Second-Quarter GDP Growth Climbs to 2.2% in Third Estimate

By Dean Seal

The U.S. economy grew at a 2.2% annualized rate in the second quarter of 2026, the Commerce Department said in an updated estimate published Wednesday, punching past expectations.

The update reflects upward revisions to investments, driven by private inventory investment and private fixed investment, as well as consumer spending and government spending. The consumer-spending upshift was led by recreation services and vehicles, while higher federal defense spending lifted the government-spending tally.

Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had been expecting the reading to stay level at the 1.5% annualized rate from initial and secondary reports published in the past two months.

Consumer spending, investment and exports led the real GDP increase, according to the report. The top industry contributors were real estate and rental and leasing, information, durable-goods manufacturing, and finance and insurance. Those were partially offset by decreases in transportation and warehousing, retail trade and nondurable-goods manufacturing.

Write to Dean Seal at dean.seal@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 30, 2026 09:15 ET (13:15 GMT)