Bush (W.) 1 in numbers
George W. Bush, first term 2001–2005
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: Clinton 2 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment ratechange in points; values in % of the labor force | Jan 2001 to Jan 2005 | 4.2% | 5.3% | +1.1 | −1.1Jan 1997 to Jan 2001 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (Current Population Survey) |
| Year by yearJan 2001 4.2%Jan 2002 5.7%Jan 2003 5.8%Jan 2004 5.7%Jan 2005 5.3% | ||||||
| Grocery pricesaverage rise a year, in % | Jan 2001 to Jan 2005 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +2.5% | +2.1%Jan 1997 to Jan 2001 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 2001 to Jan 2002 +2.9%Jan 2002 to Jan 2003 +0.3%Jan 2003 to Jan 2004 +4.1%Jan 2004 to Jan 2005 +2.7% | ||||||
| Consumer prices (inflation)average rise a year, in % | Jan 2001 to Jan 2005 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +2.2% | +2.4%Jan 1997 to Jan 2001 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 2001 to Jan 2002 +1.1%Jan 2002 to Jan 2003 +2.6%Jan 2003 to Jan 2004 +1.9%Jan 2004 to Jan 2005 +3.0% | ||||||
| Poverty ratechange in points; values in % of people | 2000 to 2004 | 11.3% | 12.7% | +1.4 | −2.41996 to 2000 | US Census Bureau, Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) |
| Year by year2000 11.3%2001 11.7%2002 12.1%2003 12.5%2004 12.7% | ||||||
| Homes short of foodchange in points; values in % of homes | 2001 to 2004 | 10.7% | 11.9% | +1.2 | 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 year2001 10.7%2002 11.1%2003 11.2%2004 11.9% | ||||||
| Homicide ratechange in deaths per 100,000 residents (crude rate) | 2000 to 2004 | 6.0 | 5.9 | −0.1 | −1.2then−0.11996 to 1998then1999 to 2000 | CDC/NCHS National Vital Statistics System, served by CDC WONDER (Underlying Cause of Death, 1999-2020, bridged-race database D76) |
| Year by year2000 6.02001 7.12002 6.12003 6.12004 5.9 | ||||||
| Growth against the G7points a year; each year: US growth per person, in % | 2000 to 2004 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +0.51 | +0.671996 to 2000 | World Bank, World Development Indicators (NY.GDP.PCAP.KD); sources include OECD national accounts |
| Year by year2001 0.0%2002 +0.8%2003 +1.9%2004 +2.9% | ||||||
| Federal deficit or surplusaverage a year, in % of GDP; a minus is a deficit | FY2000 to FY2004 | 2.3% | −3.4% | −1.8% | +1.0%FY1996 to FY2000 | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY2000 2.3%FY2001 1.2%FY2002 −1.5%FY2003 −3.3%FY2004 −3.4% | ||||||
| Debt held by the publicchange in points of GDP; values in % of GDP | FY2000 to FY2004 | 33.7% | 35.7% | +2.0 | −13.3FY1996 to FY2000 | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY2000 33.7%FY2001 31.5%FY2002 32.7%FY2003 34.7%FY2004 35.7% | ||||||
| Uninsured ratechange in points; values in % of people under 65 | 2000 to 2004 | 17.0% | 16.6% | −0.4 | −0.51997 to 2000 | CDC/NCHS, National Health Interview Survey (Health, United States 2020-2021, Table HINone) |
| Year by year2000 17.0%2001 16.4%2002 16.8%2003 16.5%2004 16.6% | ||||||
| Border Patrol stops at the Mexico bordercount each fiscal year | FY2001 to FY2004 | 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 yearFY2001 1,235,718FY2002 929,809FY2003 905,065FY2004 1,139,282 | ||||||
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 (W.) 1: from 4.2% in Jan 2001 to 5.3% in Jan 2005 is a change of +1.1.
How fast did grocery prices rise?
Bush (W.) 1: from Jan 2001 to Jan 2005, grocery prices (food bought in stores to eat at home) rose 10.3% in all, which is 2.5% a year.
How fast did consumer prices rise?
Bush (W.) 1: consumer prices rose 8.9% from Jan 2001 to Jan 2005, an average of 2.2% a year.
Did poverty and hunger go up or down?
Bush (W.) 1, people in poverty: from 11.3% in 2000 to 12.7% in 2004 is a change of +1.4.
Did the homicide rate go up or down?
Bush (W.) 1: from 6.0 in 2000 to 5.9 in 2004 is a change of −0.1.
Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
In the Bush (W.) 1 term, from 2000 to 2004, US growth was +1.38% a year and the G7 median was +0.87%, so the bar is +0.51 points.
See every term: Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
What came from outside the US?
Bush (W.) 1, from 2000 to 2004: growth outside the US averaged +3.2% a year, +13.6% in all. Export prices moved −0.1% a year against import prices, −0.3% in all.
How much did the federal government borrow?
Bush (W.) 1, top chart: its budget years, Oct 2000 to Sep 2004, averaged a deficit of 1.8% of GDP a year. Bottom chart: its debt went from 33.7% to 35.7% of GDP, a change of +2.0 points.
Did the uninsured rate go up or down?
Bush (W.) 1: from 17.0% in 2000 to 16.6% in 2004 is a change of −0.4 points.
How many people did the Border Patrol stop at the Mexico border each year?
The bars of Bush (W.) 1, from left to right: 1,235,718 in FY2001; 929,809 in FY2002; 905,065 in FY2003; 1,139,282 in FY2004.
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 2001 to 19 January 2005.
- Monthly measures count: Jan 2001 to Jan 2005.
- Yearly measures count: 2000 to 2004 (Poverty rate, Homicide rate, Growth against the G7, Uninsured rate); 2001 to 2004 (Homes short of food).
- Budget and border measures count federal fiscal years, October to September: FY2000 to FY2004 (Federal deficit or surplus, Debt held by the public); FY2001 to FY2004 (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: none.
- Measures that count only part of the term: Homes short of food: 2001 to 2004.
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 (Mar 2001 to Nov 2001).
- How fast the world outside the US grew: +3.2% a year (2001 to 2004).
- US export prices against import prices: −0.1% a year (2000 to 2004).
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.