Reagan 2 in numbers
Ronald Reagan, second term 1985–1989
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: Reagan 1 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment ratechange in points; values in % of the labor force | Jan 1985 to Jan 1989 | 7.3% | 5.4% | −1.9 | −0.2Jan 1981 to Jan 1985 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (Current Population Survey) |
| Year by yearJan 1985 7.3%Jan 1986 6.7%Jan 1987 6.6%Jan 1988 5.7%Jan 1989 5.4% | ||||||
| Grocery pricesaverage rise a year, in % | Jan 1985 to Jan 1989 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +3.9% | +2.8%Jan 1981 to Jan 1985 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 1985 to Jan 1986 +2.2%Jan 1986 to Jan 1987 +4.1%Jan 1987 to Jan 1988 +3.1%Jan 1988 to Jan 1989 +6.2% | ||||||
| Consumer prices (inflation)average rise a year, in % | Jan 1985 to Jan 1989 | Does not apply | Does not apply | +3.5% | +4.9%Jan 1981 to Jan 1985 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) |
| Year by yearJan 1985 to Jan 1986 +3.9%Jan 1986 to Jan 1987 +1.5%Jan 1987 to Jan 1988 +4.0%Jan 1988 to Jan 1989 +4.7% | ||||||
| Poverty ratechange in points; values in % of people | 1984 to 1988 | 14.4% | 13.0% | −1.4 | +1.41980 to 1984 | US Census Bureau, Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) |
| Year by year1984 14.4%1985 14.0%1986 13.6%1987 13.4%1988 13.0% | ||||||
| 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) | 1984 to 1988 | 8.3 | 8.9 | +0.6 | −2.31980 to 1984 | CDC/NCHS National Vital Statistics System, served by CDC WONDER (Compressed Mortality, 1979-1998, ICD-9 database D16) |
| Year by year1984 8.31985 8.21986 8.91987 8.61988 8.9 | ||||||
| Growth against the G7points a year; each year: US growth per person, in % | 1984 to 1988 | Does not apply | Does not apply | −0.07 | +0.831980 to 1984 | World Bank, World Development Indicators (NY.GDP.PCAP.KD); sources include OECD national accounts |
| Year by year1985 +3.3%1986 +2.5%1987 +2.5%1988 +3.2% | ||||||
| Federal deficit or surplusaverage a year, in % of GDP; a minus is a deficit | FY1984 to FY1988 | −4.7% | −3.0% | −4.0% | −4.3%FY1980 to FY1984 | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY1984 −4.7%FY1985 −5.0%FY1986 −4.9%FY1987 −3.1%FY1988 −3.0% | ||||||
| Debt held by the publicchange in points of GDP; values in % of GDP | FY1984 to FY1988 | 33.1% | 39.9% | +6.8 | +7.6FY1980 to FY1984 | Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Historical Tables |
| Year by yearFY1984 33.1%FY1985 35.3%FY1986 38.5%FY1987 39.6%FY1988 39.9% | ||||||
| Uninsured ratechange in points; values in % of people under 65 | no year in this term | no year in this term | one year only | 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 | FY1985 to FY1988 | 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 yearFY1985 1,183,351FY1986 1,615,844FY1987 1,122,067FY1988 942,561 | ||||||
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 2: from 7.3% in Jan 1985 to 5.4% in Jan 1989 is a change of −1.9.
How fast did grocery prices rise?
Reagan 2: from Jan 1985 to Jan 1989, grocery prices (food bought in stores to eat at home) rose 16.5% in all, which is 3.9% a year.
How fast did consumer prices rise?
Reagan 2: consumer prices rose 14.8% from Jan 1985 to Jan 1989, an average of 3.5% a year.
Did poverty and hunger go up or down?
Reagan 2, people in poverty: from 14.4% in 1984 to 13.0% in 1988 is a change of −1.4.
Did the homicide rate go up or down?
Reagan 2: from 8.3 in 1984 to 8.9 in 1988 is a change of +0.6.
Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
In the Reagan 2 term, from 1984 to 1988, US growth was +2.88% a year and the G7 median was +2.95%, 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?
Reagan 2, from 1984 to 1988: growth outside the US averaged +3.8% a year, +16.1% in all. Export prices moved −1.2% a year against import prices, −4.6% in all.
How much did the federal government borrow?
Reagan 2, top chart: its budget years, Oct 1984 to Sep 1988, averaged a deficit of 4.0% of GDP a year. Bottom chart: its debt went from 33.1% to 39.9% of GDP, a change of +6.8 points.
Did the uninsured rate go up or down?
Reagan 2 has no bar on this chart: no year in this term.
How many people did the Border Patrol stop at the Mexico border each year?
The bars of Reagan 2, from left to right: 1,183,351 in FY1985; 1,615,844 in FY1986; 1,122,067 in FY1987; 942,561 in FY1988.
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 1985 to 19 January 1989.
- Monthly measures count: Jan 1985 to Jan 1989.
- Yearly measures count: 1984 to 1988.
- Budget and border measures count federal fiscal years, October to September: FY1984 to FY1988 (Federal deficit or surplus, Debt held by the public); FY1985 to FY1988 (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 (no year in this term).
- 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: +3.8% a year (1985 to 1988).
- US export prices against import prices: −1.2% a year (1984 to 1988).
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.