US Economy Grew at 3.4% Rate in Third Quarter 2026
The US economy accelerated sharply in Q3 2026, with GDP expanding at a 3.4% annual rate, up from 2.2% in the prior quarter.
The United States economy expanded at an annual rate of 3.4 percent in the third quarter of 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported in its advance estimate, marking a significant pickup from the 2.2 percent growth recorded in the second quarter.
The acceleration was driven by simultaneous gains across investment, consumer spending, and government spending, reflecting broad-based momentum in economic activity during the July-through-September period. The breadth of contributors suggests the expansion was not concentrated in a single sector.
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Offsetting those gains, exports declined during the quarter, acting as a drag on overall output. Imports rose as well, a factor that mathematically reduces the GDP total because foreign-purchased goods and services are subtracted from the domestic production measure.
The advance estimate is the first of three scheduled readings BEA will publish for the quarter, and it is subject to revision as more complete source data become available. The jump from 2.2 percent to 3.4 percent nonetheless represents the strongest quarterly growth rate reported since the second-quarter figure was released earlier this year.
Continue reading at U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
