A Look At The Unemployment Rate Since Obama Took Office

With just 76 days left in his administration, President Barack Obama will be riding out his historical administration in style, inviting the Chicago Cubs to the White House after their World Series win.

“Cubs win World Series. That’s change even this south sider can believe in,” wrote the POTUS on Twitter.

Throughout his term, jobs have been a key issue for the Obama administration, as he came in at one of the most contentious economic times in U.S. history. When Obama took office, the unemployment rate was at 9.3 percent. While that figure hit as high at 9.6 percent in 2010, it has steadily decreased every year since.

Average Unemployment Rate By Year

• 2009: 9.3 percent.
• 2010: 9.6 percent.
• 2011: 8.9 percent.
• 2012: 8.1 percent.
• 2013: 7.4 percent.
• 2014: 6.2 percent.
• 2015: 5.3 percent.
• 2016: 4.9 percent.

Obama came into office when unemployment was at near historical levels; in the last 60 years, there had been only one period — in the 1980s — where unemployment levels surpassed the double-digit mark.

Partisan detractors are never far in politics. A story earlier this year claimed that the low unemployment rates were not because of a stronger economy, but because the economy was actually shrinking.

Labor force participation rates have actually fallen from 65.7 percent to 62.7 percent in 2016.

How Is That Possible?

Thus, the question arises: How do unemployment rates and Labor force participation both decrease?

“Either employment failed to match the potential labor force's growth because there have been insufficient jobs; or Americans deem the available jobs not worth entering the workforce for,” said J.T. Young, a former Treasury Department official.

As with everything in politics, not every figure is exactly how it appears, but Obama at least does have the numbers on his side.