Jimmy Carter
39th president · Democrat · January 20, 1977 – January 19, 1981
James Earl Carter Jr. was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, Carter served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975 and in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)
How to read this
Each card takes a series from one of the site’s Presidency, Congress or Supreme Court pages and shows only the time Carter was in office. Monthly figures run from the month of the inauguration to the month the term ended; a fiscal or calendar year counts for the president who held office for most of its days. Cards whose data begins after 1977 say where it starts, and a card with no data for the term is left out.
These are conditions during a presidency, not a scorecard. Congress, the courts, the Federal Reserve, the business cycle and events abroad move every one of these numbers, and many policies take effect years after they are signed, so a change during a term is not a measure of what the president caused.
Who held power
Party control of Congress
Democrats held both chambers for 4 years and one chamber for 1 months.
- 97th Congress1981House: Dem.243 D · 192 RSenate: Rep.47 D · 53 R
- 96th Congress1979–1981House: Dem.278 D · 157 RSenate: Dem.59 D · 41 R
- 95th Congress1977–1979House: Dem.292 D · 143 RSenate: Dem.62 D · 38 R
Seats are at the start of each Congress. Democrats and Republicans include the independents who caucused with them.
Data notes
Supreme Court appointments
Jimmy Carter appointed no justices.
No Supreme Court seat came open during this time in office.
Data notes
A justice counts for the president who nominated them (a recess appointment from the day it began, if earlier). An associate justice later made chief by another president, like William Rehnquist, counts as an elevation for the second. Failed and withdrawn nominations are not listed. Dates and Senate votes from the Federal Judicial Center.
Laws and orders
Laws signed
Signed 1,243 laws, 25 of them major laws. Congress enacted 2 more over a veto.
Laws signed per year in office
By policy area
- Economy, taxes & trade236 (19%)
- Land, water & farming236 (19%)
- Government, justice & rights222 (18%)
- Commemorations140 (11%)
- Defense & foreign affairs113 (9%)
- Health, education & culture102 (8%)
- Transport, housing & emergencies102 (8%)
- Energy & environment92 (7%)
Data notes
Public laws whose enactment date falls in the term, from Congress.gov (93rd Congress, 1973, on; private laws left out), counted through 2026-10-15. A law enacted over a veto is not counted as signed; a bill that became law without a signature is. A bar is one year in office, from the inauguration to the day before its anniversary. Policy areas are the Congressional Research Service’s, grouped as on the Laws page.
View as table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 1977–78 | 222 |
| 1978–79 | 410 |
| 1979–80 | 187 |
| 1980–81 | 424 |
Major laws signed
25 of the laws Carter signed are counted as important enactments, newest first, with how each passed the House and Senate.
- Dec 11, 1980Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund)Energy & environmentSets forth definitions for purposes of this title.House274–94 (274 yea, 94 nay)SenateMethod not stated
- Dec 2, 1980Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation ActLand, water & farmingHouseMethod not statedSenate78–14 (78 yea, 14 nay)
- Oct 14, 1980Staggers Rail Act of 1980Transport, housing & emergenciesHouseMethod not statedSenate61–8 (61 yea, 8 nay)
- Jul 1, 1980An act to amend subtitle IV of title 49, United States Code, to provide for more effective regulation of motor carriers of property, and for other purposes.Transport, housing & emergenciesDirects the appropriate committees of Congress to conduct, at least annually for the first five years after the date of enactment of this Act, oversight hearings on the effects of this Act to ensure that it is being implemented according to congressional intent.HouseMethod not statedSenateMethod not stated
- Jun 30, 1980Energy Security ActDefense & foreign affairsHouse317–93 (317 yea, 93 nay)Senate78–12 (78 yea, 12 nay)
- Apr 2, 1980Crude Oil Windfall Profit Tax Act of 1980Economy, taxes & tradeAmends the Internal Revenue Code to impose upon domestic oil producers an excise tax on the windfall profit from taxable crude oil produced during each taxable period (March 1980 and each calendar quarter thereafter).House302–107 (302 yea, 107 nay)Senate66–31 (66 yea, 31 nay)
- Mar 31, 1980Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980Economy, taxes & tradeHouse380–13 (380 yea, 13 nay)SenateMethod not stated
- Jan 7, 1980Chrysler Corporation Loan Guarantee Act of 1979Transport, housing & emergenciesEstablishes a Chrysler Corporation Loan Guarantee Board composed of the Secretary of the Treasury, the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Comptroller General of the United States.House241–124 (241 yea, 124 nay)Senate43–34 (43 yea, 34 nay)
- Oct 17, 1979Department of Education Organization ActHealth, education & cultureHouse215–201 (215 yea, 201 nay)Senate69–22 (69 yea, 22 nay)
