The best source of information on the population status of Semipalmated Sandpiper is migration monitoring by the Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (PRISM). Coverage of stopover sites is considered moderate for this species, but annual estimates can be affected by variation in stopover timing and duration, so although precision in estimated trends is high, reliability is only medium. The PRISM data indicate a large, long-term decrease in abundance since the early 1970s. The population is currently 68% lower than in the 1970s. Future assessments of status will be improved when more results from the Arctic Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (Arctic PRISM) become available, which focus on the breeding population.

The goal for Semipalmated Sandpiper is to increase the population to the level it was at in the early 1980s, based on migration monitoring by the Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring. Trend data show that Semipalmated Sandpiper 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 50% of the goal by 2050. Achieving this target, and ultimately reaching the national goal for this species, will require deliberate conservation action.