Data & Results
June 24, 2026
Financial decision-makers’ outlooks worsened this quarter amid heightened concern over rising costs and prices in the second quarter of 2026. Since the last survey, CFOs added 1.1 percentage points to their firm’s unit cost and price growth projections for 2026.
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Key Results Summary
| CFO Optimism | Q2 2026 | Q1 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Optimism about own company (0 to 100) | 70.7 | 70.2 |
| Optimism about the U.S. economy (0 to 100) | 60.6 | 61.7 |
| Note: Q2 2026 data in the table reflect results for 528-530 U.S. firms responding to the Q2 2026 survey (May 18 – June 5, 2026). Results from the Q1 2026 survey (Feb. 17 – Mar. 5, 2026) are shown for comparison (for 471-473 firms). Mean optimism values are unweighted. | ||
| CFOs' Growth Expectations for Their Own Firms, by Response Quarter | Q2 2026 | Q1 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (and Median) Expected Year-Over-Year Percentage Change for Calendar Years | 2026 | 2027 | 2026 | 2027 |
| Revenue | 6.5% (5.0%) |
7.4% (5.0%) |
5.9% (5.0%) |
7.0% (5.0%) |
| Price | 4.7% (3.0%) |
4.1% (3.0%) |
3.6% (3.0%) |
3.6% (3.0%) |
| Unit Cost | 4.5% (4.0%) |
4.0% (3.0%) |
3.4% (3.0%) |
3.3% (3.0%) |
| Employment (full-time) | 3.6% (1.7%) |
2.3% (1.5%) |
2.2% (1.6%) |
2.4% (1.4%) |
| Average Wage | 4.0% (3.1%) |
3.9% (3.0%) |
4.0% (3.0%) |
3.8% (3.0%) |
| Note: Q2 2026 data in the table reflect results for 474 to 524 U.S. firms responding to the Q2 2026 survey (May 18 – June 5, 2026). Results from the Q1 2026 survey (Feb. 17 – Mar. 5, 2026) are shown for comparison (for 420 to 466 firms). Revenue, Price, and Unit Cost are weighted by sales revenue. Employment and Average Wage are weighted by employment. These data are also winsorized at 5% to remove the potential influence of extreme values. | ||||
| CFOs' Expectations for Real GDP Growth Over Next Four Quarters, by Response Quarter | Q2 2026 | Q1 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Weighted Mean | 1.8% | 2.1% |
| Weighted Median | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| Probability of Negative Growth | 11.5% | 11.0% |
| Note: Q2 2026 data in the table reflect results for 489 U.S. firms responding to the Q2 2026 survey (May 18 – June 5, 2026) and that indicate they are familiar with Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Results from the Q1 2026 survey (Feb. 17 – Mar. 5, 2026) are shown for comparison (for 447 firms). Responses are weighted by sales revenue. | ||
Please refer to the full results for Q2 2026 and The CFO Survey Methodology for more information.
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