Inflation under Ronald Reagan
Inflation (CPI, year over year) · Republican · Jan 20, 1981 – Jan 20, 1989
Under Ronald Reagan, inflation averaged 4.6%, against 9.8% in the four years before. That is the 3rd-highest average of the 8 completed terms since 1977.
Percent change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers versus the same month a year earlier. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, via FRED CPIAUCSL. Monthly data, fetched Oct 19, 2026. The chart runs from four years before the term to two years after it.
Inflation under Reagan, year by year
Highest reading during the term: 11.4% in Feb 1981. Lowest: 1.2% in Dec 1986.
| Year | Average |
|---|---|
| 1981 (Feb–Dec) | 10.3% |
| 1982 | 6.2% |
| 1983 | 3.2% |
| 1984 | 4.4% |
| 1985 | 3.5% |
| 1986 | 2.0% |
| 1987 | 3.6% |
| 1988 | 4.1% |
Inflation under every president
Terms sorted by their average, highest first, each next to the average 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 | avg 9.8% | avg 8.1% |
| Joe Biden 2021–2025 | avg 5.0% | avg 1.9% |
| Ronald Reagan 1981–1989 | avg 4.6% | avg 9.8% |
| George H. W. Bush 1989–1993 | avg 4.4% | avg 3.3% |
| Donald Trump (2nd term) 2025–present | avg 3.0% so far | avg 5.0% |
| George W. Bush 2001–2009 | avg 2.8% | avg 2.3% |
| Bill Clinton 1993–2001 | avg 2.6% | avg 4.4% |
| Donald Trump (1st term) 2017–2021 | avg 1.9% | avg 1.1% |
| Barack Obama 2009–2017 | avg 1.4% | avg 3.3% |
Every term lined up from inauguration day on one chart · Inflation by president since 1980