Presidents › Barack Obama
The economy under Barack Obama
25 official measures, each from the first month in office (2009) to month 48, ranked against every other administration at the same point.
| Measure | Month 1 | Latest / month 48 | Change | Rank at that point | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP Growth | −4.5% | 0.5% (m48) | +5.0 pts | #9 of 9 | Bureau of Economic Analysis |
| Real GDP | $16.3T | $17.5T (m48) | +7.3% | #8 of 9 | Bureau of Economic Analysis |
| Unemployment Rate | 7.8% | 7.9% (m48) | +0.1 pts | #9 of 9 | Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Labor Force Participation | 65.7% | 63.7% (m48) | −2.0 pts | #5 of 9 | Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Jobs Added per Month | −768K | 249K (m48) | +132.4% | #2 of 9 | Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Manufacturing Jobs | 12.6M | 11.9M (m48) | −4.9% | #7 of 9 | Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Inflation (CPI) | −0.1% | 1.8% (m48) | +1.9 pts | #2 of 9 | Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Core Inflation | 1.7% | 1.9% (m48) | +0.2 pts | #2 of 9 | Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Gas Prices | $1.77 | $3.26 (m48) | +84.2% | #5 of 5 | Energy Information Administration |
| Real Wages | 3.0% | −0.6% (m48) | −3.6 pts | #7 of 8 | Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Purchasing Power of the Dollar | $16.84 | $15.44 (m48) | −8.3% | #2 of 9 | Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Federal Funds Rate | 0.1% | 0.2% (m48) | +0.0 pts | #2 of 9 | Federal Reserve |
| Debt-to-GDP | 77.1% | 100.1% (m48) | +23.0 pts | #7 of 9 | U.S. Treasury and OMB |
| Trade Balance | −$38B | −$35B (m48) | +7.9% | #1 of 5 | Census Bureau and BEA |
| 30-Year Mortgage Rate | 5.0% | 3.3% (m48) | −1.7 pts | #2 of 9 | Freddie Mac |
| Housing Starts | 490K | 976K (m48) | +99.2% | #9 of 9 | Census Bureau |
| Retail Sales | $330B | $401B (m48) | +21.6% | #3 of 5 | Census Bureau |
| Job Openings | 2.7M | 4.0M (m48) | +44.9% | #4 of 4 | Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Job Openings per Job Seeker | 0.23× | 0.32× (m48) | +39.1% | #4 of 4 | Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Personal Saving Rate | 5.9% | 10.9% (m48) | +5.0 pts | #5 of 9 | Bureau of Economic Analysis |
| Consumer Sentiment | 61.2 | 72.9 (m48) | +19.1% | #8 of 9 | University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers |
| 10-Year Treasury Yield | 2.5% | 1.7% (m48) | −0.8 pts | #2 of 9 | Federal Reserve |
| 5-Year Treasury Yield | 1.6% | 0.7% (m48) | −0.9 pts | #2 of 9 | Federal Reserve |
| Yield Curve (10Y–2Y) | 1.71 pts | 1.46 pts (m48) | −0.3 pts | #2 of 8 | Federal Reserve |
| Federal Budget Balance | −$762B | −$1,061B (m48) | −39.2% | #5 of 7 | U.S. Treasury |
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