logo
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Were 50 million of the 51 million net US jobs added since 1989 created during Democratic presidencies?

By Tom Kertscher
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
YES

The United States netted 51 million new jobs since 1989. Accounting for gains and losses, Democrats held the presidency for 50 million of those.

The claim was made by former president Bill Clinton at the Democratic National Convention.

In the 35 years since 1989, Democrats served for 19 years (Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden); and Republicans for 16 years (George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Donald Trump).

The Economist previously reported 49 million of the 50 million net jobs added between January 1989 and February 2024 were created under Democrats.

“Many things feed into growth trends that have only a scant connection to whoever is living in the White House — from the business cycle to tech innovations and Federal Reserve decisions to the global economy,” The Economist said.

For example, COVID in 2020 caused massive job losses under Trump that erased earlier gains. The rebound happened mostly under Biden.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
USA TODAY Full speech: Bill Clinton speaks at 2024 DNC | USA TODAY
Library of Congress Chronological List of Presidents, First Spouses, and Vice Presidents of the United States
New York Times D.N.C. Live Updates: Night 3 Will Give Tim Walz the Biggest Stage of His Life
Google Docs Federal Reserve Bank employment counts
NBC News DNC 2024 live updates: Watch Tim Walz, Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Nancy Pelosi speak tonight
The Economist Five charts compare Democrats and Republicans on job creation
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs from Wisconsin Watch
facebook
twitter
email
email
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.