Numbers in everyday life · 1970–2026
How is the country doing?
Jobs, prices, economic growth, and crime help us see what is changing. Look at the numbers, see who was in charge, and learn which decisions may have helped shape the results.
A president does not control every number. Congress, the Federal Reserve, businesses, state and local leaders, and world events also matter.
Checked October 16, 2026
The latest picture
These reports cover different lengths of time. They are not full-year 2026 results.
Jobs added in September 2026
+29,000Change from August. Early estimates can be revised.
BLS payroll jobs via FREDUnemployment in September 2026
4.2%People looking for work who did not have a job, as a share of the labor force.
BLS unemployment via FREDPrices: September 2025 to September 2026
+3.7%Change over 12 months. This is different from the yearly-average measure below.
BLS consumer prices via FREDEconomic growth: April–June 2026
+2.2%Quarterly growth at a yearly pace. It shows how fast growth would be if that quarter’s pace lasted a year.
BEA real GDP via FREDCrime has a different schedule. The latest complete crime year verified here is 2025, released in August 2026. A full-year 2026 rate is not available yet. City samples and early reports are not substitutes for a complete national year.
What do these numbers mean?
Jobs gained or lost
The change in payroll jobs from one December to the next. A plus means more jobs; a minus means fewer. Jobs are not the same as people: one person can hold two jobs. Farm work and most self-employment are outside this count.
Unemployment
The share of people in the labor force who have no job and are looking for work. It does not count everyone without a job. The table averages the monthly rates.
Inflation
How much average prices changed. Lower inflation usually means prices are rising more slowly—not that prices went back down. This table compares each year’s average price level with the year before.
Real economic growth
How much more or less the country produced, after allowing for price changes. Economists call it real GDP growth. It does not tell us whether every family became better off.
Compare complete calendar years
Jobs, prices, and economic growth
Showing 1970–2025. Select a year in the table to see its leaders and context.
Party key: D = Democratic; R = Republican. An arrow (→) means control changed during the year. Dates show when. Being in office does not mean a leader caused every change.
| Year | President | House majority | Senate majority | Payroll jobs gained / lost | Unemployment average | Price increase yearly average | Real GDP growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden (D)Until Jan. 20Donald Trump (R)From Jan. 20 | R | D → R (Jan. 3) | +116,000 | 4.3%11 months* | 2.6%11 months* | 2.3% | |
| Joe Biden (D) | R | D | +1,459,000 | 4.0% | 2.9% | 3.0% | |
| Joe Biden (D) | D → R (Jan. 3) | D | +2,515,000 | 3.6% | 4.1% | 2.9% | |
| Joe Biden (D) | D | D | +4,526,000 | 3.6% | 8.0% | 2.4% | |
| Donald Trump (R)Until Jan. 20Joe Biden (D)From Jan. 20 | D | R → D (Jan. 20 vice president broke tie) | +7,268,000 | 5.3% | 4.7% | 6.3% | |
| Donald Trump (R) | D | R | -9,246,000 | 8.1% | 1.2% | -2.1% | |
| Donald Trump (R) | R → D (Jan. 3) | R | +1,985,000 | 3.7% | 1.8% | 2.6% | |
| Donald Trump (R) | R | R | +2,286,000 | 3.9% | 2.4% | 3.0% | |
| Barack Obama (D)Until Jan. 20Donald Trump (R)From Jan. 20 | R | R | +2,115,000 | 4.4% | 2.1% | 2.5% | |
| Barack Obama (D) | R | R | +2,331,000 | 4.9% | 1.3% | 1.8% | |
| Barack Obama (D) | R | D → R (Jan. 3) | +2,713,000 | 5.3% | 0.1% | 2.9% | |
