The best source of information on the population status of Purple Finch is the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). Although the northern limits of its breeding range are not well covered, overall reliability of the BBS is considered high. The national BBS trend shows two primary phases of decline, one in the late 1970s, and the other from the late 1980s to mid-1990s. Since then it has largely fluctuated around 40% below early 1970s levels. At a regional scale, the greatest declines have been in interior British Columbia, central parts of Ontario and Quebec, and the Maritimes. The only regions with little long-term change are coastal British Columbia, northern British Columbia and Yukon, the southern Prairies, and southern Ontario and Quebec. 

The goal for Purple Finch 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 Purple Finch is currently below its goal range, but it has shown a stable to slightly increasing trend over the past decade. Analysis of recent trends and potential growth rates suggests that Purple Finch could reach its population goal by 2050 with the support of conservation action