Presidential Comparison

Biden vs Carter

Last updated: March 27th, 2024

This page has the comparisons between Biden vs Carter 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, Joe Biden has performed better on 3 out of the 5 metrics we track.  President Biden's highest performance difference was on the indicator DOW Jones Index performing 50.09% better than President Carter. President Biden's lowest performance difference was on NASDAQ Index performing -2.94% worse than President Carter.

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

Biden vs. Carter stock market performance

How does Biden compare to Carter in the stock market? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized performance between Biden and Carter in the stock market. Cumulatively across the S&P 500, Biden is at 38.16% compared to Carter at -5.42% a difference of 43.58%. On the NASDAQ, Biden is at 24.27% compared to Carter at 27.21%  a difference of -2.94%. Finally, on the DOW Jones, Biden is at 28.55% compared to Carter at -21.54% a difference of 50.09%.

Index
Cumulative Performance
Joe BidenJimmy CarterDifference
NASDAQ24.27%27.21%Biden -2.94%
DOW28.55%-21.54%Biden +50.09%
S&P38.16%-5.42%Biden +43.58%
Index
Annualized Performance
Joe BidenJimmy CarterDifference
NASDAQ7.06%7.84%Biden -0.79%
DOW8.20%-7.33%Biden +15.53%
S&P10.68%-1.73%Biden +12.41%




Biden vs. Carter GDP performance

How does Biden compare to Carter with respect to GDP Growth? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized GDP growth. Cumulatively Biden is at 18.77% compared to Carter at 12.12% a difference of 6.65%

GDP
Joe BidenJimmy CarterDifference
Cumulative18.77%12.12%Biden +6.65%
Annualized6.58%4.33%Biden +2.25%


Biden vs. Carter jobs growth performance

How does Biden compare to Carter in non-farm payroll? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized jobs created. Cumulatively Biden is at 10.61% compared to Carter at 12.63% a difference of -2.02%

Indicator
Cumulative Gain/Loss
Joe BidenJimmy CarterDifference
Cumulative10.61%12.63%Biden -2.02%
Annualized3.38%4.00%Biden -0.62%


How do we calculate data for Biden vs. Carter?

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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