Last updated: September 6th, 2024
This page has the comparisons between Clinton vs Reagan across all the metrics we track. President Clinton and President Reagan 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, Bill Clinton has performed better on 5 out of the 5 metrics we track. President Clinton's highest performance difference was on the indicator NASDAQ Index performing 203.56% better than President Reagan. President Clinton's lowest performance difference was on Job Growth performing 3.14% better than President Reagan.
We highly recommend you read this article as well prior: What's the best way to interpret the facts and data on Facts First?
How does Clinton compare to Reagan in the stock market? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized performance between Clinton and Reagan in the stock market. Cumulatively across the S&P 500, Clinton is at 208.54% compared to Reagan at 113.52% a difference of 95.02%. On the NASDAQ, Clinton is at 297.58% compared to Reagan at 94.02% a difference of 203.56%. Finally, on the DOW Jones, Clinton is at 225.17% compared to Reagan at 130.60% a difference of 94.57%.
Index Cumulative Performance | Bill Clinton | Ronald Reagan | Difference |
---|---|---|---|
NASDAQ | 297.58% | 94.02% | Clinton +203.56% |
DOW | 225.17% | 130.60% | Clinton +94.57% |
S&P | 208.54% | 113.52% | Clinton +95.02% |
Index Annualized Performance | Bill Clinton | Ronald Reagan | Difference |
---|---|---|---|
NASDAQ | 18.82% | 8.63% | Clinton +10.19% |
DOW | 15.87% | 11.00% | Clinton +4.87% |
S&P | 15.11% | 9.94% | Clinton +5.17% |
How does Clinton compare to Reagan with respect to GDP Growth? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized GDP growth. Cumulatively Clinton is at 34.23% compared to Reagan at 31.01% a difference of 3.21%
GDP | Bill Clinton | Ronald Reagan | Difference |
---|---|---|---|
Cumulative | 34.23% | 31.01% | Clinton +3.21% |
Annualized | 3.77% | 3.45% | Clinton +0.32% |
How does Clinton compare to Reagan in non-farm payroll? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized jobs created. Cumulatively Clinton is at 20.86% compared to Reagan at 17.72% a difference of 3.14%
Indicator Cumulative Gain/Loss | Bill Clinton | Ronald Reagan | Difference |
---|---|---|---|
Cumulative | 20.86% | 17.72% | Clinton +3.14% |
Annualized | 2.41% | 2.07% | Clinton +0.34% |
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:
- What is the difference between cumulative and annualized performance?
- What’s the best way to interpret the facts and data on Facts First?
Want to share our charts but need to verify our data?
We are happy to share the raw data and methodologies we use with any media organization that wants to link to or share our charts and data. If that is of interest to you, please contact us.
(Due the amount of requests, we must limit inquiries and responses to media representatives only.)