The Canadian population of Dickcissel is best monitored by the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), which samples most of the Canadian breeding range, and is well-suited to the species, but precision is low because of the general scarcity of the population except in occasional years when abundance is more than an order of magnitude greater. Amid considerable variation and many years with few individuals seen, increases in the past several years have resulted in a moderate increase, however it is unclear whether this is a consistent trend or simply the result of high variation in population numbers in this inconsistently occurring species.

The goal for Dickcissel is to remain at or above its recent population level, based on the Breeding Bird Survey. Trend data show that Dickcissel is currently within its goal range