The Grasshopper Sparrow in Canada is best monitored by the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), which is well-suited to detecting the species, samples much of the breeding range, and has high precision. The national trend shows variability in the 1970s and 1980s, but an overall decline from the mid-1970s to late 1990s. From 2000 to around 2013 there was a rebound, returning to early 1990s levels. Since then there has been another sharp downturn, dropping the population back down to nearly its all-time low. 

Trends differ substantially by region for this species, with the national pattern most closely reflecting that of the southern Prairie population, which has declined 63% since 1970. In contrast, the eastern subspecies (A. s. pratensis) in southern Ontario and Quebec declined from 1970 to the mid-1980s, but then rebounded over the next several years before resuming a steady decline until the present, with a cumulative loss of 74%.

The national goal for Grasshopper 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 Grasshopper 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 45% of the goal by 2050. Achieving this target, and ultimately reaching the national goal for this species, will require deliberate conservation action. The long-term goal is the same for the eastern population, but because its decline has been even greater, its interim target for 2050 is only 40%.