The US economy grew robustly in third quarter as Americans continued to spend

Workers on top of the roof of a house on a sunny day
Roofers work atop a house in Anna, Texas, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

The U.S. economy grew robustly in July, August and September, powered by steady consumer spending, especially on health care.

The gross domestic product — the broadest measure of the nation’s economic activity — for the third quarter grew at an annual rate of 4.3%, much faster than the 3.8% expansion seen between April and June, according to the Commerce Department on Tuesday.

Growth has picked up from the early months of 2025, when the U.S. economy actually shrunk at an annual rate of 0.6% as President Trump prepared sweeping global tariffs.