Forecasters Predict Steady Real GDP Growth and Steady Unemployment Rate

The 17 participants in the June Livingston Survey predict steady output growth for 2026. The forecasters, who are surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia twice a year, expect 2.0 percent annualized growth in real GDP during the first and second half of 2026. The forecasters predict that real GDP will reach an annual rate of 1.8 percent growth in the first half of 2027.

The Philadelphia Fed’s Livingston Survey is the oldest survey of economists’ expectations. The survey was started in 1946 by the late columnist Joseph A. Livingston. It summarizes the forecast of economists from industry, government, banking, and academia. It is published twice a year, in June and December.

Return to the main page for the Livingston Survey.