Democrat vs Republican Average Budget Deficits From 1946 to 2009
From 1946 to 2009 (a total of 64 years), the United States has racked up an impressive $10.303 trillion dollars in red ink. I'm not just adding up the deficits in this equation and leaving out the surpluses - this figure includes the surpluses as well (all 12 of them since 1946).
From 1946 to 2009, a Republican president has been in office for 36 of those years, while a Democrat has been in office for the other 28.
From 1946 to 2009, the United States has posted an average budget deficit of $160.99 billion (inflation adjusted).
During the 36 years that the Republicans have held the White House from 1946-2009, the United States has posted an average deficit of $202.28 billion (inflation adjusted).
During the 28 years that the Democrats have held the White House from 1946-2009, the United States has posted an average deficit of $107.9 billion.
The Republicans have managed to post a budget surplus in 5 of the 36 years, with the most recent surplus coming in 2001.
The Democrats have managed to post a budget surplus in 7 of the 28 years, with the most recent surplus coming in 2000.
The largest inflation-adjusted deficit posted by the Republicans from 1946-2009? 2008 ($455 billion), with 1983 as a close second ($443 billion).
The largest inflation-adjusted deficit posted by the Democrats from 1946-2009? 2009 ($1.4 trillion).
The largest inflation-adjusted surplus posted by the Republicans from 1946-2009? $152.76 billion (2001).
The largest inflation-adjusted surplus posted by the Democrats from 1946-2009? $290.77 billion (2000).
--
It's important to note that the average deficit under a Democratic president will rise sharply over the next three years, given the current White House budget projections for 2010-2012. For instance, the White House is predicting that the United States will post a $1.35 trillion budget deficit for the 2010 fiscal year, which will obviously dramatically inflate the Democratic averages.
Source: History of Deficits and Surpluses in the United States
Filed under: General Knowledge
