Real average hourly earnings during each president's tenure
Every president since 2006, ranked by how real average hourly earnings changed from their first day in office. Politare shows what happened during a tenure; it does not claim the office-holder caused it.
| # | President | In office | Total | Per year | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R Donald Trump | 20 Jan 2017 – 20 Jan 2021 | +6.8% Dec 2016 → Dec 2020 | +1.7%/yr | |
| 2 | D Barack Obama | 20 Jan 2009 – 20 Jan 2017 | +2.9% Dec 2008 → Dec 2016 | +0.4%/yr | |
| 3 | R Donald Trump | 20 Jan 2025 – now | +0.5% Dec 2024 → Aug 2026 | +0.3%/yr | |
| 4 | D Joe Biden | 20 Jan 2021 – 20 Jan 2025 | −1.5% Dec 2020 → Dec 2024 | −0.4%/yr |
Sorted by total, highest first. Every row is indexed to the last month complete before the first day in office ("from" marks a start that had to move because that period had no data, or because the period cut it); Levels are per cent changes, rates are differences in %; "per year" compounds levels and divides rates. Tenures with under 12 months, or under three observations, are left out. $ per hour, 2017 dollars, private employers · BLS CES via FRED (CES0500000003), deflated by CPI-U (CPIAUCSL) · United States data · as of Aug 2026.