Jobs under Ronald Reagan
Nonfarm payroll jobs · Republican · Jan 20, 1981 – Jan 20, 1989
Under Ronald Reagan, the number of payroll jobs went from 90.9 million jobs in Dec 1980 to 106.9 million jobs in Dec 1988, up 16.0 million jobs (+17.5%). That is +1.99 million jobs/yr, against +2.62 million jobs/yr in the four years before. Ranked by yearly change, it is the 4th-fastest rise of the 8 completed terms since 1977.
Total jobs on US nonfarm payrolls (Current Employment Statistics survey, seasonally adjusted). The change over a term is the number of jobs added or lost. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, via FRED PAYEMS. Monthly data, fetched Oct 19, 2026. The chart runs from four years before the term to two years after it.
Jobs under Reagan, year by year
Highest reading during the term: 106.9 million jobs in Dec 1988. Lowest: 88.8 million jobs in Dec 1982.
| Period | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 1980, before inauguration | 90.9 million jobs | |
| Dec 1981 | 90.9 million jobs | 0.0 million jobs |
| Dec 1982 | 88.8 million jobs | −2.1 million jobs |
| Dec 1983 | 92.2 million jobs | +3.5 million jobs |
| Dec 1984 | 96.1 million jobs | +3.9 million jobs |
| Dec 1985 | 98.6 million jobs | +2.5 million jobs |
| Dec 1986 | 100.5 million jobs | +1.9 million jobs |
| Dec 1987 | 103.7 million jobs | +3.2 million jobs |
| Dec 1988 | 106.9 million jobs | +3.2 million jobs |
Jobs 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden 2021–2025 | 142.5 million jobs → 158.3 million jobs +3.94 million jobs/yr | −0.71 million jobs/yr |
| Bill Clinton 1993–2001 | 109.5 million jobs → 132.7 million jobs +2.90 million jobs/yr | +0.65 million jobs/yr |
| Jimmy Carter 1977–1981 | 80.4 million jobs → 90.9 million jobs +2.62 million jobs/yr | +1.29 million jobs/yr |
| Ronald Reagan 1981–1989 | 90.9 million jobs → 106.9 million jobs +1.99 million jobs/yr | +2.62 million jobs/yr |
| Barack Obama 2009–2017 | 134.8 million jobs → 145.4 million jobs +1.32 million jobs/yr | +0.55 million jobs/yr |
| George H. W. Bush 1989–1993 | 106.9 million jobs → 109.5 million jobs +0.65 million jobs/yr | +2.70 million jobs/yr |
| Donald Trump (2nd term) 2025–present | 158.3 million jobs → 159.0 million jobs +0.42 million jobs/yr · through Sep 2026 | +3.94 million jobs/yr |
| George W. Bush 2001–2009 | 132.7 million jobs → 134.8 million jobs +0.27 million jobs/yr | +2.89 million jobs/yr |
| Donald Trump (1st term) 2017–2021 | 145.4 million jobs → 142.5 million jobs −0.71 million jobs/yr | +2.58 million jobs/yr |
Every term lined up from inauguration day on one chart · Nonfarm payroll jobs by president since 1980