U.S. Corporate Profits Reach $3.9 Trillion in First Quarter of 2026

U.S. corporate profits after tax reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $3.9 trillion in the first quarter of 2026. The figure is roughly double the level recorded in 2012 and follows a previous peak of $3.7 trillion at the end of 2024. Corporate profits as a share of gross domestic product hit 15.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025, the highest level since World War II.

Employee compensation as a share of GDP fell below 10 percent during the same period.

Customer complaints about goods and services rose 16 percent in the first quarter of 2026, reaching record levels tracked since 1994 by the American Consumer Satisfaction Index. The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index also reached a new low.

The index's founder, Claes Fornell, wrote in May that customer retention has increased even as satisfaction declined. He stated that companies can raise prices without improving service when customers have limited alternatives.

Duggan, an economic historian, canceled a Delta Airlines ticket change that carried a $1,200 fee and instead booked a $250 Aeromexico flight to Hermosillo followed by a $59 bus across the Mexico border. She said the alternative saved her the fee despite the longer journey.

Alexander DePaoli, a Northeastern University marketing professor, said consumers are becoming more reactive toward brands they view as adversaries. He noted that individual workarounds do not address broader market constraints.