| Barack Obama (D) | R | D | +2,992,000 | 6.2% | 1.6% | 2.5% | |
| Barack Obama (D) | R | D | +2,298,000 | 7.4% | 1.5% | 2.1% | |
| Barack Obama (D) | R | D | +2,186,000 | 8.1% | 2.1% | 2.3% | |
| Barack Obama (D) | D → R (Jan. 3) | D | +2,058,000 | 8.9% | 3.2% | 1.6% | |
| Barack Obama (D) | D | D | +1,022,000 | 9.6% | 1.6% | 2.7% | |
| George W. Bush (R)Until Jan. 20Barack Obama (D)From Jan. 20 | D | D | -5,039,000 | 9.3% | -0.4% | -2.6% | |
| George W. Bush (R) | D | D | -3,548,000 | 5.8% | 3.8% | 0.1% | |
| George W. Bush (R) | R → D (Jan. 3) | R → D (Jan. 3) | +1,146,000 | 4.6% | 2.9% | 2.0% | |
| George W. Bush (R) | R | R | +2,090,000 | 4.6% | 3.2% | 2.8% | |
| George W. Bush (R) | R | R | +2,529,000 | 5.1% | 3.4% | 3.5% | |
| George W. Bush (R) | R | R | +2,041,000 | 5.5% | 2.7% | 3.8% | |
| George W. Bush (R) | R | R | +124,000 | 6.0% | 2.3% | 2.8% | |
| George W. Bush (R) | R | D until Nov. 12 R from Nov. 12 | -518,000 | 5.8% | 1.6% | 1.7% | |
| Bill Clinton (D)Until Jan. 20George W. Bush (R)From Jan. 20 | R | R Jan. 1–2 D Jan. 3–19 R Jan. 20–June 5 D from June 6 | -1,733,000 | 4.7% | 2.8% | 1.0% | |
| Bill Clinton (D) | R | R | +1,933,000 | 4.0% | 3.4% | 4.1% | |
| Bill Clinton (D) | R | R | +3,188,000 | 4.2% | 2.2% | 4.8% | |
| Bill Clinton (D) | R | R | +3,046,000 | 4.5% | 1.6% | 4.5% | |
| Bill Clinton (D) | R | R | +3,406,000 | 4.9% | 2.3% | 4.4% | |
| Bill Clinton (D) | R | R | +2,818,000 | 5.4% | 2.9% | 3.8% | |
| Bill Clinton (D) | D → R (Jan. 3) | D → R (Jan. 3) | +2,151,000 | 5.6% | 2.8% | 2.7% | |
| Bill Clinton (D) | D | D | +3,849,000 | 6.1% | 2.6% | 4.0% | |
| George H. W. Bush (R)Until Jan. 20Bill Clinton (D)From Jan. 20 | D | D | +2,823,000 | 6.9% | 3.0% | 2.7% | |
| George H. W. Bush (R) | D | D | +1,172,000 | 7.5% | 3.0% | 3.5% | |
| George H. W. Bush (R) | D | D | -838,000 | 6.8% | 4.2% | -0.1% | |
| George H. W. Bush (R) | D | D | +332,000 | 5.6% | 5.4% | 1.9% | |
| Ronald Reagan (R)Until Jan. 20George H. W. Bush (R)From Jan. 20 | D | D | +1,938,000 | 5.3% | 4.8% | 3.7% | |
| Ronald Reagan (R) | D | D | +3,237,000 | 5.5% | 4.1% | 4.2% | |
| Ronald Reagan (R) | D | R → D (Jan. 3) | +3,152,000 | 6.2% | 3.7% | 3.5% | |
| Ronald Reagan (R) | D | R | +1,900,000 | 7.0% | 1.9% | 3.5% | |
| Ronald Reagan (R) | D | R | +2,502,000 | 7.2% | 3.5% | 4.2% | |
| Ronald Reagan (R) | D | R | +3,877,000 | 7.5% | 4.3% | 7.2% | |
| Ronald Reagan (R) | D | R | +3,459,000 | 9.6% | 3.2% | 4.6% | |
| Ronald Reagan (R) | D | R | -2,124,000 | 9.7% | 6.1% | -1.8% | |
| Jimmy Carter (D)Until Jan. 20Ronald Reagan (R)From Jan. 20 | D | D → R (Jan. 3) | -48,000 | 7.6% | 10.3% | 2.5% | |
| Jimmy Carter (D) | D | D | +271,000 | 7.2% | 13.5% | -0.3% | |
| Jimmy Carter (D) | D | D | +2,001,000 | 5.8% | 11.3% | 3.2% | |
| Jimmy Carter (D) | D | D | +4,261,000 | 6.1% | 7.6% | 5.5% | |
| Gerald Ford (R)Until Jan. 20Jimmy Carter (D)From Jan. 20 | D | D | +3,962,000 | 7.0% | 6.5% | 4.6% | |
| Gerald Ford (R) | D | D | +2,431,000 | 7.7% | 5.7% | 5.4% | |
| Gerald Ford (R) | D | D | +365,000 | 8.5% | 9.1% | -0.2% | |
| Richard Nixon (R)Until Aug. 9Gerald Ford (R)From Aug. 9 | D | D | -379,000 | 5.6% | 11.1% | -0.5% | |
| Richard Nixon (R) | D | D | +2,763,000 | 4.9% | 6.2% | 5.6% | |
| Richard Nixon (R) | D | D | +3,159,000 | 5.6% | 3.3% | 5.3% | |
| Richard Nixon (R) | D | D | +1,317,000 | 6.0% | 4.3% | 3.3% | |
| Richard Nixon (R) | D | D | -449,000 | 5.0% | 5.8% | 0.2% |
*2025 has a missing month. October unemployment and CPI data were not collected during the federal shutdown. These two 2025 averages use 11 months. The jobs and GDP columns use their full-year measures.
