Unemployment rate, term by term
Every term lined up from its inauguration. Context is everything: compare the start of a term with the trend it inherited and with what was happening in the world (recessions, pandemics), all of which are on the full unemployment rate chart.
Of the 8 completed terms with data, the unemployment rate rose fastest under George H. W. Bush, at +0.53 pts/yr against −0.50 pts/yr in the four years before, and fell fastest under Joe Biden, at −0.65 pts/yr against +0.50 pts/yr in the four years before. So far under Donald Trump (2nd term), it has gone from 4.1% in Dec 2024 to 4.2% in Sep 2026.
Numbers
| President | During term | 4 years before |
|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump (2nd term) | 4.1% → 4.2% +0.06 pts/yr · through Sep 2026 | −0.65 pts/yr |
| Joe Biden | 6.7% → 4.1% −0.65 pts/yr | +0.50 pts/yr |
| Donald Trump (1st term) | 4.7% → 6.7% +0.50 pts/yr | −0.80 pts/yr |
| Barack Obama | 7.3% → 4.7% −0.32 pts/yr | +0.47 pts/yr |
| George W. Bush | 3.9% → 7.3% +0.43 pts/yr | −0.38 pts/yr |
| Bill Clinton | 7.4% → 3.9% −0.44 pts/yr | +0.53 pts/yr |
| George H. W. Bush | 5.3% → 7.4% +0.53 pts/yr | −0.50 pts/yr |
| Ronald Reagan | 7.2% → 5.3% −0.24 pts/yr | −0.15 pts/yr |
| Jimmy Carter | 7.8% → 7.2% −0.15 pts/yr | +0.65 pts/yr |