The best source of information on the population status of Short-billed Dowitcher is migration monitoring by the Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (PRISM). Analysis is complicated by the close resemblance between Short-billed Dowitcher and Long-billed Dowitcher and geographic overlap during migration, resulting in some individuals being misidentified or not identified to species. However, migration monitoring by PRISM is thought to sample a moderate proportion of the population and has intermediate precision, allowing for overall medium reliability. The data indicate a large, long-term decrease in abundance, with the steepest decline in the early 1990s. The population is currently 85% lower than in the early 1980s. Although coverage by the Breeding Bird Survey is largely limited to the southern edge of the breeding range and has low reliability, it shows a similar long-term decline of 80% since 1970.

The goal for Short-billed Dowitcher is to increase the population to the level it was at in the early 1970s, based on migration monitoring by the Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring. Trend data show that Short-billed Dowitcher is far below its goal range and its population decline is ongoing. The trend will need to stabilize before the population can begin to rebound, and it is not realistic for the goal to be met by 2050. Based on analysis of the historical population loss and potential growth rates, the interim target is to reach 25% of the goal by that year. Achieving this target, and ultimately reaching the national goal for this species, will require ambitious and long-term conservation action.