Reagan 1 in numbers
Ronald Reagan, first term 1981–1985
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 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment ratechange in points; values in % of the labor force | Jan 1981 to Jan 1985 | 7.5% | 7.3% | −0.2 | No term before on this site | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (Current Population Survey) |
| Year by yearJan 1981 7.5%Jan 1982 8.6%Jan 1983 10.4%Jan 1984 8.0%Jan 1985 7.3% | ||||||
| Grocery pricesaverage rise a year, in % | Jan 1981 to Jan 1985 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +2.8% | No term before on this site | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 1981 to Jan 1982 +3.6%Jan 1982 to Jan 1983 +1.4%Jan 1983 to Jan 1984 +3.9%Jan 1984 to Jan 1985 +2.1% | ||||||
| Consumer prices (inflation)average rise a year, in % | Jan 1981 to Jan 1985 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +4.9% | No term before on this site | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 1981 to Jan 1982 +8.4%Jan 1982 to Jan 1983 +3.7%Jan 1983 to Jan 1984 +4.2%Jan 1984 to Jan 1985 +3.5% | ||||||
| Poverty ratechange in points; values in % of people | 1980 to 1984 | 13.0% | 14.4% | +1.4 | No term before on this site | US Census Bureau, Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) |
| Year by year1980 13.0%1981 14.0%1982 15.0%1983 15.2%1984 14.4% | ||||||
| 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 | No term before on this site | 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) | 1980 to 1984 | 10.6 | 8.3 | −2.3 | No term before on this site | CDC/NCHS National Vital Statistics System, served by CDC WONDER (Compressed Mortality, 1979-1998, ICD-9 database D16) |
| Year by year1980 10.61981 10.21982 9.51983 8.51984 8.3 | ||||||
| Growth against the G7points a year; each year: US growth per person, in % | 1980 to 1984 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +0.83 | No term before on this site | World Bank, World Development Indicators (NY.GDP.PCAP.KD); sources include OECD national accounts |
| Year by year1981 +1.5%1982 −2.7%1983 +3.6%1984 +6.3% | ||||||
| Federal deficit or surplusaverage a year, in % of GDP; a minus is a deficit | FY1980 to FY1984 | −2.6% | −4.7% | −4.3% | No term before on this site | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY1980 −2.6%FY1981 −2.5%FY1982 −3.9%FY1983 −5.9%FY1984 −4.7% | ||||||
| Debt held by the publicchange in points of GDP; values in % of GDP | FY1980 to FY1984 | 25.5% | 33.1% | +7.6 | No term before on this site | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY1980 25.5%FY1981 25.2%FY1982 27.9%FY1983 32.2%FY1984 33.1% | ||||||
| Uninsured ratechange in points; values in % of people under 65 | one year only | one year only | No term before on this site | CDC/NCHS, National Health Interview Survey (Health, United States 2020-2021, Table HINone); CDC/NCHS, National Health Interview Survey (Long-term Trends in Health Insurance Coverage, 1968-2024, Table 1) | ||
| Year by yearNo yearly value | ||||||
| Border Patrol stops at the Mexico bordercount each fiscal year | FY1981 to FY1984 | Each year, below | Each year, below | Each year, below | No term before on this site | US Customs and Border Protection, United States Border Patrol, Southwest Border Sectors |
| Year by yearFY1981 749,808FY1982 745,820FY1983 1,033,974FY1984 1,058,276 | ||||||
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?
Reagan 1: from 7.5% in Jan 1981 to 7.3% in Jan 1985 is a change of −0.2.
How fast did grocery prices rise?
Reagan 1: from Jan 1981 to Jan 1985, grocery prices (food bought in stores to eat at home) rose 11.5% in all, which is 2.8% a year.
How fast did consumer prices rise?
Reagan 1: consumer prices rose 21.3% from Jan 1981 to Jan 1985, an average of 4.9% a year.
Did poverty and hunger go up or down?
Reagan 1, people in poverty: from 13.0% in 1980 to 14.4% in 1984 is a change of +1.4.
Did the homicide rate go up or down?
Reagan 1: from 10.6 in 1980 to 8.3 in 1984 is a change of −2.3.
Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
In the Reagan 1 term, from 1980 to 1984, US growth was +2.13% a year and the G7 median was +1.30%, so the bar is +0.83 points.
See every term: Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
What came from outside the US?
Reagan 1, from 1980 to 1984: growth outside the US averaged +2.1% a year, +8.8% in all. Export prices moved +3.0% a year against import prices, +12.5% in all.
How much did the federal government borrow?
Reagan 1, top chart: its budget years, Oct 1980 to Sep 1984, averaged a deficit of 4.3% of GDP a year. Bottom chart: its debt went from 25.5% to 33.1% of GDP, a change of +7.6 points.
Did the uninsured rate go up or down?
Reagan 1 has no bar on this chart: one year only.
How many people did the Border Patrol stop at the Mexico border each year?
The bars of Reagan 1, from left to right: 749,808 in FY1981; 745,820 in FY1982; 1,033,974 in FY1983; 1,058,276 in FY1984.
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 1981 to 19 January 1985.
- Monthly measures count: Jan 1981 to Jan 1985.
- Yearly measures count: 1980 to 1984.
- Budget and border measures count federal fiscal years, October to September: FY1980 to FY1984 (Federal deficit or surplus, Debt held by the public); FY1981 to FY1984 (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: Homes short of food (not in USDA’s yearly series, which starts in 2001); Uninsured rate (one year only).
- 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: 16 months (Jul 1981 to Nov 1982).
- How fast the world outside the US grew: +2.1% a year (1981 to 1984).
- US export prices against import prices: +3.0% a year (1980 to 1984).
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.