-English reading from the latest release — with no smoothing or adjustment beyond what the chart legend states.
Every reading is stamped with its release date, last updated 2026-09-04. Maintained and reviewed by Yuriy Matso; see our methodology for the standards every series on the site is held to.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Real GDP Growth?
Real GDP growth is the inflation-adjusted change in the total value of goods and services the US economy produces, reported by the BEA each quarter as an annualized quarter-over-quarter rate. It is the broadest single read on economic activity and the official scorecard against which recessions and expansions are measured.
How do you read GDP?
US trend growth sits around 1.8-2.0%; readings above 3% signal a hot economy and below 1% flag near-stagnation. Two consecutive negative quarters is the popular recession shorthand, though the NBER makes the actual call. Watch the 4-quarter average to cut through quarterly noise, and remember every estimate gets revised — sometimes substantially.
Where does the GDP data come from?
BEA via FRED (A191RL1Q225SBEA), quarterly, annualized rate. We chart the full history and publish a dated, plain-English reading with every release; the raw series is downloadable as CSV at /data/indicators/gdp.csv.
How often is GDP updated?
GDP is a quarterly series from BEA, refreshed here as soon as a new release posts to FRED.
Real GDP growth (q/q annualized)
Next release: Sep 30, 2026