Obama 2 in numbers
Barack Obama, second term 2013–2017
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: Obama 1 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment ratechange in points; values in % of the labor force | Jan 2013 to Jan 2017 | 8.0% | 4.7% | −3.3 | +0.2Jan 2009 to Jan 2013 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (Current Population Survey) |
| Year by yearJan 2013 8.0%Jan 2014 6.6%Jan 2015 5.7%Jan 2016 4.8%Jan 2017 4.7% | ||||||
| Grocery pricesaverage rise a year, in % | Jan 2013 to Jan 2017 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +0.3% | +1.6%Jan 2009 to Jan 2013 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 2013 to Jan 2014 +0.5%Jan 2014 to Jan 2015 +3.3%Jan 2015 to Jan 2016 −0.5%Jan 2016 to Jan 2017 −1.9% | ||||||
| Consumer prices (inflation)average rise a year, in % | Jan 2013 to Jan 2017 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +1.3% | +2.2%Jan 2009 to Jan 2013 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 2013 to Jan 2014 +1.6%Jan 2014 to Jan 2015 −0.1%Jan 2015 to Jan 2016 +1.4%Jan 2016 to Jan 2017 +2.5% | ||||||
| Poverty ratechange in points; values in % of people | 2012 to 2013then2013 to 2016 | 15.0%then14.8% | 14.5%then12.7% | −0.5then−2.1 | +1.82008 to 2012 | US Census Bureau, Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) |
| Year by year2012 15.0%2013 14.5%then2013 14.8%2014 14.8%2015 13.5%2016 12.7% | ||||||
| Homes short of foodchange in points; values in % of homes | 2012 to 2016 | 14.5% | 12.3% | −2.2 | −0.12008 to 2012 | USDA Economic Research Service (data from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement) |
| Year by year2012 14.5%2013 14.3%2014 14.0%2015 12.7%2016 12.3% | ||||||
| Homicide ratechange in deaths per 100,000 residents (crude rate) | 2012 to 2016 | 5.3 | 6.0 | +0.7 | −0.62008 to 2012 | CDC/NCHS National Vital Statistics System, served by CDC WONDER (Underlying Cause of Death, 1999-2020, bridged-race database D76) |
| Year by year2012 5.32013 5.12014 5.02015 5.52016 6.0 | ||||||
| Growth against the G7points a year; each year: US growth per person, in % | 2012 to 2016 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +0.68 | +0.212008 to 2012 | World Bank, World Development Indicators (NY.GDP.PCAP.KD); sources include OECD national accounts |
| Year by year2013 +1.3%2014 +1.7%2015 +2.1%2016 +1.0% | ||||||
| Federal deficit or surplusaverage a year, in % of GDP; a minus is a deficit | FY2012 to FY2016 | −6.7% | −3.1% | −3.1% | −8.4%FY2008 to FY2012 | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY2012 −6.7%FY2013 −4.1%FY2014 −2.8%FY2015 −2.4%FY2016 −3.1% | ||||||
| Debt held by the publicchange in points of GDP; values in % of GDP | FY2012 to FY2016 | 70.0% | 76.0% | +6.0 | +30.8FY2008 to FY2012 | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY2012 70.0%FY2013 71.8%FY2014 73.3%FY2015 72.2%FY2016 76.0% | ||||||
| Uninsured ratechange in points; values in % of people under 65 | 2012 to 2016 | 16.9% | 10.3% | −6.6 | +0.12008 to 2012 | CDC/NCHS, National Health Interview Survey (Health, United States 2020-2021, Table HINone) |
| Year by year2012 16.9%2013 16.7%2014 13.3%2015 10.6%2016 10.3% | ||||||
| Border Patrol stops at the Mexico bordercount each fiscal year | FY2013 to FY2016 | 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 yearFY2013 414,397FY2014 479,371FY2015 331,333FY2016 408,870 | ||||||
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 2: from 8.0% in Jan 2013 to 4.7% in Jan 2017 is a change of −3.3.
How fast did grocery prices rise?
Obama 2: from Jan 2013 to Jan 2017, grocery prices (food bought in stores to eat at home) rose 1.3% in all, which is 0.3% a year.
How fast did consumer prices rise?
Obama 2: consumer prices rose 5.5% from Jan 2013 to Jan 2017, an average of 1.3% a year.
Did poverty and hunger go up or down?
Obama 2, people in poverty: −0.5 from 2012 to 2013, then −2.1 from 2013 to 2016.
Did the homicide rate go up or down?
Obama 2: from 5.3 in 2012 to 6.0 in 2016 is a change of +0.7.
Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
In the Obama 2 term, from 2012 to 2016, US growth was +1.55% a year and the G7 median was +0.87%, so the bar is +0.68 points.
See every term: Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
What came from outside the US?
Obama 2, from 2012 to 2016: growth outside the US averaged +3.2% a year, +13.4% in all. Export prices moved +1.8% a year against import prices, +7.3% in all.
How much did the federal government borrow?
Obama 2, top chart: its budget years, Oct 2012 to Sep 2016, averaged a deficit of 3.1% of GDP a year. Bottom chart: its debt went from 70.0% to 76.0% of GDP, a change of +6.0 points.
Did the uninsured rate go up or down?
Obama 2: from 16.9% in 2012 to 10.3% in 2016 is a change of −6.6 points.
How many people did the Border Patrol stop at the Mexico border each year?
The bars of Obama 2, from left to right: 414,397 in FY2013; 479,371 in FY2014; 331,333 in FY2015; 408,870 in FY2016.
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 2013 to 19 January 2017.
- Monthly measures count: Jan 2013 to Jan 2017.
- Yearly measures count: 2012 to 2016.
- Budget and border measures count federal fiscal years, October to September: FY2012 to FY2016 (Federal deficit or surplus, Debt held by the public); FY2013 to FY2016 (Border Patrol stops at the Mexico border).
- Measures where the agency changed its method during the term: Poverty rate: two parts, each measured its own way, 2012 to 2013 and 2013 to 2016.
- 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: None.
- How fast the world outside the US grew: +3.2% a year (2013 to 2016).
- US export prices against import prices: +1.8% a year (2012 to 2016).
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.