BEA raised second-quarter growth to 2.2% in September revision

The U.S. economy grew at a 2.2% annualized pace in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis release dated September 30. That replaced the earlier 1.5% estimate. The change was 0.7 percentage point, with higher estimates of investment, consumer spending and government spending accounting for most of the upgrade. Growth measured directly from the preceding quarter was 0.6%. ^[1]

The August 26 release had left the headline growth rate at 1.5%, unchanged from the advance estimate. At that stage, an increase in estimated consumer spending was partly counterbalanced by higher estimated imports. Its measure of consumer spending plus private fixed investment rose 4.2%. Those figures describe the August assessment; they should not be read as the later September result. ^[2]

September’s corresponding private domestic sales measure increased 4.6% at an annual rate. The release also raised first-quarter GDP growth to 2.5%, from 2.1%. That means the updated comparison still showed slower headline growth in the second quarter, even after its upgrade. Comparing September’s second-quarter figure with the older first-quarter number would mix two different versions of the national accounts. ^[1]

The revision drew on updated construction, inventory, retail and services information. September’s publication also incorporated an annual update covering earlier years. This brief records that release and its revisions, rather than treating an older estimate as new economic activity. BEA listed October 29 as the next scheduled GDP release, covering the third quarter. ^[1]

About this item: Retrospective source brief. No first-hand reporting or independent testing is claimed. Corrections policy.