US real GDP in Q2 rose at an annual rate of 3.0%, revised from a prior estimate of 2.8%; increase primarily reflected increases in consumer spending, private inventory investment, and nonresidential fixed investment: Bureau of Economic Analysis

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 3.0 percent in the second quarter of 2024 (table 1), according to the "second" estimate released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 1.4 percent.

The GDP estimate released today is based on more complete source data than were available for the "advance" estimate issued last month.  In the advance estimate, the increase in real GDP was 2.8 percent. The update primarily reflected an upward revision to consumer spending (refer to "Updates to GDP").

The increase in real GDP primarily reflected increases in consumer spending, private inventory investment, and nonresidential fixed investment. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased (table 2).

Compared to the first quarter, the acceleration in real GDP in the second quarter primarily reflected an upturn in private inventory investment and an acceleration in consumer spending. These movements were partly offset by a downturn in residential fixed investment.

Current‑dollar GDP increased 5.5 percent at an annual rate, or $383.2 billion, in the second quarter to a level of $28.65 trillion, an upward revision of $23.2 billion from the previous estimate (tables 1 and 3). More information on the source data that underlie the estimates is available in the "Key Source Data and Assumptions" file on BEA's website.

The price index for gross domestic purchases increased 2.4 percent in the second quarter, an upward revision of 0.1 percentage point from the previous estimate. The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index increased 2.5 percent, a downward revision of 0.1 percentage point. Excluding food and energy prices, the PCE price index increased 2.8 percent, a downward revision of 0.1 percentage point.

Personal Income

Current-dollar personal income increased $233.6 billion in the second quarter, a downward revision of $4.0 billion from the previous estimate. The increase primarily reflected increases in compensation and personal current transfer receipts (table 8).

Disposable personal income increased $183.0 billion, or 3.6 percent, in the second quarter, a downward revision of $3.2 billion from the previous estimate. Real disposable personal income increased 1.0 percent, unrevised from the prior estimate.

Personal saving was $686.4 billion in the second quarter, a downward revision of $34.1 billion from the previous estimate. The personal saving rate—personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income—was 3.3 percent in the second quarter, a downward revision of 0.2 percentage point.

Gross Domestic Income and Corporate Profits

Real gross domestic income (GDI) increased 1.3 percent in the second quarter, the same as in the first quarter. The average of real GDP and real GDI, a supplemental measure of U.S. economic activity that equally weights GDP and GDI, increased 2.1 percent in the second quarter, compared with an increase of 1.4 percent in the first quarter (table 1).

Profits from current production (corporate profits with inventory valuation and capital consumption adjustments) increased $57.6 billion in the second quarter, in contrast to a decrease of $47.1 billion in the first quarter (table 10).

Profits of domestic financial corporations increased $46.4 billion in the second quarter, compared with an increase of $65.0 billion in the first quarter. Profits of domestic nonfinancial corporations increased $29.2 billion, in contrast to a decrease of $114.5 billion. Rest-of-the-world profits decreased $18.0 billion, in contrast to an increase of $2.3 billion. In the second quarter, receipts decreased $6.2 billion, and payments increased $11.8 billion.

Updates to GDP

With the second estimate, an upward revision to consumer spending was partly offset by downward revisions to nonresidential fixed investment, exports, private inventory investment, federal government spending, state and local government spending, and residential fixed investment. Imports were revised up. For more information, refer to the Technical Note. For information on updates to GDP, refer to the "Additional Information" section that follows.

First Quarter Wages and Salaries

BEA's standard practice for first-quarter estimates of wages and salaries is to incorporate data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program as part of the annual update of the National Economic Accounts. New QCEW data for the first quarter of 2024 will be incorporated in next month's release along with the 2024 Annual Update of the National Economic Accounts (refer to box below for details).

Next release, September 26, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. EDT
Gross Domestic Product (Third Estimate)
Corporate Profits (Revised Estimate)
Gross Domestic Product by Industry
Second Quarter 2024 and Annual Update

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