Been digging into something that caught my attention — how different presidents actually shaped the economy over the past 60+ years. It's wild how the narrative doesn't always match the numbers.

Most people assume the president controls the economy, but honestly? That's way oversimplified. The Fed has way more direct influence than any president does. Still, voters care about economic performance when they hit the ballot box, so let's look at what actually happened.

Starting with the outliers: Jimmy Carter had insane GDP growth at 4.6% — higher than anything we've seen since. But he also dealt with brutal inflation at 11.8%. Opposite problem under George W. Bush, who served during the Great Recession and ended up with negative GDP growth of -1.2%. He's the only one on this list with that distinction.

What's interesting about Biden's economic record? GDP under Biden hit 3.2%, which is the second highest on this entire list. That's actually pretty solid considering he inherited the tail end of a pandemic economy. Unemployment under his administration came in at 4.8%, fourth lowest historically. But here's the catch — inflation was 5.0%, which was rough compared to most recent presidents, though nowhere near Carter's nightmare.

Looking at real disposable income per capita, Biden's numbers show $51,822, which is the highest on record. That reflects nominal gains, though inflation ate into purchasing power. For comparison, Trump had $48,286, Obama had $42,914.

The poverty rate under Biden settled at 12.4%, which is actually in the middle of the pack. Clinton had the lowest at 11.3%, while George H.W. Bush had the worst at 14.5%.

What I find most telling is how GDP under Biden performed relative to unemployment and inflation simultaneously. You rarely see strong GDP growth paired with low unemployment — usually there's a trade-off. The inflation spike was the real story of his years, tied to pandemic stimulus and supply chain chaos.

Honestly, this data shows what economists have been saying: presidents get way too much credit and blame for economic performance. Most of these numbers are driven by Fed policy, global events, and structural factors presidents can't control overnight. Worth keeping in mind next time you hear someone claim they single-handedly fixed or broke the economy.