Payroll jobs and monthly unemployment rates are seasonally adjusted: regular seasonal patterns are removed. Annual unemployment here is the mean of those monthly rates, so rounding or methods can differ slightly from a published BLS annual figure.
Crime reported to police
These are estimated offenses per 100,000 people. A rate lets us compare years with different population sizes. It is not a count of people arrested or a percent of residents who committed a crime.
Violent crime: murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault (a serious attack). Property crime: burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft. Arson is excluded from these national totals.
Read the definition column. The historical table uses the older rape definition through 2023. The 2024–2025 summary uses a broader definition. Do not treat the jump between these two sets as a real change in crime. Reporting also changed in 2021, and the FBI revises past estimates.
Party key: D = Democratic; R = Republican. An arrow (→) means control changed during the year. Dates show when. Being in office does not mean a leader caused every change.
| Year | President | House majority | Senate majority | Violent crime | Property crime | Violent-crime measure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Joe Biden (D)Until Jan. 20Donald Trump (R)From Jan. 20 | R | D → R (Jan. 3) | 327.6 | 1,534.8 | Broader rape definition |
| 2024 | Joe Biden (D) | R | D | 362.9 | 1,761.1 | Broader rape definition |
| 2023 | Joe Biden (D) | D → R (Jan. 3) | D | 363.8 | 1,916.7 | Older rape definition |
| 2022 | Joe Biden (D) | D | D | 377.1 | 1,973.8 | Older rape definition |
| 2021 | Donald Trump (R)Until Jan. 20Joe Biden (D)From Jan. 20 | D | R → D (Jan. 20 vice president broke tie) | 360.9 | 1,792.8 | Older rape definition |
| 2020 | Donald Trump (R) | D | R | 386.3 | 1,966.9 | Older rape definition |
| 2019 | Donald Trump (R) | R → D (Jan. 3) | R | 364.4 | 2,132.2 | Older rape definition |
| 2018 | Donald Trump (R) | R | R | 370.8 | 2,244.8 | Older rape definition |
| 2017 | Barack Obama (D)Until Jan. 20Donald Trump (R)From Jan. 20 | R | R | 376.5 | 2,361.1 | Older rape definition |
| 2016 | Barack Obama (D) | R | R | 386.8 | 2,459.4 | Older rape definition |
| 2015 | Barack Obama (D) | R | D → R (Jan. 3) | 372.4 | 2,481.2 | Older rape definition |
| 2014 | Barack Obama (D) | R | D | 363.6 | 2,589.2 | Older rape definition |
| 2013 | Barack Obama (D) | R | D | 370.3 | 2,743.9 | Older rape definition |
| 2012 | Barack Obama (D) | R | D | 387.9 | 2,860.9 | Older rape definition |
| 2011 | Barack Obama (D) | D → R (Jan. 3) | D | 389.4 | 2,912.1 | Older rape definition |
| 2010 | Barack Obama (D) | D | D | 411.8 | 2,989.8 | Older rape definition |
| 2009 | George W. Bush (R)Until Jan. 20Barack Obama (D)From Jan. 20 | D | D | 434.3 | 3,063.7 | Older rape definition |
| 2008 | George W. Bush (R) | D | D | 459.9 | 3,233.7 | Older rape definition |
| 2007 | George W. Bush (R) | R → D (Jan. 3) | R → D (Jan. 3) | 476.7 | 3,305.0 | Older rape definition |
| 2006 | George W. Bush (R) | R | R | 478.7 | 3,347.8 | Older rape definition |
| 2005 | George W. Bush (R) | R | R | 492.8 | 3,513.3 | Older rape definition |
| 2004 | George W. Bush (R) | R | R | 486.5 | 3,590.0 | Older rape definition |
