NorthStarCanada–U.S. macro intelligence

Data refreshed Sep 25, 2026, 10:49 a.m. ET

Are the Canadian and U.S. economies expanding or entering contraction?

In Q2 2026, Canada's real GDP grew 3.3% at an annual rate; the U.S. grew 1.5% in Q2 2026.

Canada · Real GDP (expenditure)
3.32%q/q ann.
Q2 2026+2.99 pp vs prior
U.S. · Real GDP
1.48%q/q ann.
Q2 2026−0.61 pp vs prior
Canada · Real GDP all industries (monthly)
2.01%y/y
Jun 2026+0.36 pp vs prior
Canada · Industrial production (GDP basis)
3.72%y/y
Jun 2026+0.5 pp vs prior
U.S. · Industrial production
1.42%y/y
Aug 2026+0.29 pp vs prior

Real GDP growth, quarter over quarter (annualized)

  • Canada: Real GDP (expenditure) (% q/q ann.)
  • U.S.: Real GDP (% q/q ann.)

Industrial production, year over year

  • Canada: Industrial production (GDP basis) (% y/y)
  • U.S.: Industrial production (% y/y)

Real GDP, year over year

  • Canada: Real GDP (expenditure) (% y/y)
  • U.S.: Real GDP (% y/y)

Smoother than annualized quarterly rates: growth over the same quarter a year earlier.

Canada monthly real GDP, year over year

  • Canada: Real GDP all industries (monthly) (% y/y)

Monthly GDP by industry gives an earlier read than the quarterly accounts.

Real GDP per working-age person, year over year

  • Canada: Real GDP per person aged 15+ (% y/y)
  • U.S.: Real GDP per person aged 16+ (% y/y)

Strips out population growth. Canada's rapid immigration-driven population gains can lift headline GDP while output per person falls.

Sahm-rule recession indicator

  • Canada: Sahm-rule indicator (pp)
  • U.S.: Sahm-rule indicator (pp)

Three-month average unemployment rate minus its low over the prior 12 months. Readings above 0.5 (dashed) have marked the start of every U.S. recession since 1970; the rule is noisier for Canada.

Industrial capacity utilization

  • Canada: Industrial capacity utilization (%)
  • U.S.: Capacity utilization (total industry) (%)

Share of industrial capacity in use (Canada quarterly, U.S. monthly). Readings well above 80% (dashed) signal cost pressure and a case for investment; falling readings signal slack.

U.S. recession probability

  • U.S.: Smoothed recession probability (%)

Smoothed probability from a dynamic-factor Markov-switching model (Chauvet–Piger), published with a lag of about two months.