Bush (W.) 2 in numbers
George W. Bush, second term 2005–2009
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: Bush (W.) 1 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment ratechange in points; values in % of the labor force | Jan 2005 to Jan 2009 | 5.3% | 7.8% | +2.5 | +1.1Jan 2001 to Jan 2005 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (Current Population Survey) |
| Year by yearJan 2005 5.3%Jan 2006 4.7%Jan 2007 4.6%Jan 2008 5.0%Jan 2009 7.8% | ||||||
| Grocery pricesaverage rise a year, in % | Jan 2005 to Jan 2009 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +3.9% | +2.5%Jan 2001 to Jan 2005 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 2005 to Jan 2006 +2.4%Jan 2006 to Jan 2007 +1.7%Jan 2007 to Jan 2008 +5.8%Jan 2008 to Jan 2009 +5.7% | ||||||
| Consumer prices (inflation)average rise a year, in % | Jan 2005 to Jan 2009 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +2.6% | +2.2%Jan 2001 to Jan 2005 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 2005 to Jan 2006 +4.0%Jan 2006 to Jan 2007 +2.1%Jan 2007 to Jan 2008 +4.3%Jan 2008 to Jan 2009 0.0% | ||||||
| Poverty ratechange in points; values in % of people | 2004 to 2008 | 12.7% | 13.2% | +0.5 | +1.42000 to 2004 | US Census Bureau, Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) |
| Year by year2004 12.7%2005 12.6%2006 12.3%2007 12.5%2008 13.2% | ||||||
| Homes short of foodchange in points; values in % of homes | 2004 to 2008 | 11.9% | 14.6% | +2.7 | +1.22001 to 2004 | USDA Economic Research Service (data from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement) |
| Year by year2004 11.9%2005 11.0%2006 10.9%2007 11.1%2008 14.6% | ||||||
| Homicide ratechange in deaths per 100,000 residents (crude rate) | 2004 to 2008 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 0.0 | −0.12000 to 2004 | CDC/NCHS National Vital Statistics System, served by CDC WONDER (Underlying Cause of Death, 1999-2020, bridged-race database D76) |
| Year by year2004 5.92005 6.12006 6.22007 6.12008 5.9 | ||||||
| Growth against the G7points a year; each year: US growth per person, in % | 2004 to 2008 | Does not apply | Does not apply | −0.07 | +0.512000 to 2004 | World Bank, World Development Indicators (NY.GDP.PCAP.KD); sources include OECD national accounts |
| Year by year2005 +2.5%2006 +1.8%2007 +1.0%2008 −0.8% | ||||||
| Federal deficit or surplusaverage a year, in % of GDP; a minus is a deficit | FY2004 to FY2008 | −3.4% | −3.1% | −2.1% | −1.8%FY2000 to FY2004 | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY2004 −3.4%FY2005 −2.5%FY2006 −1.8%FY2007 −1.1%FY2008 −3.1% | ||||||
| Debt held by the publicchange in points of GDP; values in % of GDP | FY2004 to FY2008 | 35.7% | 39.2% | +3.5 | +2.0FY2000 to FY2004 | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY2004 35.7%FY2005 35.8%FY2006 35.4%FY2007 35.2%FY2008 39.2% | ||||||
| Uninsured ratechange in points; values in % of people under 65 | 2004 to 2008 | 16.4% | 16.8% | +0.4 | −0.42000 to 2004 | CDC/NCHS, National Health Interview Survey (Health, United States 2020-2021, Table HINone) |
| Year by year2004 16.4%2005 16.4%2006 17.0%2007 16.6%2008 16.8% | ||||||
| Border Patrol stops at the Mexico bordercount each fiscal year | FY2005 to FY2008 | 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 yearFY2005 1,171,396FY2006 1,071,972FY2007 858,638FY2008 705,005 | ||||||
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.) 2: from 5.3% in Jan 2005 to 7.8% in Jan 2009 is a change of +2.5.
How fast did grocery prices rise?
Bush (W.) 2: from Jan 2005 to Jan 2009, grocery prices (food bought in stores to eat at home) rose 16.3% in all, which is 3.9% a year.
How fast did consumer prices rise?
Bush (W.) 2: consumer prices rose 10.7% from Jan 2005 to Jan 2009, an average of 2.6% a year.
Did poverty and hunger go up or down?
Bush (W.) 2, people in poverty: from 12.7% in 2004 to 13.2% in 2008 is a change of +0.5.
Did the homicide rate go up or down?
Bush (W.) 2: from 5.9 in 2004 to 5.9 in 2008 is a change of 0.0.
Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
In the Bush (W.) 2 term, from 2004 to 2008, US growth was +1.13% a year and the G7 median was +1.20%, so the bar is −0.07 points.
See every term: Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
What came from outside the US?
Bush (W.) 2, from 2004 to 2008: growth outside the US averaged +4.4% a year, +18.7% in all. Export prices moved −1.9% a year against import prices, −7.4% in all.
How much did the federal government borrow?
Bush (W.) 2, top chart: its budget years, Oct 2004 to Sep 2008, averaged a deficit of 2.1% of GDP a year. Bottom chart: its debt went from 35.7% to 39.2% of GDP, a change of +3.5 points.
Did the uninsured rate go up or down?
Bush (W.) 2: from 16.4% in 2004 to 16.8% in 2008 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.) 2, from left to right: 1,171,396 in FY2005; 1,071,972 in FY2006; 858,638 in FY2007; 705,005 in FY2008.
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 2005 to 19 January 2009.
- Monthly measures count: Jan 2005 to Jan 2009.
- Yearly measures count: 2004 to 2008.
- Budget and border measures count federal fiscal years, October to September: FY2004 to FY2008 (Federal deficit or surplus, Debt held by the public); FY2005 to FY2008 (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: 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: 13 months of 18 (Dec 2007 to Jun 2009).
- How fast the world outside the US grew: +4.4% a year (2005 to 2008).
- US export prices against import prices: −1.9% a year (2004 to 2008).
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.