No spin · No editorial · You interpret

The economy
under every
president,
in data.

Open the ledger →See methodologyUpdated May 2026
19
Economic metrics
4
Active conflicts tracked
5
Administrations
32yrs
Years of data
The economy, by administration31 yrs · BEA
ClintonBush W.ObamaTrumpBiden
Source: BEA
What's notable right now
As of 2024 · auto-generated
S&P 500 · Biden→
S&P 500 hit an all-time high in 2024
5,881 — the highest reading in the 32-year series.
Median Income · Biden→
Median Income hit an all-time high in 2024
$81.5K — the highest reading in the 32-year series.
Inflation (CPI) · Biden→
Inflation back near the Fed's target
2.9% in 2024 — within the 1-3% band the Fed considers price stability.
Section 01 · The Ledger

Every metric,
every president, at a glance.

Open full scorecard ↗
Display
$ values
Metric
Clinton
1993–2001
Bush W.
2001–2009
Obama
2009–2017
Trump
2017–2021
Biden
2021–2025
Trump II
2025–
GrowthGDP Growth
+1.4 pp2.7% → 4.1%-4.2 pp4.1% → -0.1%+1.8 pp-0.1% → 1.7%-4.5 pp1.7% → -2.8%+5.6 pp-2.8% → 2.8%LIVE
JobsUnemployment
-2.9 pp6.9% → 4.0%+1.8 pp4.0% → 5.8%-0.9 pp5.8% → 4.9%+3.2 pp4.9% → 8.1%-4.1 pp8.1% → 4.0%LIVE
PricesInflation (CPI)
2.6% avg3.0% → 3.4%2.8% avg3.4% → 3.8%1.4% avg3.8% → 1.3%1.9% avg1.3% → 1.2%4.9% avg1.2% → 2.9%LIVE
MarketsS&P 500
+13.7%/yr452 → 1,320-7.3%/yr1,320 → 903+10.5%/yr903 → 2,239+11.7%/yr2,239 → 3,756+6.6%/yr3,756 → 5,881LIVE
FiscalDebt-to-GDP
-9.7 pp64.4% → 54.7%+13.0 pp54.7% → 67.7%+37.9 pp67.7% → 105.6%+23.6 pp105.6% → 129.2%-5.2 pp129.2% → 124.0%LIVE
WagesMedian Income
-0.7%/yr$52.3K → $59.5K-3.6%/yr$59.5K → $55.3K-0.3%/yr$55.3K → $60.3K+1.0%/yr$60.3K → $67.5K-0.1%/yr$67.5K → $81.5KLIVE
Per-metric view: percentage-point (pp) change for rates, real annualized for prices/income, average for inflation.
Worsened
Improved
Section 02 · Deep Dive

The long view,
color-coded by who held office.

GDP Growth (%)

+13 more →

By administration

Showing percentage-point (pp) change across each tenure.
See all 19 metrics
Jobs, wages, trade, debt, and more
→
Context mattersPresidents inherit economic conditions and share influence with Congress, the Fed, and global events. Correlation ≠ causation. Use this data to inform, not to conclude.
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Q2 · 2026
Section 03 · Principles

How we stay out of the way.

01

Raw numbers only

Every value on this site comes straight from the source agency — BEA, BLS, Treasury, Census, Fed. No modeling, no seasonal adjustments of our own, no averaging across administrations.

Methodology ↗
02

No verdicts, no rankings.

We don't pick winners. A chart shows what happened; the scorecard shows which direction the needle moved. Whether that was good or the president's doing is for you to decide.

Editorial policy ↗
03

Context, not commentary.

Each metric comes with a definition, a benchmark from historical averages, and notes on what presidents actually influence. No op-eds, no hot takes, no guest columnists.

How we write ↗
Section 04 · Sources

Where the numbers come from.

BEABureau of Economic Analysis — GDP, trade balance, national accounts.
BLSBureau of Labor Statistics — unemployment, wages, jobs, CPI.
CensusU.S. Census Bureau — median income, poverty, demographics.
TreasuryU.S. Treasury — federal debt, deficit, budget.
Federal ReserveFed funds rate, money supply, balance sheet.
EIAEnergy Information Administration — gasoline, energy prices.
CSISCenter for Strategic & International Studies — military cost estimates, defense analysis.
Brown Univ.Costs of War Project — total war expenditures, veteran care, conflict budgets.
Kiel InstituteUkraine Support Tracker — bilateral aid commitments by country.
CBOCongressional Budget Office — deficit projections, spending analysis.
S&P GlobalS&P 500 index, credit ratings, financial indicators.
CRSCongressional Research Service — supplemental appropriations, military aid reports.
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The ledger, updated.

New data lands, old data gets revised, and we flag the ones that changed most. No campaign coverage. No horse race. Just the numbers.

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