Mortgage rates under Barack Obama
30-year mortgage rate · Democratic · Jan 20, 2009 – Jan 20, 2017
Under Barack Obama, the average 30-year mortgage rate went from 5.29% in Dec 2008 to 4.20% in Dec 2016, down 1.09 pts. That is −0.14 pts/yr, against −0.11 pts/yr in the four years before. Ranked by yearly change, it is 4th of the 8 completed terms since 1977, counting from the fastest rise.
Average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey), weekly survey averaged by month. Follows long-term Treasury yields and the Federal Reserve's policy more than anything a president does directly. Source: Freddie Mac, via FRED MORTGAGE30US. Monthly data, fetched Oct 19, 2026. The chart runs from four years before the term to two years after it.
Mortgage rates under Obama, year by year
Highest reading during the term: 5.42% in Jun 2009. Lowest: 3.35% in Nov 2012.
| Period | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2008, before inauguration | 5.29% | |
| Dec 2009 | 4.93% | −0.36 pts |
| Dec 2010 | 4.71% | −0.22 pts |
| Dec 2011 | 3.96% | −0.75 pts |
| Dec 2012 | 3.35% | −0.61 pts |
| Dec 2013 | 4.46% | +1.11 pts |
| Dec 2014 | 3.86% | −0.60 pts |
| Dec 2015 | 3.96% | +0.10 pts |
| Dec 2016 | 4.20% | +0.24 pts |
Mortgage rates under every president
Terms sorted by yearly change, fastest rise first, each next to the trend over the four years before it. A term's first year mostly reflects the previous administration's policies, and Congress, the Fed and the world economy move this number too. Why nothing here is a score.
| President | During term | 4 years before |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Carter 1977–1981 | 8.79% → 14.79% +1.50 pts/yr | +0.34 pts/yr |
| Joe Biden 2021–2025 | 2.68% → 6.72% +1.01 pts/yr | −0.38 pts/yr |
| Donald Trump (2nd term) 2025–present | 6.72% → 6.86% +0.08 pts/yr · through Sep 2026 | +1.01 pts/yr |
| Bill Clinton 1993–2001 | 8.21% → 7.38% −0.10 pts/yr | −0.60 pts/yr |
| Barack Obama 2009–2017 | 5.29% → 4.20% −0.14 pts/yr | −0.11 pts/yr |
| George W. Bush 2001–2009 | 7.38% → 5.29% −0.26 pts/yr | −0.05 pts/yr |
| Donald Trump (1st term) 2017–2021 | 4.20% → 2.68% −0.38 pts/yr | +0.21 pts/yr |
| Ronald Reagan 1981–1989 | 14.79% → 10.61% −0.52 pts/yr | +1.50 pts/yr |
| George H. W. Bush 1989–1993 | 10.61% → 8.21% −0.60 pts/yr | −0.64 pts/yr |
Every term lined up from inauguration day on one chart · 30-year mortgage rate by president since 1980