How's your money actually doing?
Six questions working Americans ask — answered with 40 years of federal data.
Every number comes from the same government sources, measured the same way, for every president from Reagan through today. No spin. Tap any question to see the breakdown.
So who actually did the best job?
We ranked every president 1st through 8th on each of the six measures above. No judgment calls — just who had the best number and who had the worst. Then we averaged the ranks.
A lower average rank = better overall. A rank of 1 means they had the best number of any president on that measure. A rank of 8 means worst.
#1 Clinton
93–01 · Democrat
1.7
avg rank
Income
#1
Jobs
#2
Unemployment
#1
Inflation
#4
Debt
#1
Poverty
#1
Top of the class on most measures. Ranked in the top 3 on 5 measures, bottom 3 on 0.
Context: Recession aftermath, rising deficit. Dot-com boom, relatively peaceful era.
#2 Reagan
81–89 · Republican
3.8
avg rank
Income
#2
Jobs
#3
Unemployment
#4
Inflation
#7
Debt
#5
Poverty
#2
Mixed record — some wins, some losses. Ranked in the top 3 on 3 measures, bottom 3 on 1.
Context: 13.5% inflation, oil crisis, hostage crisis. Worst recession since Depression (1981–82), Cold War.
#3 Obama
09–17 · Democrat
3.8
avg rank
Income
#4
Jobs
#4
Unemployment
#2
Inflation
#1
Debt
#8
Poverty
#4
Mixed record — some wins, some losses. Ranked in the top 3 on 2 measures, bottom 3 on 1.
Context: Worst crisis since Depression — 800K jobs lost/month, banks near collapse. Great Recession recovery (slow), Affordable Care Act fight.
#4 Biden
21–25 · Democrat
4
avg rank
Income
#5
Jobs
#1
Unemployment
#3
Inflation
#8
Debt
#2
Poverty
#5
Mixed record — some wins, some losses. Ranked in the top 3 on 3 measures, bottom 3 on 1.
Context: Ongoing pandemic, 6.4% unemployment, vaccines just rolling out. Russia invades Ukraine (energy/food price shock), global supply chain crisis, inflation spike.
#5 Trump I
17–21 · Republican
4.8
avg rank
Income
#3
Jobs
#8
Unemployment
#6
Inflation
#2
Debt
#7
Poverty
#3
Below average on most measures. Ranked in the top 3 on 3 measures, bottom 3 on 3.
Context: Strong economy, 4.7% unemployment, steady growth. COVID-19 pandemic, trade war with China.
#6 Trump II*
25–now · Republican
5
avg rank (5/6)
Income
#6
Jobs
#6
Unemployment
#5
Inflation
#5
Debt
#3
Poverty
—
Below average on most measures. Ranked in the top 3 on 1 measure, bottom 3 on 2.
Context: 4.0% unemployment, inflation cooling to 2.9%, high prices baked in. U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran (energy shock), ongoing price frustration.
#7 H.W. Bush
89–93 · Republican
6
avg rank
Income
#7
Jobs
#5
Unemployment
#7
Inflation
#6
Debt
#4
Poverty
#7
Near the bottom on most measures. Ranked in the top 3 on 0 measures, bottom 3 on 4.
Context: Stable economy but savings & loan crisis building. 1990–91 recession, Gulf War, S&L crisis (1,000+ banks failed).
#8 W. Bush
01–09 · Republican
6.3
avg rank
Income
#8
Jobs
#7
Unemployment
#8
Inflation
#3
Debt
#6
Poverty
#6
Near the bottom on most measures. Ranked in the top 3 on 1 measure, bottom 3 on 5.
Context: Budget surplus, dot-com bust beginning. 9/11 attacks, Afghanistan & Iraq wars, Hurricane Katrina, 2008 financial crisis.
What this ranking can and can't tell you: It treats every metric equally — income counts the same as debt, jobs the same as inflation. Reasonable people disagree on which matters most. It also can't account for what a president inherited. Someone who walks into a crisis and cleans up most of it might still rank below someone who inherited a boom and coasted. The context cards above each question exist for exactly this reason.
ABOUT THIS DATA
Every number here comes from the same federal government sources — the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Treasury Department. The same formula is used for every president. No cherry-picking.
What this can't tell you: Presidents don't control the economy alone. Congress writes the laws. The Federal Reserve sets interest rates. Wars, pandemics, and global crises can hit anyone's term. A president who inherits a recession looks different than one who inherits a boom — and that's not their fault or their credit.
Trump II* has only been in office 17 months. Some numbers won't be available until fall 2026. Where estimates are used, they're marked with * or †.
Full sources & methodology →