Bush (H.W.) in numbers
George H. W. Bush 1989–1993
Data updated 9 October 2026.
Every number this site has for this term, measured the same way as for every other term. The table comes first. Each topic follows with this term’s own numbers.
Every measure for this term
One row for each measure, in the order of the topics below. Under each row, the value of each year.
| Measure | Period counted | Start | End | On the chart | Term before: Reagan 2 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment ratechange in points; values in % of the labor force | Jan 1989 to Jan 1993 | 5.4% | 7.3% | +1.9 | −1.9Jan 1985 to Jan 1989 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (Current Population Survey) |
| Year by yearJan 1989 5.4%Jan 1990 5.4%Jan 1991 6.4%Jan 1992 7.3%Jan 1993 7.3% | ||||||
| Grocery pricesaverage rise a year, in % | Jan 1989 to Jan 1993 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +3.5% | +3.9%Jan 1985 to Jan 1989 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 1989 to Jan 1990 +8.1%Jan 1990 to Jan 1991 +4.1%Jan 1991 to Jan 1992 0.0%Jan 1992 to Jan 1993 +2.0% | ||||||
| Consumer prices (inflation)average rise a year, in % | Jan 1989 to Jan 1993 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +4.2% | +3.5%Jan 1985 to Jan 1989 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 1989 to Jan 1990 +5.2%Jan 1990 to Jan 1991 +5.7%Jan 1991 to Jan 1992 +2.6%Jan 1992 to Jan 1993 +3.3% | ||||||
| Poverty ratechange in points; values in % of people | 1988 to 1992 | 13.0% | 14.8% | +1.8 | −1.41984 to 1988 | US Census Bureau, Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) |
| Year by year1988 13.0%1989 12.8%1990 13.5%1991 14.2%1992 14.8% | ||||||
| Homes short of foodchange in points; values in % of homes | not in USDA’s yearly series, which starts in 2001 | not in USDA’s yearly series, which starts in 2001 | not in USDA’s yearly series, which starts in 2001 | USDA Economic Research Service (data from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement) | ||
| Year by yearNo yearly value | ||||||
| Homicide ratechange in deaths per 100,000 residents (crude rate) | 1988 to 1992 | 8.9 | 9.8 | +0.9 | +0.61984 to 1988 | CDC/NCHS National Vital Statistics System, served by CDC WONDER (Compressed Mortality, 1979-1998, ICD-9 database D16) |
| Year by year1988 8.91989 9.11990 9.91991 10.41992 9.8 | ||||||
| Growth against the G7points a year; each year: US growth per person, in % | 1988 to 1992 | Does not apply | Does not apply | −0.89 | −0.071984 to 1988 | World Bank, World Development Indicators (NY.GDP.PCAP.KD); sources include OECD national accounts |
| Year by year1989 +2.7%1990 +0.7%1991 −1.4%1992 +2.1% | ||||||
| Federal deficit or surplusaverage a year, in % of GDP; a minus is a deficit | FY1988 to FY1992 | −3.0% | −4.5% | −3.8% | −4.0%FY1984 to FY1988 | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY1988 −3.0%FY1989 −2.7%FY1990 −3.7%FY1991 −4.4%FY1992 −4.5% | ||||||
| Debt held by the publicchange in points of GDP; values in % of GDP | FY1988 to FY1992 | 39.9% | 46.8% | +6.9 | +6.8FY1984 to FY1988 | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY1988 39.9%FY1989 39.4%FY1990 40.9%FY1991 44.1%FY1992 46.8% | ||||||
| Uninsured ratechange in points; values in % of people under 65 | one year only | one year only | no year in this term | CDC/NCHS, National Health Interview Survey (Health, United States 2020-2021, Table HINone); CDC/NCHS, National Health Interview Survey (Long-term Trends in Health Insurance Coverage, 1968-2024, Table 1) | ||
| Year by yearNo yearly value | ||||||
| Border Patrol stops at the Mexico bordercount each fiscal year | FY1989 to FY1992 | Each year, below | Each year, below | Each year, below | Each year, below | US Customs and Border Protection, United States Border Patrol, Southwest Border Sectors |
| Year by yearFY1989 852,506FY1990 1,049,321FY1991 1,077,876FY1992 1,145,574 | ||||||
On the chart is the number each topic’s chart shows for the term; the unit under each measure says what kind of number it is. Start and end are the first and last values a change counts. The column for the term before shows that term’s own number and its period.
Download this term’s data (CSV)Every row the table reads, from the first period to the last, as each agency publishes it.
Did unemployment go up or down?
Bush (H.W.): from 5.4% in Jan 1989 to 7.3% in Jan 1993 is a change of +1.9.
How fast did grocery prices rise?
Bush (H.W.): from Jan 1989 to Jan 1993, grocery prices (food bought in stores to eat at home) rose 14.8% in all, which is 3.5% a year.
How fast did consumer prices rise?
Bush (H.W.): consumer prices rose 17.8% from Jan 1989 to Jan 1993, an average of 4.2% a year.
Did poverty and hunger go up or down?
Bush (H.W.), people in poverty: from 13.0% in 1988 to 14.8% in 1992 is a change of +1.8.
Did the homicide rate go up or down?
Bush (H.W.): from 8.9 in 1988 to 9.8 in 1992 is a change of +0.9.
Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
In the Bush (H.W.) term, from 1988 to 1992, US growth was +1.01% a year and the G7 median was +1.90%, so the bar is −0.89 points.
See every term: Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
What came from outside the US?
Bush (H.W.), from 1988 to 1992: growth outside the US averaged +2.5% a year, +10.3% in all. Export prices moved −0.4% a year against import prices, −1.4% in all.
How much did the federal government borrow?
Bush (H.W.), top chart: its budget years, Oct 1988 to Sep 1992, averaged a deficit of 3.8% of GDP a year. Bottom chart: its debt went from 39.9% to 46.8% of GDP, a change of +6.9 points.
Did the uninsured rate go up or down?
Bush (H.W.) has no bar on this chart: one year only.
How many people did the Border Patrol stop at the Mexico border each year?
The bars of Bush (H.W.), from left to right: 852,506 in FY1989; 1,049,321 in FY1990; 1,077,876 in FY1991; 1,145,574 in FY1992.
See every term: How many people did the Border Patrol stop at the Mexico border each year?
How we measured this term
- Term dates: 20 January 1989 to 19 January 1993.
- Monthly measures count: Jan 1989 to Jan 1993.
- Yearly measures count: 1988 to 1992.
- Budget and border measures count federal fiscal years, October to September: FY1988 to FY1992 (Federal deficit or surplus, Debt held by the public); FY1989 to FY1992 (Border Patrol stops at the Mexico border).
- Measures where the agency changed its method during the term: none.
- Measures with no number for this term: Homes short of food (not in USDA’s yearly series, which starts in 2001); Uninsured rate (one year only).
- Measures that count only part of the term: none.
What came from outside
Numbers about the world this term faced. They give context for the term’s own numbers.
- Recession months inside the term, by NBER’s dates: 8 months (Jul 1990 to Mar 1991).
- How fast the world outside the US grew: +2.5% a year (1989 to 1992).
- US export prices against import prices: −0.4% a year (1988 to 1992).
Every term has the same facts, from the same sources. All terms side by side: What came from outside the US?
These numbers show what happened during each term. Congress, the courts, the states, the Federal Reserve and events abroad also move them.