# Economy, crime and health under Donald Trump (1st term), 2017–2021

Source page: https://govargus.com/presidents/trump-2017

Republican · Jan 20, 2017 – Jan 20, 2021

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 | 4.7% → 6.7% (+0.50 pts/yr) | −0.80 pts/yr |
| Nonfarm payroll jobs | 145.4 million jobs → 142.5 million jobs (−0.71 million jobs/yr) | +2.58 million jobs/yr |
| Real GDP growth | avg 2.6% | avg 2.4% |
| Inflation (CPI, year over year) | avg 1.9% | avg 1.1% |
| Labor force participation | 62.7% → 61.5% (−0.30 pts/yr) | −0.25 pts/yr |

## Households

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Real median weekly earnings (1982–84 $) | $349 → $376 (+$7/yr) | +$4/yr |
| Gasoline price (regular, per gallon) | $2.23 → $2.17 (−$0.02/yr) | −$0.28/yr |
| Egg prices (grade A large, per dozen) | $1.38 → $1.48 (+$0.02/yr) | −$0.16/yr |
| 30-year mortgage rate | 4.20% → 2.68% (−0.38 pts/yr) | +0.21 pts/yr |
| Real median household income | $77,230 → $83,590 (+$1,590/yr) | +$2,040/yr |
| Poverty rate | 14.0% → 11.9% (−0.52 pts/yr) | −0.48 pts/yr |

## Federal budget

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Federal surplus or deficit (% of GDP) | avg −7.6% | avg −2.8% |
| Federal debt (% of GDP) | 104.6% → 125.6% (+5.24 pts/yr) | +1.14 pts/yr |
| National debt (dollars) | $19.98 trillion → $27.75 trillion (+$1.94 trillion/yr) | +$0.89 trillion/yr |

## Public safety

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Violent crime rate | 398 per 100k → 399 per 100k (0 per 100k/yr) | +2 per 100k/yr |
| Property crime rate | 2,452 per 100k → 1,958 per 100k (−123 per 100k/yr) | −104 per 100k/yr |
| Murder rate | 5.4 per 100k → 6.5 per 100k (+0.29 per 100k/yr) | +0.16 per 100k/yr |
| Firearm death rate | 11.8 per 100k → 13.6 per 100k (+0.45 per 100k/yr) | +0.33 per 100k/yr |

## Health

| Indicator | During term | 4 years before |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.5 years → 77.0 years (−0.39 years/yr) | −0.05 years/yr |
| Drug overdose death rate | 19.8 per 100k → 28.3 per 100k (+2.13 per 100k/yr) | +1.68 per 100k/yr |
| Uninsured rate | 8.6% → 9.2% (+0.20 pts/yr) | −1.55 pts/yr |

## Policy record

- Substantive public laws signed: 560; plus 226 naming or commemorative
- Executive orders signed: 220

## Tracked events during the term

- Oct 26, 2017, executive action: Opioid crisis declared a public health emergency. The administration declares a nationwide public health emergency over opioid overdoses.
- Dec 22, 2017, law: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Corporate rate cut from 35% to 21%, temporary individual rate cuts, and the ACA's individual-mandate penalty set to zero from 2019.
- Jul 6, 2018, trade: Section 301 tariffs on China begin. First 25% tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese imports; China retaliates and the trade war escalates through 2019.
- Oct 24, 2018, law: SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. Bipartisan opioid package expanding addiction treatment, prevention and Medicaid coverage for recovery.
- Mar 11, 2020, shock: COVID-19 declared a pandemic. Lockdowns push unemployment to 14.8% in April 2020.
- Mar 27, 2020, law: CARES Act. About $2.2 trillion in relief: stimulus checks, expanded unemployment benefits and the Paycheck Protection Program.
- May 25, 2020, shock: Murder of George Floyd and nationwide protests. Followed by the largest one-year rise in murders on record (2020), alongside pandemic disruption.