The best source of information on the population status of Spotted Sandpiper is the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). Although the northernmost portion of its range is poorly covered, it still samples over half of the breeding range and has high precision. BBS data indicate a large long-term decrease in abundance since the early 1970s, but stabilizing over the past decade around two-thirds below its historical level. Large declines have occurred in all Canadian Bird Conservation Regions with at least medium reliability in BBS trends, with the exception of south-central British Columbia, where little change has occurred, and the Prairies, where there has been a large increase. Additional information on this species is provided by migration monitoring data from the Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring, which similarly shows a large decline of over 60% since 1980.

The goal for Spotted Sandpiper 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 Spotted Sandpiper is currently below its goal range, but has shown stabilization over the past decade. 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 70% of the goal by 2050. Achieving this target, and ultimately reaching the national goal for this species, will require deliberate conservation action.