| 2003 | George W. Bush (R) | R | R | 475.8 | 3,591.2 | Older rape definition |
| 2002 | George W. Bush (R) | R | D until Nov. 12 R from Nov. 12 | 494.4 | 3,630.6 | Older rape definition |
| 2001 | Bill Clinton (D)Until Jan. 20George W. Bush (R)From Jan. 20 | R | R Jan. 1–2 D Jan. 3–19 R Jan. 20–June 5 D from June 6 | 504.5 | 3,658.1 | Older rape definition |
| 2000 | Bill Clinton (D) | R | R | 506.5 | 3,618.3 | Older rape definition |
| 1999 | Bill Clinton (D) | R | R | 523.0 | 3,743.6 | Older rape definition |
| 1998 | Bill Clinton (D) | R | R | 567.6 | 4,052.5 | Older rape definition |
| 1997 | Bill Clinton (D) | R | R | 611.0 | 4,316.3 | Older rape definition |
| 1996 | Bill Clinton (D) | R | R | 636.6 | 4,451.0 | Older rape definition |
| 1995 | Bill Clinton (D) | D → R (Jan. 3) | D → R (Jan. 3) | 684.5 | 4,590.5 | Older rape definition |
| 1994 | Bill Clinton (D) | D | D | 713.6 | 4,660.2 | Older rape definition |
| 1993 | George H. W. Bush (R)Until Jan. 20Bill Clinton (D)From Jan. 20 | D | D | 747.1 | 4,740.0 | Older rape definition |
| 1992 | George H. W. Bush (R) | D | D | 757.7 | 4,903.7 | Older rape definition |
| 1991 | George H. W. Bush (R) | D | D | 758.1 | 5,139.7 | Older rape definition |
| 1990 | George H. W. Bush (R) | D | D | 731.8 | 5,088.5 | Older rape definition |
| 1989 | Ronald Reagan (R)Until Jan. 20George H. W. Bush (R)From Jan. 20 | D | D | 663.1 | 5,077.9 | Older rape definition |
| 1988 | Ronald Reagan (R) | D | D | 637.2 | 5,027.1 | Older rape definition |
| 1987 | Ronald Reagan (R) | D | R → D (Jan. 3) | 609.7 | 4,940.3 | Older rape definition |
| 1986 | Ronald Reagan (R) | D | R | 617.7 | 4,862.6 | Older rape definition |
| 1985 | Ronald Reagan (R) | D | R | 556.6 | 4,650.5 | Older rape definition |
| 1984 | Ronald Reagan (R) | D | R | 539.2 | 4,492.1 | Older rape definition |
| 1983 | Ronald Reagan (R) | D | R | 537.7 | 4,637.4 | Older rape definition |
| 1982 | Ronald Reagan (R) | D | R | 571.1 | 5,032.5 | Older rape definition |
| 1981 | Jimmy Carter (D)Until Jan. 20Ronald Reagan (R)From Jan. 20 | D | D → R (Jan. 3) | 594.3 | 5,263.9 | Older rape definition |
| 1980 | Jimmy Carter (D) | D | D | 596.6 | 5,353.3 | Older rape definition |
| 1979 | Jimmy Carter (D) | D | D | 548.9 | 5,016.6 | Older rape definition |
| 1978 | Jimmy Carter (D) | D | D | 497.8 | 4,642.5 | Older rape definition |
| 1977 | Gerald Ford (R)Until Jan. 20Jimmy Carter (D)From Jan. 20 | D | D | 475.9 | 4,601.7 | Older rape definition |
| 1976 | Gerald Ford (R) | D | D | 467.8 | 4,819.5 | Older rape definition |
| 1975 | Gerald Ford (R) | D | D | 487.8 | 4,810.7 | Older rape definition |
| 1974 | Richard Nixon (R)Until Aug. 9Gerald Ford (R)From Aug. 9 | D | D | 461.1 | 4,389.3 | Older rape definition |
| 1973 | Richard Nixon (R) | D | D | 417.4 | 3,737.0 | Older rape definition |
| 1972 | Richard Nixon (R) | D | D | 401.0 | 3,560.4 | Older rape definition |
| 1971 | Richard Nixon (R) | D | D | 396.0 | 3,768.8 | Older rape definition |
| 1970 | Richard Nixon (R) | D | D | 363.5 | 3,621.0 | Older rape definition |
The same year filter applies to both tables. These are police-based estimates, not a count of all crimes that happened. Some crimes are never reported. Historical rows use the dated releases listed below; they are not all from one revised dataset. The CSV names the source for each crime row.
