US economy grew 2.2% in the second quarter, down from 2.5% in the first
The Bureau of Economic Analysis said growth in Q2 2026 slowed 0.3 percentage point from the prior quarter and ran well below the 4.0% pace of a year earlier.
Macro Bullseye · · Updated
Real gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 2.2% in the second quarter, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported in its third estimate. That was down 0.3 percentage point from 2.5% in the first quarter.
The numbers
Q2 2026 data · released Wed, Sep 30
- Real GDP growth, annualized
- 2.2%Q1 2026: 2.5%
View the data as a table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 2.2% |
| Q1 2026 | 2.5% |
| Q4 2025 | 0.2% |
| Q3 2025 | 3.9% |
| Q2 2025 | 4.0% |
| Q1 2025 | 0.1% |
| Q4 2024 | 2.4% |
| Q3 2024 | 3.2% |
| Q2 2024 | 3.6% |
| Q1 2024 | 1.4% |
| Q4 2023 | 3.6% |
| Q3 2023 | 4.5% |
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, via FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis). Revised figures replace earlier ones.Full release
A year earlier, in the second quarter of 2025, growth was 4.0%. GDP is the total value of goods and services produced in the US, shown as an annualized quarterly growth rate.
Recent quarters have swung widely. Growth was 0.1% in the first quarter of 2025, 4.0% in the second, 3.9% in the third and 0.2% in the fourth. It then rose to 2.5% in the first quarter of 2026 before easing to 2.2%.
The next release, covering the third quarter of 2026, is due Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 8:30 AM ET.
What it means for your money
- GDP is the broadest check on whether the economy is growing. A run of weak quarters raises recession worries, which tends to show up in hiring, stock prices and interest rates.
- Growth of 2.2% is slower than the first quarter but still positive. Steady growth tends to support hiring and paychecks, while sharp swings from quarter to quarter make the trend harder to read.
Drafted by AI (Claude) from the official data and published only after an automatic check that every number in the text matches the figures above. Not investment advice. How we write these