Unemployment Rate under Donald Trump (second term)
Unemployment Rate went from 4.0% in Donald Trump (second term)'s first month to 4.2% at month 21 (the latest reading): a change of +0.2 pts. At that point in office it ranks #3 of 10 administrations since 1969. Official data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
All administrations at month 21
| Rank | Administration | Value at month 21 | Change since month 1 | Latest / end of month 48 | Primary federal source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Joe Biden | 3.5% | −2.9 pts | 4.1% (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · UNRATE |
| #2 | Donald Trump (first term) | 3.7% | −1.0 pts | 6.7% (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · UNRATE |
| #3 | Donald Trump (second term) · in office | 4.2% | +0.2 pts | 4.2% (month 21) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · UNRATE |
| #4 | Richard Nixon | 5.4% | +2.0 pts | 5.2% (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · UNRATE |
| #5 | George W. Bush | 5.7% | +1.5 pts | 5.4% (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · UNRATE |
| #6 | George H. W. Bush | 5.9% | +0.5 pts | 7.4% (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · UNRATE |
| #7 | Bill Clinton | 5.9% | −1.4 pts | 5.4% (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · UNRATE |
| #8 | Jimmy Carter | 6.0% | −1.5 pts | 7.2% (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · UNRATE |
| #9 | Barack Obama | 9.5% | +1.7 pts | 7.9% (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · UNRATE |
| #10 | Ronald Reagan | 10.1% | +2.6 pts | 7.3% (month 48) | Bureau of Labor Statistics · UNRATE |
Methodology and source verification
The official U-3 unemployment rate from the BLS Current Population Survey, monthly and seasonally adjusted. Lower ranks better.
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 UNRATE, refreshed hourly. Latest observation 2026-09-01, first published 2026-10-02. Full methods: methodology.