Leadership is context, not proof of a cause
Who was in charge?
2026 · Partial year
- President
- Donald Trump (Republican)
- House control
- Republican
- Senate control
- Republican
Tariffs and an unfinished year
Choose a year to see its leaders and the policy context from the sections below.
House and Senate control means which party organized the chamber. It does not mean every member voted alike. Changes at the start of a new Congress are shown on January 3; presidential changes normally occur on January 20. The 2001–2002 Senate changes and the 2021 tie are noted separately.
The Federal Reserve has a separate job. Its decisions about interest rates affect borrowing, jobs, and prices. A president appoints Fed leaders with Senate approval, but does not set each interest-rate decision.
What helped explain the change?
A law can help without fixing every problem. A number can also improve for reasons outside government. Effects may take months or years to appear. These are selected examples, not a full list of policies.
1970–1978 · Oil shocks and rising prices
Government action: Nixon used wage and price controls beginning in 1971. The Federal Reserve also tried to support jobs while prices rose.
Controls briefly slowed price increases but helped cause shortages. Fed policy and the 1973 oil embargo also mattered. The full rise in prices cannot be assigned to one president.
What we know: Historical research. Read the evidence.
1979–1982 · Higher interest rates, lower inflation, fewer jobs
Government action: Under Fed chair Paul Volcker, the Fed tightened money policy starting in 1979. This continued across the Carter and Reagan presidencies.
Higher borrowing costs helped bring inflation down, but also helped cause a deep recession. Another oil shock in 1979 added pressure. A recession means the economy shrinks for a time.
What we know: Strong evidence for the broad effect. Read the evidence.
1983–2000 · Recovery and a steadier economy
Government action: The Fed put more weight on keeping prices steady under Volcker and then Alan Greenspan. Presidents and Congress also changed taxes, spending, and trade rules.
Better Fed policy, changes in business and technology, and the size of outside shocks all helped explain this period. Researchers disagree about how much each factor mattered. No one law explains all these years.
What we know: Several causes; their shares are debated. Read the evidence.
2001–2007 · Low interest rates and a housing boom
Government action: The Fed cut interest rates after the 2001 recession and later raised them. Loans and financial risks grew during the housing boom.
Low rates were one possible contributor. Risky lending, rising home prices, and weaknesses in financial oversight also mattered. The crisis grew over several years, before the biggest job losses.
What we know: Several causes; their shares are debated. Read the evidence.
2008–2016 · Financial crisis and the recovery
Government action: Bush signed the 2008 bank rescue law. Obama signed the Recovery Act on February 17, 2009. Congress passed both. The Fed cut rates and bought bonds to support borrowing.
The housing and banking crisis drove large losses. CBO estimated that the Recovery Act raised jobs and output above what they would otherwise have been. Those are model estimates, not a count of every job created by the law. Recovery took years.
What we know: Estimated effect, with a range of possible sizes. Read the evidence.
2017–2019 · Tax changes during an ongoing expansion
Government action: Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on December 22, 2017. Most major changes began in 2018. Republicans controlled both chambers when it passed.
The law lowered business taxes and changed household taxes. Studies find effects on business investment, but disagree about their size. Growth and hiring were already underway before the law. The entire change in GDP is not its measured effect.
What we know: Research estimates; size is debated. Read the evidence.
