GDP Rebounded in Q2 — What That Means
Growth in the second quarter of 2025 registered at 3.3%.
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Real gross domestic product grew by an annual rate of 3.3% in the second quarter of 2025, according to the second estimate report released on Aug. 28 by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Trump wants to change how economic growth is measured
The Trump administration is eyeing a change in how gross domestic product (GDP) is measured in the wake of federal spending cuts.
On March 2, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik told Fox News that the Trump administration may split government spending from GDP. He said, “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP. They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.”
It’s unclear why the administration has put the target on GDP data transparency since the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) already breaks down government spending at the federal, state and local levels for each quarter. Those results are published by the BEA on a quarterly basis.
Economic data has shown some disappointing figures that include stubborn inflation levels; fewer hires; and lower consumer spending. Consumer confidence in the economy is down, as well. The latter is largely due to Trump’s recent tariff announcements, according to the Conference Board’s recent survey results.
U.S. growth increased in the second quarter of 2025 after turning negative in the first, according to a second estimate released on Aug. 28 by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The first estimate pegged second quarter GDP at 3%.
The upturn in growth was largely due to a decline in imports — that figure is subtracted in the GDP calculation. It was also due to an increase in consumer spending. Both factors were partly offset by a downturn in investment.
» MORE: Are we in a recession?
What is GDP?
GDP, or gross domestic product, is the market value — in current dollars — of all goods and services produced within the United States in a given period; Real GDP adjusts that measure for inflation. Changes in GDP are expressed on an annualized basis.
Does recent GDP data signal there is trouble ahead?
The second quarter growth bounced back at a rate of 3.3% compared to the previous quarter. Real gross domestic product decreased by an annual rate of 0.5% in the first quarter of 2025, according to the third estimate released on June 26 by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Negative growth, or contraction, is generally a red flag that there is a slowdown happening in the economy. It shows that consumers and businesses may be spending less. Two consecutive quarters without growth is the traditional definition of a recession.
The first quarter 2025 drop in GDP is largely due to a surge in imported goods as companies and consumers tried to get ahead of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. That said, imports aren’t produced in the U.S. so they aren’t counted in the same way as other GDP factors like household spending, exports and investments. It’s likely that the negative GDP in March reflected a technicality rather than a sign of distress in the economy.
While the faster rate of GDP growth in the second quarter is a positive development, it’s not a signal that the economy is entirely healthy either. The Q2 growth increase was largely due to a decline in imports (because businesses stockpiled goods during the first quarter) and a boost in consumer spending (likely to get ahead of tariffs). Since the U.S. economy hasn’t felt the impact of tariffs yet, it’s unclear where the economy is headed from here.
Fed projects 1.7% growth for 2025, lower than previous forecast
Recent GDP projections by the FOMC forecasts lower growth for 2025 (1.7%) compared to its December forecast (2.1%), according to the FOMC’s Summary of Economic Projections released after its meeting March18-19
In terms of how the Fed might respond to changes in growth, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said at an event on April 4, “Inflation is going to be moving up and growth is going to be slowing, but to me it's not clear at this time what the appropriate path for monetary policy would be. We're going to need to wait and see how this plays out before we can start to make those adjustments.”
GDP for the second quarter of 2025
The BEA’s second estimate showed that the U.S. GDP grew faster in the second quarter of 2025 than it did in the first quarter.
In the second quarter — covering April, May and June — real GDP went up by 3.3%, the second estimate shows.
Here’s how the economy grew in recent quarters:
- -0.5% annual rate of growth in Q1 2025
- 2.4% annual rate of growth in Q4 2024.
- 3.1% annual rate of growth in Q3 2024.
- 3% annual rate of growth in Q2 2024.
- 1.6% annual rate of growth in Q1 2024.
- 3.4% annual rate of growth in Q4 2023.
- 4.9% annual rate of growth in Q3 2023.
- 2.1% annual rate of growth in Q2 2023.
- 2.1% annual rate of growth in Q1 2023.
The second estimate for Q2 2025 GDP will be released on Aug. 28.
How did GDP in 2024 compare to recent years?
In 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual rate of GDP dropped to levels far below even those during the Great Recession, federal data shows. By the end of 2020 and into 2021, GDP rebounded quickly. However, the first two quarters of 2022 showed signs of slowing down before a more robust finish at the end of the year. GDP continued its upward trajectory through 2023 and 2024.
In 2024, the U.S. GDP grew 2.8%, just slightly below the 2.9% increase in 2023. The 2024 increase was primarily due to growth in consumer spending, investment, government spending and exports. Imports, which subtract from GDP, also increased.
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What did people spend money on in Q2 2025?
- Imports declined, driven by a decrease in goods, led by nondurable consumer goods, except food and automotive (mainly medicinal, dental and pharmaceutical preparations, including vitamins). Exports also declined, primarily due to a decrease in goods, led by automotive vehicles, engines and parts.
- Within consumer spending, increases were recorded in both goods and services. Spending went up in health care, food services and accommodations, as well as financial services and insurance. Consumers also purchased motor vehicles and parts and other nondurable goods.
- Business investment declined, largely due to a drop in private inventory investment, including decreases in nondurable goods manufacturing — primarily chemical — and in wholesale trade.
Photo by Justin Sullivan/ Getty Images News via Getty Images
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