Unemployment rate during each president's tenure
Every president since 1991, ranked by how the unemployment rate changed from their first day in office. Politare shows what happened during a tenure; it does not claim the office-holder caused it.
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Tenures
Period
Order
| # | President | In office | Total | Per year | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  George W. Bush | 20 Jan 2001 – 20 Jan 2009 | +3.4 pp Dec 2000 → Dec 2008 | +0.4 pp/yr | |
| 2 | Donald Trump | 20 Jan 2017 – 20 Jan 2021 | +2.0 pp Dec 2016 → Dec 2020 | +0.5 pp/yr | |
| 3 | Donald Trump | 20 Jan 2025 – now | +0.1 pp Dec 2024 → Sep 2026 | +0.1 pp/yr | |
| 4 |  Barack Obama | 20 Jan 2009 – 20 Jan 2017 | −2.6 pp Dec 2008 → Dec 2016 | −0.3 pp/yr | |
| 5 | Joe Biden | 20 Jan 2021 – 20 Jan 2025 | −2.6 pp Dec 2020 → Dec 2024 | −0.7 pp/yr | |
| 6 | Bill Clinton | 20 Jan 1993 – 20 Jan 2001 | −3.5 pp Dec 1992 → Dec 2000 | −0.4 pp/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 pp; "per year" compounds levels and divides rates. Tenures with under 12 months, or under three observations, are left out. % of labour force · BLS via FRED (UNRATE) · United States data · as of Sep 2026.