2020 · COVID-19 and emergency aid
Government action: Trump signed the CARES Act on March 27, 2020, after Congress passed it. It provided aid to households and businesses. The Fed also eased borrowing conditions.
Illness, closures, and changes in behavior disrupted work and spending. Relief helped support spending. The sharp drop in jobs was part of a worldwide pandemic, not simply a result of one party’s tax policy.
What we know: Law is documented; many forces affected the outcome. Read the evidence.
2021–2024 · Reopening, inflation, and higher rates
Government action: Biden signed the American Rescue Plan on March 11, 2021. Earlier pandemic aid had passed under Trump. Beginning in March 2022, the Fed raised interest rates to slow inflation.
Aid and low rates supported spending. Supply shortages, a shift toward buying goods, reopening, and energy shocks also pushed prices up. Later, supply improved and demand cooled. Researchers differ on how much each policy added to inflation.
What we know: Several causes supported by research. Read the evidence.
2025–2026 · Tariffs and an unfinished year
Government action: Trump raised import taxes, called tariffs, in 2025. These changes took effect at different times and affected different products. Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress.
Fed researchers found that tariffs raised some retail prices and reduced some purchases. This does not mean tariffs explain every price increase or the whole jobs or GDP number. The 2026 figures cover only part of the year.
What we know: Early research; full-year 2026 outcome not yet known. Read the evidence.
What about crime?
Crime trends have many possible causes: local policing, community conditions, drug markets, weapons, reporting, and other changes. A national yearly table cannot tell us how much one law or president caused. We do not assign each rise or fall to a party.
Read the Congressional Research Service reviewSources & how the numbers were checked
Checked October 16, 2026. Economic values were taken from BLS and BEA series published through the Federal Reserve’s FRED service. Jobs changes and annual averages were calculated from those series. Crime rates were checked against the dated tables named here. Values may change when agencies revise their records.
Missing does not mean zero. No value is filled with zero to stand in for missing data. The annual table ends in 2025 because 2026 is unfinished.
Calculation details
- Jobs: December PAYEMS minus the previous December, multiplied by 1,000.
- Unemployment: mean of monthly UNRATE values, rounded to one decimal.
- Inflation: percent change in the annual mean of the CPI-U index, rounded to one decimal. The 2025 mean has 11 months; the 2024 comparison has 12.
- GDP: BEA annual percent change in real GDP. The 2026 card uses a separate quarterly series at an annual rate.
- Crime: published rates, except 1970–1975 rates calculated from reproduced FBI counts and population. Early violent rates also match the CRS historical table.
- Payroll jobs — BLS through FRED, PAYEMS
- Unemployment — BLS through FRED, UNRATE
- Consumer prices — BLS through FRED, CPIAUCNS
- Annual real GDP growth — BEA through FRED
- Quarterly real GDP growth — BEA through FRED
- BLS: missing October 2025 CPI data and 11-month averages
- BLS: 2025 employment annual averages exclude October
- Early FBI crime figures reproduced by Disaster Center (1970–1975 used here)
- CRS: historical violent crime rates and limits on explaining crime trends
- FBI 1995 Table 1, printed page 58 (1976–1991 used here)
- FBI 2011 Table 1 (1992–1999 used here)
- FBI 2019 Table 1 (2000–2003 used here)
- FBI 2023 report, Table 1 — hosted copy (2004–2023 used here)
- FBI 2025 summary, pages 7–8 (2024–2025 rates)
- House Historian: party divisions
- Senate Historian: party divisions and changes during a term
- Oil shocks and rising prices — policy evidence
- Higher interest rates, lower inflation, fewer jobs — policy evidence
- Recovery and a steadier economy — policy evidence
- Low interest rates and a housing boom — policy evidence
- Financial crisis and the recovery — policy evidence
- Tax changes during an ongoing expansion — policy evidence
- COVID-19 and emergency aid — policy evidence
- Reopening, inflation, and higher rates — policy evidence
- Tariffs and an unfinished year — policy evidence
- American Rescue Plan — Public Law 117-2
- 2008 rescue law — Public Law 110-343
- 2009 Recovery Act — Public Law 111-5
- 2017 tax law — Public Law 115-97
- Fed March 2022 rate decision