The Canadian population of Northern Hawk Owl is not well monitored by any surveys because of its largely northern year-round distribution. However, the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) likely samples a low to moderate proportion of the North American population in most years and has high precision over the long term. The CBC shows considerable inter-annual fluctuations, which may reflect both actual changes in population size, as well as variability in extent of coverage from year to year. Overall, the population was largely stable throughout the 1970s and 1980s, increased somewhat until around 2005, and has declined slightly since around 2010, but remains more than 40% above 1970 levels. This presumably reflects the Canadian population to some extent, but confidence is reduced to low because it is unknown how well it is represented by the overall continental trends. 

The goal for Northern Hawk Owl is to remain at or above its recent population level, based on the Christmas Bird Count. Trend data show that Northern Hawk Owl is currently within its goal range.