---
title: "U.S. GDP Growth History"
description: "Annual U.S. real GDP growth rates from 1990 to 2024. Covers the Great Recession trough of -2.6% in 2009, COVID contraction of -3.4% in 2020."
canonical: https://www.getswoopr.com/tables/economy/gdp-growth-history/
source: "Swoopr Investment: https://www.getswoopr.com"
---

## Direct Answer



> U.S. real GDP (inflation-adjusted) grew at an average of approximately 2.3% per year since 1950. The worst years were 2009 (-2.6%, Great Recession) and 2020 (-2.1%, COVID). Best year since 1970 was 1984 (+7.2%). Real GDP for 2025 was approximately $23.9 trillion (2017 dollars); nominal GDP was approximately $30.9 trillion.








# U.S. GDP Annual Growth History



## U.S. Real GDP Annual Growth Rate (1990-2025)



| Year | Real GDP Growth (%) |
| --- | --- |
| 1990 | 1.9% |
| 1991 | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 3.5% |
| 1993 | 2.7% |
| 1994 | 4% |
| 1995 | 2.7% |
| 1996 | 3.8% |
| 1997 | 4.4% |
| 1998 | 4.5% |
| 1999 | 4.8% |
| 2000 | 4.1% |
| 2001 | 1% |
| 2002 | 1.7% |
| 2003 | 2.8% |
| 2004 | 3.8% |
| 2005 | 3.5% |
| 2006 | 2.8% |
| 2007 | 2% |
| 2008 | 0.1% |
| 2009 | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 2.7% |
| 2011 | 1.6% |
| 2012 | 2.3% |
| 2013 | 2.1% |
| 2014 | 2.5% |
| 2015 | 2.9% |
| 2016 | 1.8% |
| 2017 | 2.5% |
| 2018 | 3% |
| 2019 | 2.6% |
| 2020 | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 6.3% |
| 2022 | 2.4% |
| 2023 | 2.9% |
| 2024 | 3% |
| 2025 | 2.3% |

![Line chart of U.S. Real GDP Annual Growth Rate (1990-2025), 1990 to 2025. Real GDP Growth (%) starts at 1.9%, peaks at 6.3% in 2021, falls to a low of -2.6% in 2009 and ends at 2.3% in 2025.](https://www.getswoopr.com/images/charts/tables-economy-gdp-growth-history-1.webp)
*U.S. Real GDP Annual Growth Rate (1990-2025), charted from the table above. Select the chart to open it full size.*



Source: [St. Louis Fed FRED: Real GDP Growth Rate](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/A191RL1A225NBEA). Last verified: October 2026, values checked against BEA NIPA Table 1.1.1 (September 30, 2026 annual update).



## Frequently asked questions



What causes GDP recessions?

GDP contractions (recessions) typically reflect: (1) credit tightening (banks reduce lending, businesses cut investment, consumers reduce spending); (2) demand shocks (sudden drops in consumer spending, business investment, or exports); (3) supply shocks (1973-74 oil embargo, 2020 COVID supply chain disruption); (4) monetary policy overtightening (Fed raising rates too aggressively). The NBER Business Cycle Dating Committee defines recessions not simply as two consecutive quarters of negative GDP, but as a broad-based decline in economic activity across multiple sectors. Modern U.S. recessions have averaged approximately 10-11 months in duration.



Why has U.S. GDP growth slowed since the 1990s?

U.S. GDP growth averaged approximately 3-4% in the 1980s-90s vs. approximately 2-2.5% since 2010. Reasons: (1) demographic headwinds (baby boomer retirements reducing labor force growth); (2) productivity growth slowdown (new technologies took longer to spread into measured productivity vs. the IT revolution of the 1990s); (3) increased service sector weight (services typically grow slower than manufacturing); (4) higher debt levels requiring more income to service rather than spend. AI could potentially reverse the productivity slowdown, but the timing of productivity gains from AI adoption is uncertain.



What is the difference between real and nominal GDP?

Nominal GDP measures economic output in current dollar prices. Real GDP adjusts nominal GDP for inflation, using a base year (currently 2017) to enable meaningful comparisons over time. Example: if the economy produces the same quantity of goods but all prices double, nominal GDP doubles but real GDP is unchanged. GDP growth rates in investment contexts always refer to real GDP to measure actual economic expansion vs. inflation. The GDP deflator (the implicit price deflator) is the inflation measure derived from the difference between nominal and real GDP.







## Cite This Page



If you reference this table in your own work, use the following citation format and add the date you accessed it:



> Swoopr Editorial Team. (2026). *U.S. GDP Annual Growth History*. Swoopr Investment. [https://www.getswoopr.com/tables/economy/gdp-growth-history/](https://www.getswoopr.com/tables/economy/gdp-growth-history/)



Check the figures against the primary sources listed under References before you rely on or republish them; the series they come from are revised.







## References



- [St. Louis Fed FRED: Real GDP Growth Rate]( https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/A191RL1A225NBEA)







[Swoopr Editorial Team](https://www.getswoopr.com/authors/swoopr-editorial-team/) produces independent investment education and research content.



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