# Economy, crime and health under Bill Clinton, 1993–2001

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

Democratic · Jan 20, 1993 – Jan 20, 2001

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 | 7.4% → 3.9% (−0.44 pts/yr) | +0.53 pts/yr |
| Nonfarm payroll jobs | 109.5 million jobs → 132.7 million jobs (+2.90 million jobs/yr) | +0.65 million jobs/yr |
| Real GDP growth | avg 3.9% | avg 2.1% |
| Inflation (CPI, year over year) | avg 2.6% | avg 4.4% |
| Labor force participation | 66.3% → 67.0% (+0.09 pts/yr) | +0.05 pts/yr |

## Households

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Real median weekly earnings (1982–84 $) | $312 → $334 (+$3/yr) | −$3/yr |
| Gasoline price (regular, per gallon) | $1.14 → $1.49 (+$0.04/yr) | +$0.05/yr |
| Egg prices (grade A large, per dozen) | $0.93 → $0.96 ($0.00/yr) | +$0.02/yr |
| 30-year mortgage rate | 8.21% → 7.38% (−0.10 pts/yr) | −0.60 pts/yr |
| Real median household income | $64,560 → $73,560 (+$1,125/yr) | −$545/yr |
| Poverty rate | 12.8% → 11.3% (−0.14 pts/yr) | — |

## Federal budget

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Federal surplus or deficit (% of GDP) | avg −0.3% | avg −4.2% |
| Federal debt (% of GDP) | 62.5% → 54.3% (−1.03 pts/yr) | +3.20 pts/yr |
| National debt (dollars) | $4.18 trillion → $5.66 trillion (+$0.19 trillion/yr) | +$0.37 trillion/yr |

## Public safety

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Violent crime rate | 758 per 100k → 507 per 100k (−31 per 100k/yr) | +29 per 100k/yr |
| Property crime rate | 4,904 per 100k → 3,618 per 100k (−161 per 100k/yr) | −38 per 100k/yr |
| Murder rate | 9.3 per 100k → 5.5 per 100k (−0.47 per 100k/yr) | +0.22 per 100k/yr |
| Firearm death rate | no data | no data |

## Health

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Life expectancy at birth | 75.6 years → 76.6 years (+0.13 years/yr) | +0.21 years/yr |
| Drug overdose death rate | no data | no data |
| Uninsured rate | no data | no data |

## Policy record

- Substantive public laws signed: 1484; plus 286 naming or commemorative
- Executive orders signed: 308 (partial: the Federal Register record starts in 1994)

## Tracked events during the term

- Aug 10, 1993, law: Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. Raises the top income tax rate to 39.6% and expands the EITC; passed without a single Republican vote.
- Nov 30, 1993, law: Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. Requires background checks for handgun purchases from licensed dealers, starting in 1994.
- Jan 1, 1994, trade: NAFTA takes effect. Free-trade area between the US, Canada and Mexico begins.
- Sep 13, 1994, law: Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. The 1994 crime bill: funding for 100,000 police officers and new prisons, tougher sentencing, and a 10-year federal assault weapons ban.
- Aug 22, 1996, law: Welfare reform (PRWORA). Replaces AFDC with time-limited TANF block grants and adds work requirements.
- Aug 5, 1997, law: Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Spending restraint, mostly in Medicare, paired with the Taxpayer Relief Act's capital-gains cut and child tax credit.