Presidential Comparison

Carter vs Johnson

Last updated: May 1st, 2024

This page has the comparisons between Carter vs Johnson across all the metrics we track. President Carter and President Johnson data are no longer in office. Their data has been set to be as equivalent by days in office to make a fair comparison of their performance. This accounts for presidents that had one term vs two terms, or presidents that had a much shortened term.

With respect to cumulative performance, Jimmy Carter has performed better on 1 out of the 5 metrics we track.  President Carter's highest performance difference was on the indicator NASDAQ Index performing 106.64% better than President Johnson. President Carter's lowest performance difference was on DOW Jones Index performing -27.45% worse than President Johnson.

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. Johnson stock market performance

How does Carter compare to Johnson in the stock market? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized performance between Carter and Johnson in the stock market. Cumulatively across the S&P 500, Carter is at 29.39% compared to Johnson at 42.46% a difference of -13.07%. On the NASDAQ, Carter is at 106.64% compared to Johnson at N/A  a difference of N/A. Finally, on the DOW Jones, Carter is at 0.24% compared to Johnson at 27.69% a difference of -27.45%.

Index
Cumulative Performance
Jimmy CarterLyndon B. JohnsonDifference
NASDAQ106.64%N/AN/A
DOW0.24%27.69%Carter -27.45%
S&P29.39%42.46%Carter -13.07%
Index
Annualized Performance
Jimmy CarterLyndon B. JohnsonDifference
NASDAQ19.88%N/AN/A
DOW0.06%4.85%Carter -4.79%
S&P6.65%7.10%Carter -0.45%




Carter vs. Johnson GDP performance

How does Carter compare to Johnson with respect to GDP Growth? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized GDP growth. Cumulatively Carter is at 14.27% compared to Johnson at 30.46% a difference of -16.19%

GDP
Jimmy CarterLyndon B. JohnsonDifference
Cumulative14.27%30.46%Carter -16.19%
Annualized3.43%5.33%Carter -1.90%


Carter vs. Johnson jobs growth performance

How does Carter compare to Johnson in non-farm payroll? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized jobs created. Cumulatively Carter is at 12.82% compared to Johnson at 21.28% a difference of -8.46%

Indicator
Cumulative Gain/Loss
Jimmy CarterLyndon B. JohnsonDifference
Cumulative12.82%21.28%Carter -8.46%
Annualized3.10%3.84%Carter -0.74%


How do we calculate data for Carter vs. Johnson?

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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