# Economy, crime and health under George H. W. Bush, 1989–1993

Source page: https://govargus.com/presidents/bush-41

Republican · Jan 20, 1989 – Jan 20, 1993

Each indicator shows how it changed during the term next to the four years before it. A term's first year mostly reflects the previous administration's policies, and Congress, the Federal Reserve and the world economy move these numbers too. Govargus describes; it does not score presidents.

## Economy

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% → 7.4% (+0.53 pts/yr) | −0.50 pts/yr |
| Nonfarm payroll jobs | 106.9 million jobs → 109.5 million jobs (+0.65 million jobs/yr) | +2.70 million jobs/yr |
| Real GDP growth | avg 2.1% | avg 3.9% |
| Inflation (CPI, year over year) | avg 4.4% | avg 3.3% |
| Labor force participation | 66.1% → 66.3% (+0.05 pts/yr) | +0.38 pts/yr |

## Households

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Real median weekly earnings (1982–84 $) | $324 → $312 (−$3/yr) | +$2/yr |
| Gasoline price (regular, per gallon) | $0.93 → $1.14 (+$0.05/yr) | −$0.07/yr |
| Egg prices (grade A large, per dozen) | $0.83 → $0.93 (+$0.02/yr) | −$0.01/yr |
| 30-year mortgage rate | 10.61% → 8.21% (−0.60 pts/yr) | −0.64 pts/yr |
| Real median household income | $66,740 → $64,560 (−$545/yr) | +$1,208/yr |
| Poverty rate | no data | no data |

## Federal budget

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Federal surplus or deficit (% of GDP) | avg −4.2% | avg −3.6% |
| Federal debt (% of GDP) | 49.7% → 62.5% (+3.20 pts/yr) | +2.41 pts/yr |
| National debt (dollars) | $2.68 trillion → $4.18 trillion (+$0.37 trillion/yr) | +$0.26 trillion/yr |

## Public safety

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Violent crime rate | 641 per 100k → 758 per 100k (+29 per 100k/yr) | +25 per 100k/yr |
| Property crime rate | 5,054 per 100k → 4,904 per 100k (−38 per 100k/yr) | +139 per 100k/yr |
| Murder rate | 8.5 per 100k → 9.3 per 100k (+0.22 per 100k/yr) | +0.13 per 100k/yr |
| Firearm death rate | no data | no data |

## Health

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Life expectancy at birth | 74.8 years → 75.6 years (+0.21 years/yr) | +0.05 years/yr |
| Drug overdose death rate | no data | no data |
| Uninsured rate | no data | no data |

## Policy record

- Substantive public laws signed: 974; plus 267 naming or commemorative
- Executive orders: not in the Federal Register record, which starts in 1994

## Tracked events during the term

- Nov 5, 1990, law: Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. Bush signs tax increases and spending caps, breaking his "no new taxes" pledge; introduces pay-as-you-go budget rules.