Obama 1 in numbers
Barack Obama, first term 2009–2013
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.) 2 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment ratechange in points; values in % of the labor force | Jan 2009 to Jan 2013 | 7.8% | 8.0% | +0.2 | +2.5Jan 2005 to Jan 2009 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (Current Population Survey) |
| Year by yearJan 2009 7.8%Jan 2010 9.8%Jan 2011 9.1%Jan 2012 8.3%Jan 2013 8.0% | ||||||
| Grocery pricesaverage rise a year, in % | Jan 2009 to Jan 2013 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +1.6% | +3.9%Jan 2005 to Jan 2009 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 2009 to Jan 2010 −2.0%Jan 2010 to Jan 2011 +2.1%Jan 2011 to Jan 2012 +5.3%Jan 2012 to Jan 2013 +1.1% | ||||||
| Consumer prices (inflation)average rise a year, in % | Jan 2009 to Jan 2013 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +2.2% | +2.6%Jan 2005 to Jan 2009 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 2009 to Jan 2010 +2.6%Jan 2010 to Jan 2011 +1.6%Jan 2011 to Jan 2012 +2.9%Jan 2012 to Jan 2013 +1.6% | ||||||
| Poverty ratechange in points; values in % of people | 2008 to 2012 | 13.2% | 15.0% | +1.8 | +0.52004 to 2008 | US Census Bureau, Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) |
| Year by year2008 13.2%2009 14.3%2010 15.1%2011 15.0%2012 15.0% | ||||||
| Homes short of foodchange in points; values in % of homes | 2008 to 2012 | 14.6% | 14.5% | −0.1 | +2.72004 to 2008 | USDA Economic Research Service (data from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement) |
| Year by year2008 14.6%2009 14.7%2010 14.5%2011 14.9%2012 14.5% | ||||||
| Homicide ratechange in deaths per 100,000 residents (crude rate) | 2008 to 2012 | 5.9 | 5.3 | −0.6 | 0.02004 to 2008 | CDC/NCHS National Vital Statistics System, served by CDC WONDER (Underlying Cause of Death, 1999-2020, bridged-race database D76) |
| Year by year2008 5.92009 5.52010 5.32011 5.22012 5.3 | ||||||
| Growth against the G7points a year; each year: US growth per person, in % | 2008 to 2012 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +0.21 | −0.072004 to 2008 | World Bank, World Development Indicators (NY.GDP.PCAP.KD); sources include OECD national accounts |
| Year by year2009 −3.4%2010 +1.8%2011 +0.8%2012 +1.5% | ||||||
| Federal deficit or surplusaverage a year, in % of GDP; a minus is a deficit | FY2008 to FY2012 | −3.1% | −6.7% | −8.4% | −2.1%FY2004 to FY2008 | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY2008 −3.1%FY2009 −9.8%FY2010 −8.7%FY2011 −8.4%FY2012 −6.7% | ||||||
| Debt held by the publicchange in points of GDP; values in % of GDP | FY2008 to FY2012 | 39.2% | 70.0% | +30.8 | +3.5FY2004 to FY2008 | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY2008 39.2%FY2009 52.2%FY2010 60.6%FY2011 65.5%FY2012 70.0% | ||||||
| Uninsured ratechange in points; values in % of people under 65 | 2008 to 2012 | 16.8% | 16.9% | +0.1 | +0.42004 to 2008 | CDC/NCHS, National Health Interview Survey (Health, United States 2020-2021, Table HINone) |
| Year by year2008 16.8%2009 17.5%2010 18.2%2011 17.2%2012 16.9% | ||||||
| Border Patrol stops at the Mexico bordercount each fiscal year | FY2009 to FY2012 | 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 yearFY2009 540,865FY2010 447,731FY2011 327,577FY2012 356,873 | ||||||
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?
Obama 1: from 7.8% in Jan 2009 to 8.0% in Jan 2013 is a change of +0.2.
How fast did grocery prices rise?
Obama 1: from Jan 2009 to Jan 2013, grocery prices (food bought in stores to eat at home) rose 6.6% in all, which is 1.6% a year.
How fast did consumer prices rise?
Obama 1: consumer prices rose 9.1% from Jan 2009 to Jan 2013, an average of 2.2% a year.
Did poverty and hunger go up or down?
Obama 1, people in poverty: from 13.2% in 2008 to 15.0% in 2012 is a change of +1.8.
Did the homicide rate go up or down?
Obama 1: from 5.9 in 2008 to 5.3 in 2012 is a change of −0.6.
Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
In the Obama 1 term, from 2008 to 2012, US growth was +0.14% a year and the G7 median was −0.07%, so the bar is +0.21 points.
See every term: Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
What came from outside the US?
Obama 1, from 2008 to 2012: growth outside the US averaged +2.7% a year, +11.4% in all. Export prices moved +0.9% a year against import prices, +3.5% in all.
How much did the federal government borrow?
Obama 1, top chart: its budget years, Oct 2008 to Sep 2012, averaged a deficit of 8.4% of GDP a year. Bottom chart: its debt went from 39.2% to 70.0% of GDP, a change of +30.8 points.
Did the uninsured rate go up or down?
Obama 1: from 16.8% in 2008 to 16.9% in 2012 is a change of +0.1 points.
How many people did the Border Patrol stop at the Mexico border each year?
The bars of Obama 1, from left to right: 540,865 in FY2009; 447,731 in FY2010; 327,577 in FY2011; 356,873 in FY2012.
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 2009 to 19 January 2013.
- Monthly measures count: Jan 2009 to Jan 2013.
- Yearly measures count: 2008 to 2012.
- Budget and border measures count federal fiscal years, October to September: FY2008 to FY2012 (Federal deficit or surplus, Debt held by the public); FY2009 to FY2012 (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: 5 months of 18 (Dec 2007 to Jun 2009).
- How fast the world outside the US grew: +2.7% a year (2009 to 2012).
- US export prices against import prices: +0.9% a year (2008 to 2012).
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.