# Economy, crime and health under Jimmy Carter, 1977–1981

Source page: https://govargus.com/presidents/carter

Democratic · Jan 20, 1977 – Jan 20, 1981

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 | 7.8% → 7.2% (−0.15 pts/yr) | +0.65 pts/yr |
| Nonfarm payroll jobs | 80.4 million jobs → 90.9 million jobs (+2.62 million jobs/yr) | +1.29 million jobs/yr |
| Real GDP growth | avg 3.2% | avg 1.8% |
| Inflation (CPI, year over year) | avg 9.8% | avg 8.1% |
| Labor force participation | 61.8% → 63.6% (+0.45 pts/yr) | +0.32 pts/yr |

## Households

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Real median weekly earnings (1982–84 $) | no data | no data |
| Gasoline price (regular, per gallon) | $0.63 → $1.26 (+$0.16/yr) | — |
| Egg prices (grade A large, per dozen) | no data | no data |
| 30-year mortgage rate | 8.79% → 14.79% (+1.50 pts/yr) | +0.34 pts/yr |
| Real median household income | no data | no data |
| Poverty rate | no data | no data |

## Federal budget

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Federal surplus or deficit (% of GDP) | avg −2.2% | avg −2.5% |
| Federal debt (% of GDP) | 33.8% → 31.2% (−0.66 pts/yr) | +0.01 pts/yr |
| National debt (dollars) | $0.65 trillion → $0.93 trillion (+$0.07 trillion/yr) | +$0.05 trillion/yr |

## Public safety

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Violent crime rate | no data | no data |
| Property crime rate | no data | no data |
| Murder rate | no data | no data |
| Firearm death rate | no data | no data |

## Health

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Life expectancy at birth | 72.9 years → 73.6 years (+0.19 years/yr) | +0.43 years/yr |
| Drug overdose death rate | no data | no data |
| Uninsured rate | no data | no data |

## Policy record

- Substantive public laws signed: 0 (partial record); plus 0 naming or commemorative
- Executive orders: not in the Federal Register record, which starts in 1994

## Tracked events during the term

- Oct 6, 1979, federal reserve: Volcker Fed shifts to targeting money supply. The Federal Reserve under Paul Volcker lets interest rates soar to break inflation, setting up the 1980–82 recessions.