The best source of information on the population status of Chipping Sparrow is the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). It is highly suitable for this species, samples much of the breeding range, and the population trends have high precision. BBS data indicate a long-term decline, which has been accelerating since the mid-1990s, and resulting in a population that is currently 45% below 1970s levels. Over the long term, the population has shown little change only in the Prairies and Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowlands, but even in these regions there have been notable declines over the past decade. The greatest losses have been in southern British Columbia and central Ontario and Quebec. Curiously, results from the Christmas Bird Count show a very different trend at the continental scale, with a 349% increase relative to 1970. Although the Christmas Bird Count is in principle also well suited to observing Chipping Sparrow, it is possible that changes in wintering distribution over time (e.g., a larger proportion of the population wintering in the United States rather than Mexico, or an increasing affinity for feeders) may be causing the trend to reflect changes in detection more than actual trends in abundance. This discrepancy reduces overall confidence in the trend to medium. 

The goal for Chipping Sparrow is to increase the population to the level it was at in the early 1970s, based on the Breeding Bird Survey. Trend data show that Chipping Sparrow is currently below its goal range and continuing to decline. Analysis considering the historical population loss and recent trend suggests that it is unlikely that the goal can be met by 2050, so the interim target is to reach 95% of the goal by 2050. Achieving this target, and ultimately reaching the national goal for this species, will require deliberate conservation action.