US GDP history · 2009
US GDP in 2009
In 2009, the US economy was worth about $14.48T and real output shrank 2.58% — the deepest annual contraction on record. Here's where that sits in 65 years of data, the story behind it, how big the economy was versus the $28.75T of 2024, and how it compares.
- 2009 GDP $14.48T nominal output
- Real growth -2.58% year over year — a contraction
- GDP per capita $47,195 output per person
- vs today $28.75T in 2024
The economy in 2009
In 2009, the economy shrank 2.58% in real terms, leaving total output at about $14.48T. That made it the deepest annual contraction on record, and below the long-run average of 3.02%. The economy has grown to $28.75T by 2024 — roughly 2.0× its 2009 size in nominal terms. Spread across the population, output worked out to about $47,195 per person, against $84,534 today.
What happened in 2009
The economy contracted sharply — the deepest annual decline of the post-1960 era — during the Great Recession.
Real GDP the economy shrank 2.58% in 2009, down from 0.11% in 2008. That made it the deepest annual contraction on record — a year the economy lost ground — and below the long-run average of 3.02%.
How 2009 compared
Across the full 1960–2024 record, real growth has averaged about 3.02%, so 2009 ran below that long-run norm. Within the 2000s, growth averaged roughly 1.92%, and 2009 sat below its own decade. Five years earlier, in 2004, the economy grew 3.85%. The following year, 2010, growth accelerated to 2.70%.
Output and jobs move together: when GDP stalls, recessions show up in jobs too. See what unemployment did in 2009 for the labor-market side of the same story.
Growth and prices are two sides of the same economy. See what inflation did in 2009 to round out the picture.
This is one year out of the whole story. For the complete history — every year since 1960, the fastest year and the deepest contraction, the decade-by-decade view, and what drives growth over time — see historical US GDP, 1960–today.
US GDP in 2009 — FAQ
What was US GDP in 2009?
US nominal GDP was about $14.48T in 2009 ($14,478,064,934,000). Real output the economy shrank 2.58% over the year, and GDP per capita was about $47,195.
Did the US economy grow or shrink in 2009?
It shrank: real GDP fell 2.58% in 2009 — the deepest annual contraction on record, below the long-run average of 3.02%. That was down 2.69 points from 0.11% the year before.
What was US GDP per capita in 2009?
GDP per capita — total output divided by population — was about $47,195 in 2009, versus $84,534 in 2024.
How does 2009 GDP compare to today?
The US economy was worth about $14.48T in 2009, against $28.75T in 2024 — roughly 2.0× larger today in nominal terms.
Why did the economy contracted the way it did in 2009?
The economy contracted sharply — the deepest annual decline of the post-1960 era — during the Great Recession.
