Clinton 2 in numbers
Bill Clinton, second term 1997–2001
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 1 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment ratechange in points; values in % of the labor force | Jan 1997 to Jan 2001 | 5.3% | 4.2% | −1.1 | −2.0Jan 1993 to Jan 1997 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (Current Population Survey) |
| Year by yearJan 1997 5.3%Jan 1998 4.6%Jan 1999 4.3%Jan 2000 4.0%Jan 2001 4.2% | ||||||
| Grocery pricesaverage rise a year, in % | Jan 1997 to Jan 2001 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +2.1% | +3.2%Jan 1993 to Jan 1997 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 1997 to Jan 1998 +2.0%Jan 1998 to Jan 1999 +2.0%Jan 1999 to Jan 2000 +1.2%Jan 2000 to Jan 2001 +3.0% | ||||||
| Consumer prices (inflation)average rise a year, in % | Jan 1997 to Jan 2001 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +2.4% | +2.8%Jan 1993 to Jan 1997 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 1997 to Jan 1998 +1.6%Jan 1998 to Jan 1999 +1.7%Jan 1999 to Jan 2000 +2.7%Jan 2000 to Jan 2001 +3.7% | ||||||
| Poverty ratechange in points; values in % of people | 1996 to 2000 | 13.7% | 11.3% | −2.4 | −1.11992 to 1996 | US Census Bureau, Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) |
| Year by year1996 13.7%1997 13.3%1998 12.7%1999 11.9%2000 11.3% | ||||||
| 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) | 1996 to 1998then1999 to 2000 | 7.7then6.1 | 6.5then6.0 | −1.2then−0.1 | −2.11992 to 1996 | CDC/NCHS National Vital Statistics System, served by CDC WONDER (Compressed Mortality, 1979-1998, ICD-9 database D16); CDC/NCHS National Vital Statistics System, served by CDC WONDER (Underlying Cause of Death, 1999-2020, bridged-race database D76) |
| Year by year1996 7.71997 7.11998 6.5then1999 6.12000 6.0 | ||||||
| Growth against the G7points a year; each year: US growth per person, in % | 1996 to 2000 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +0.67 | +0.781992 to 1996 | World Bank, World Development Indicators (NY.GDP.PCAP.KD); sources include OECD national accounts |
| Year by year1997 +3.2%1998 +3.3%1999 +3.6%2000 +2.9% | ||||||
| Federal deficit or surplusaverage a year, in % of GDP; a minus is a deficit | FY1996 to FY2000 | −1.4% | 2.3% | +1.0% | −2.6%FY1992 to FY1996 | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY1996 −1.4%FY1997 −0.3%FY1998 0.8%FY1999 1.3%FY2000 2.3% | ||||||
| Debt held by the publicchange in points of GDP; values in % of GDP | FY1996 to FY2000 | 47.0% | 33.7% | −13.3 | +0.2FY1992 to FY1996 | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY1996 47.0%FY1997 44.6%FY1998 41.7%FY1999 38.3%FY2000 33.7% | ||||||
| Uninsured ratechange in points; values in % of people under 65 | 1997 to 2000 | 17.5% | 17.0% | −0.5 | −1.41994 to 1995 | CDC/NCHS, National Health Interview Survey (Health, United States 2020-2021, Table HINone) |
| Year by year1997 17.5%1998 16.6%1999 16.1%2000 17.0% | ||||||
| Border Patrol stops at the Mexico bordercount each fiscal year | FY1997 to FY2000 | 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 yearFY1997 1,368,707FY1998 1,516,680FY1999 1,537,000FY2000 1,643,679 | ||||||
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?
Clinton 2: from 5.3% in Jan 1997 to 4.2% in Jan 2001 is a change of −1.1.
How fast did grocery prices rise?
Clinton 2: from Jan 1997 to Jan 2001, grocery prices (food bought in stores to eat at home) rose 8.5% in all, which is 2.1% a year.
How fast did consumer prices rise?
Clinton 2: consumer prices rose 10.1% from Jan 1997 to Jan 2001, an average of 2.4% a year.
Did poverty and hunger go up or down?
Clinton 2, people in poverty: from 13.7% in 1996 to 11.3% in 2000 is a change of −2.4.
Did the homicide rate go up or down?
Clinton 2: −1.2 from 1996 to 1998, then −0.1 from 1999 to 2000.
Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
In the Clinton 2 term, from 1996 to 2000, US growth was +3.25% a year and the G7 median was +2.58%, so the bar is +0.67 points.
See every term: Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
What came from outside the US?
Clinton 2, from 1996 to 2000: growth outside the US averaged +3.5% a year, +14.5% in all. Export prices moved +0.3% a year against import prices, +1.2% in all.
How much did the federal government borrow?
Clinton 2, top chart: its budget years, Oct 1996 to Sep 2000, averaged a surplus of 1.0% of GDP a year. Bottom chart: its debt went from 47.0% to 33.7% of GDP, a change of −13.3 points.
Did the uninsured rate go up or down?
Clinton 2: from 17.5% in 1997 to 17.0% in 2000 is a change of −0.5 points.
How many people did the Border Patrol stop at the Mexico border each year?
The bars of Clinton 2, from left to right: 1,368,707 in FY1997; 1,516,680 in FY1998; 1,537,000 in FY1999; 1,643,679 in FY2000.
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 1997 to 19 January 2001.
- Monthly measures count: Jan 1997 to Jan 2001.
- Yearly measures count: 1996 to 2000 (Poverty rate, Growth against the G7); 1997 to 2000 (Uninsured rate).
- Budget and border measures count federal fiscal years, October to September: FY1996 to FY2000 (Federal deficit or surplus, Debt held by the public); FY1997 to FY2000 (Border Patrol stops at the Mexico border).
- Measures where the agency changed its method during the term: Homicide rate: two parts, each measured its own way, 1996 to 1998 and 1999 to 2000.
- Measures with no number for this term: Homes short of food (not in USDA’s yearly series, which starts in 2001).
- Measures that count only part of the term: Uninsured rate: 1997 to 2000.
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: None.
- How fast the world outside the US grew: +3.5% a year (1997 to 2000).
- US export prices against import prices: +0.3% a year (1996 to 2000).
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.