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Corporate Profits (% of GDP)

After-tax corporate profits measured against the size of the economy.

11.3%
Percent of GDP · latest, Jan 2026
vs prior quarter ▼ 0.2 pp
vs year ago ▲ 0.5 pp
1948-49 Recession · Nov 1948 – Oct 19491953-54 Recession · Jul 1953 – May 19541957-58 Recession · Aug 1957 – Apr 19581960-61 Recession · Apr 1960 – Feb 19611969-70 Recession · Dec 1969 – Nov 19701973-75 Recession · Nov 1973 – Mar 19751980 Recession · Jan 1980 – Jul 19801981-82 Recession · Jul 1981 – Nov 19821990-91 Recession · Jul 1990 – Mar 19912001 Recession · Mar 2001 – Nov 2001Global Financial Crisis · Dec 2007 – Jun 2009COVID-19 Recession · Feb 2020 – Apr 20205%6%7%8%9%10%11%1950196019701980199020002010202011.3%

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Source: FRED · CPATAX/GDP · series · Jan 1947 to Jan 2026 · latest-revised

Reading it. Derived as BEA after-tax corporate profits (CPATAX) divided by nominal GDP. The portion of the economy's output that takes the form of after-tax corporate profit. A share, not a dollar amount or a growth rate; it says nothing about how profits are divided among firms or shareholders.

About the bands. Shaded spans are NBER-dated US recessions, drawn as factual overlays. They mark when the economy contracted, not why. Lining an event or policy up with a move on this chart is not evidence that it caused the move.

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