Presidential Comparison

Bush vs Biden

Last updated: May 17th, 2024

This page has the comparisons between Bush vs Biden across all the metrics we track. Since President Biden is still in office, Biden's performance is still current date and Bush's performance is for the same equivalent time period in Bush's presidency.

With respect to cumulative performance, George W Bush has performed better on 0 out of the 5 metrics we track. President Bush's lowest performance difference was on S & P 500 Index performing -58.85% worse than President Biden.

We highly recommend you read this article as well prior: What's the best way to interpret the facts and data on Facts First?

Bush vs. Biden stock market performance

How does Bush compare to Biden in the stock market? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized performance between Bush and Biden in the stock market. Cumulatively across the S&P 500, Bush is at -19.25% compared to Biden at 39.60% a difference of -58.85%. On the NASDAQ, Bush is at -32.26% compared to Biden at 26.44%  a difference of -58.70%. Finally, on the DOW Jones, Bush is at -6.43% compared to Biden at 29.33% a difference of -35.76%.

Index
Cumulative Performance
George W BushJoe BidenDifference
NASDAQ-32.26%26.44%Bush -58.70%
DOW-6.43%29.33%Bush -35.76%
S&P-19.25%39.60%Bush -58.85%
Index
Annualized Performance
George W BushJoe BidenDifference
NASDAQ-11.05%7.31%Bush -18.36%
DOW-1.98%8.04%Bush -10.02%
S&P-6.23%10.55%Bush -16.78%




Bush vs. Biden GDP performance

How does Bush compare to Biden with respect to GDP Growth? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized GDP growth. Cumulatively Bush is at 7.55% compared to Biden at 19.29% a difference of -11.74%

GDP
George W BushJoe BidenDifference
Cumulative7.55%19.29%Bush -11.74%
Annualized2.50%6.16%Bush -3.66%


Bush vs. Biden jobs growth performance

How does Bush compare to Biden in non-farm payroll? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized jobs created. Cumulatively Bush is at -0.97% compared to Biden at 10.95% a difference of -11.92%

Indicator
Cumulative Gain/Loss
George W BushJoe BidenDifference
Cumulative-0.97%10.95%Bush -11.92%
Annualized-0.30%3.30%Bush -3.60%


How do we calculate data for Bush vs. Biden?

We capture the data as soon as it’s available to us – stock market data after daily market close, jobs data once a month and GDP data once a quarter. After verifying the raw data, we then calculate updated cumulative and annualized performance data for the current president (the data for previous presidents have been calculated and verified in advance).

Some metrics are measured daily (like stock market performance), monthly (like jobs growth) and quarterly (like GDP growth). We start measurement of performance for a president from the first full time period after their inauguration. For stock market performance, it is the first stock market day in office. For jobs growth, it’s either first full calendar month in office (so if you are inaugurated in the middle of January, the first full month is February). This ensures a consistent starting point across all presidencies.

Also, read these articles in our Learning Center:

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