# Economy, crime and health under Barack Obama, 2009–2017

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

Democratic · Jan 20, 2009 – Jan 20, 2017

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 | 7.3% → 4.7% (−0.32 pts/yr) | +0.47 pts/yr |
| Nonfarm payroll jobs | 134.8 million jobs → 145.4 million jobs (+1.32 million jobs/yr) | +0.55 million jobs/yr |
| Real GDP growth | avg 2.2% | avg 1.1% |
| Inflation (CPI, year over year) | avg 1.4% | avg 3.3% |
| Labor force participation | 65.8% → 62.7% (−0.39 pts/yr) | −0.03 pts/yr |

## Households

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Real median weekly earnings (1982–84 $) | $340 → $349 (+$1/yr) | +$1/yr |
| Gasoline price (regular, per gallon) | $1.69 → $2.23 (+$0.07/yr) | −$0.05/yr |
| Egg prices (grade A large, per dozen) | $1.83 → $1.38 (−$0.06/yr) | +$0.16/yr |
| 30-year mortgage rate | 5.29% → 4.20% (−0.14 pts/yr) | −0.11 pts/yr |
| Real median household income | $72,260 → $77,230 (+$621/yr) | +$140/yr |
| Poverty rate | 13.2% → 14.0% (+0.10 pts/yr) | +0.13 pts/yr |

## Federal budget

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Federal surplus or deficit (% of GDP) | avg −5.1% | avg −2.0% |
| Federal debt (% of GDP) | 73.2% → 104.6% (+3.93 pts/yr) | +3.15 pts/yr |
| National debt (dollars) | $10.70 trillion → $19.98 trillion (+$1.16 trillion/yr) | +$0.78 trillion/yr |

## Public safety

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Violent crime rate | 459 per 100k → 398 per 100k (−8 per 100k/yr) | −1 per 100k/yr |
| Property crime rate | 3,215 per 100k → 2,452 per 100k (−95 per 100k/yr) | −75 per 100k/yr |
| Murder rate | 5.4 per 100k → 5.4 per 100k (0.00 per 100k/yr) | −0.02 per 100k/yr |
| Firearm death rate | 10.3 per 100k → 11.8 per 100k (+0.19 per 100k/yr) | +0.08 per 100k/yr |

## Health

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.0 years → 78.5 years (+0.06 years/yr) | +0.14 years/yr |
| Drug overdose death rate | 11.9 per 100k → 19.8 per 100k (+0.99 per 100k/yr) | +0.63 per 100k/yr |
| Uninsured rate | 14.6% → 8.6% (−0.75 pts/yr) | — |

## Policy record

- Substantive public laws signed: 955; plus 335 naming or commemorative
- Executive orders signed: 276

## Tracked events during the term

- Feb 17, 2009, law: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. About $800 billion in stimulus: tax cuts, aid to states, infrastructure and safety-net spending.
- Mar 23, 2010, law: Affordable Care Act signed. Medicaid expansion, subsidized insurance marketplaces and an individual mandate; main coverage provisions start in 2014.
- Jul 21, 2010, law: Dodd–Frank financial reform. New capital, oversight and consumer-protection rules for banks.
- Jan 1, 2014, law: ACA coverage expansion begins. Insurance marketplaces, subsidies and (in participating states) expanded Medicaid take effect.