Presidential Comparison

Carter vs Biden

Last updated: May 16th, 2024

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

With respect to cumulative performance, Jimmy Carter has performed better on 2 out of the 5 metrics we track.  President Carter's highest performance difference was on the indicator NASDAQ Index performing 24.41% better than President Biden. President Carter's lowest performance difference was on DOW Jones Index performing -43.54% 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?

Carter vs. Biden stock market performance

How does Carter compare to Biden in the stock market? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized performance between Carter and Biden in the stock market. Cumulatively across the S&P 500, Carter is at 3.37% compared to Biden at 39.44% a difference of -36.07%. On the NASDAQ, Carter is at 50.94% compared to Biden at 26.53%  a difference of 24.41%. Finally, on the DOW Jones, Carter is at -14.64% compared to Biden at 28.90% a difference of -43.54%.

Index
Cumulative Performance
Jimmy CarterJoe BidenDifference
NASDAQ50.94%26.53%Carter +24.41%
DOW-14.64%28.90%Carter -43.54%
S&P3.37%39.44%Carter -36.07%
Index
Annualized Performance
Jimmy CarterJoe BidenDifference
NASDAQ13.19%7.34%Carter +5.85%
DOW-4.65%7.94%Carter -12.59%
S&P1.00%10.52%Carter -9.52%




Carter vs. Biden GDP performance

How does Carter compare to Biden with respect to GDP Growth? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized GDP growth. Cumulatively Carter is at 12.47% compared to Biden at 19.29% a difference of -6.82%

GDP
Jimmy CarterJoe BidenDifference
Cumulative12.47%19.29%Carter -6.82%
Annualized4.06%6.16%Carter -2.10%


Carter vs. Biden jobs growth performance

How does Carter compare to Biden in non-farm payroll? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized jobs created. Cumulatively Carter is at 12.59% compared to Biden at 10.95% a difference of 1.64%

Indicator
Cumulative Gain/Loss
Jimmy CarterJoe BidenDifference
Cumulative12.59%10.95%Carter +1.64%
Annualized3.78%3.30%Carter +0.48%


How do we calculate data for Carter 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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