Jobs Added per Month under George H. W. Bush
Jobs Added per Month went from 263K in George H. W. Bush's first month to 219K at month 48: a change of −16.7%. At that point in office it ranks #4 of 9 administrations since 1969. Official data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
All administrations at month 48
| Rank | Administration | Value at month 48 | Change since month 1 | Latest / end of month 48 | Primary federal source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Richard Nixon | 295K | +54.5% | 295K (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · PAYEMS |
| #2 | Barack Obama | 249K | +132.4% | 249K (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · PAYEMS |
| #3 | Joe Biden | 237K | −24.8% | 237K (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · PAYEMS |
| #4 | George H. W. Bush | 219K | −16.7% | 219K (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · PAYEMS |
| #5 | Jimmy Carter | 196K | −19.0% | 196K (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · PAYEMS |
| #6 | Bill Clinton | 196K | −31.9% | 196K (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · PAYEMS |
| #7 | George W. Bush | 127K | +1076.9% | 127K (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · PAYEMS |
| #8 | Ronald Reagan | 125K | +38.9% | 125K (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · PAYEMS |
| #9 | Donald Trump (first term) | −185K | −184.1% | −185K (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · PAYEMS |
Methodology and source verification
Month-over-month change in total nonfarm payrolls from the BLS establishment survey, in thousands of jobs.
Every administration is aligned to its own inauguration: month 1 is the month it took office, and the comparison runs to month 48 (the first term). Each administration is compared at the same month in office, so a president halfway through a term is never measured against another's full four years.
Primary source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Retrieved from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED), series PAYEMS, refreshed hourly. Latest observation 2026-09-01, first published 2026-10-02. Full methods: methodology.