The unemployment rates under each US president revealed

From tax cuts and increases to federal aid, a president's economic policies can affect many aspects of the economy, including the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is viewed as an indicator not just of the health of the overall economy or the percentage of people who aren't employed, but also as a measure of the success of a presidency. 

To discover which presidents had the highest and which had the lowest, click through the gallery. 

Harry S. Truman (1884–1972)

The average annual unemployment rate under Truman's presidency was about 4.24%. He was tasked with transitioning the economy after World War II without creating a major recession.

While unemployment rose to 7.9% in October 1949 because of a mild post-war recession, it quickly fell and remained under 3% through the rest of Truman's term.

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969)

The average annual unemployment rate under Eisenhower was 4.93%. The economy went through three recessions during his two terms, but then remained relatively strong through the '50s. 

However, unemployment rose to 6.6% by the end of Eisenhower’s term in 1961 because of a recession that began in 1960. 

John F. Kennedy (1917–1963)

JFK's average annual unemployment rate was 5.96%. Unemployment was high from the previous administration, hovering at 6.9% when Kennedy took office.

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973)

The average annual unemployment rate under Johnson's presidency was 4.18%, the lowest so far.  

Richard M. Nixon (1913–1994)

The average annual unemployment rate under Nixon's time in office was 5.03%. Inflation had started to increase in the late '60s, and Nixon wanted to decrease inflation without sending the economy into a recession.

Gerald Ford (1913–2006)

Ford inherited an economy battling stagflation and a recession that began in 1973. This is why his average annual unemployment rate was 7.76%, the highest to this day. 

Ford did cut taxes and reduced regulation to stabilize the economy. While this ended the recession, inflation still remained elevated. 

Jimmy Carter (1924-2024)

The average annual unemployment rate under Carter's administration was 6.54%. Stagflation continued, but the unemployment rate slowly declined in the first half of his term.

Ronald Reagan (1911–2004)

With an average annual unemployment rate of 7.51%, Reagan took office when the economy went into recession in 1981.

George H.W. Bush (1924-2018)

The average annual unemployment rate under Bush Sr.'s presidency was 6.34%. Unemployment rose steadily during his time in office, and he faced the fallout from the Savings and Loan Crisis. This led to a recession from 1990 to 1991.

Bill Clinton (1946-)

The average annual unemployment rate under Clinton's presidency was 5.17%.

George W. Bush (1946–)

The average annual unemployment rate during Bush's two terms was 5.31%. The 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2008 Great Recession all happened during his presidency. 

Barack Obama (1961–)

The average annual unemployment rate during Obama's presidency was 7.41%. He took office in the midst of the Great Recession, and unemployment continued to rise, hitting 10% in October 2009.

In 2009, Obama passed the US$831 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to end the recession, stimulate the economy, and help the job market recover. The unemployment rate went down to 4.6% in 2016 at the end of his presidency. 

Donald Trump (1946-)

The average annual unemployment rate under Trump's first term in office was 5.04%. Unemployment remained low at the beginning of his first term, however, the economy went into a severe recession at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and unemployment skyrocketed to a record high of about 14.7% in April 2020.

Joe Biden (1942-)

The average annual unemployment rate under Biden's first term is 4.11%. In 2021, the president signed a US$1.9 trillion economic stimulus package, the American Rescue Plan Act, to help people and businesses recover from COVID-19. 

During President Trump's second term, the US unemployment rate initially mirrored pre-pandemic levels, but began to rise in early 2025. By January 2025, 44 states experienced increases of at least 0.5 percentage points from their lowest points during this economic cycle, indicating emerging recessionary pressures.