- Jul 26, 1979Trade Agreements Act of 1979Economy, taxes & tradeApproves specified trade agreements and the statements of administrative action proposed to implement such agreements.House395–7 (395 yea, 7 nay)Senate90–4 (90 yea, 4 nay)
- Nov 9, 1978Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978Energy & environmentDirects the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to compute and publish in the Federal Register each month the maximum lawful prices for natural gas produced in the United States and the monthly equivalent of the annual inflation adjustment factor for such month.House231–168 (231 yea, 168 nay)Senate57–42 (57 yea, 42 nay)
- Nov 9, 1978Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978Economy, taxes & tradeSets forth the purposes of this Act, which are to be carried out in a manner consistent with applicable environmental requirements.House231–168 (231 yea, 168 nay)Senate92–6 (92 yea, 6 nay)
- Nov 9, 1978National Energy Conservation Policy ActEnergy & environmentHouse231–168 (231 yea, 168 nay)Senate86–3 (86 yea, 3 nay)
- Nov 9, 1978Energy Tax Act of 1978Economy, taxes & tradeHouse231–168 (231 yea, 168 nay)Senate60–17 (60 yea, 17 nay)
- Nov 9, 1978Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978Economy, taxes & tradeStipulates that utilities covered by this title shall be determined according to specified total retail sales of electricity in a baseline year.House231–168 (231 yea, 168 nay)Senate76–13 (76 yea, 13 nay)
- Nov 6, 1978Revenue Act of 1978Economy, taxes & tradeAmends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce income taxes for individuals and estates and trusts for taxable years beginning after December 31, 1978.House337–38 (337 yea, 38 nay)Senate72–3 (72 yea, 3 nay)
- Oct 24, 1978Airline Deregulation Act of 1978Transport, housing & emergenciesHouse356–6 (356 yea, 6 nay)Senate82–4 (82 yea, 4 nay)
- Oct 13, 1978Civil Service Reform Act of 1978Government, justice & rightsEnumerates the principles of the merit system in the Federal work force.House365–8 (365 yea, 8 nay)SenateMethod not stated
- Dec 27, 1977Clean Water Act of 1977Energy & environmentHouse346–2 (346 yea, 2 nay)SenateMethod not stated
- Dec 20, 1977Social Security Amendments of 1977Health, education & cultureHouse189–163 (189 yea, 163 nay)Senate56–21 (56 yea, 21 nay)
- Nov 1, 1977Fair Labor Standards Amendments of 1977Economy, taxes & tradeRaises the minimum wage to $2.65 an hour for calendar year 1978, $2.90 an hour for calendar year 1979, $3.10 an hour for calendar year 1980, and $3.35 an hour after December 31, 1980.House236–187 (236 yea, 187 nay)SenateMethod not stated
- Sep 29, 1977Food Stamp Act of 1977Land, water & farmingImposes for the years 1978-1982, a limitation on the total payments which a person may receive annually under one or more of the programs for wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, and rice.House283–107 (283 yea, 107 nay)Senate63–8 (63 yea, 8 nay)
- Aug 7, 1977Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977Energy & environmentDirects the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide free assistance to qualified State personnel as part of the comprehensive research and development program established by the Act.HouseMethod not statedSenateMethod not stated
- Aug 3, 1977Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977Land, water & farmingDeclares that most of the nation's coal reserve can only be mined by underground methods.House325–68 (325 yea, 68 nay)Senate85–8 (85 yea, 8 nay)
- May 23, 1977Tax Reduction and Simplification Act of 1977Economy, taxes & tradeEliminates the standard deduction, replacing it with a zero bracket amount which is incorporated in the tax tables.House383–2 (383 yea, 2 nay)SenateMethod not stated
Data notes
Laws counted as important enactments, the same list the Laws page uses for its “Major law” badge, which explains where it comes from. The list does not yet cover a Congress still in session. Each summary is the first sentence of the Congressional Research Service summary, where one stands alone; votes are each chamber’s final-passage tally, or how it passed without a recorded vote.
Economy
Misery index
The misery index (unemployment plus inflation) was 12.7 in January 1977 and 19.3 in January 1981, with a high of 21.9 in May 1980.
Misery index
Unemployment and inflation
Data notes
The misery index adds the unemployment rate to inflation (consumer prices, change from a year earlier) for the same month. Unemployment is the BLS rate, seasonally adjusted, from 1948; inflation is from the consumer price index, from 1948. The first reading is the month the president took office, the last the month the term ended. Both are national averages and are revised.
View as table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| Jan 1977 | 12.7 |
| Feb 1977 | 13.7 |
| Mar 1977 | 13.8 |
| Apr 1977 | 14.2 |
| May 1977 | 13.7 |
| Jun 1977 | 13.9 |
| Jul 1977 | 13.6 |
| Aug 1977 | 13.6 |
| Sep 1977 | 13.2 |
| Oct 1977 | 13.2 |
| Nov 1977 | 13.5 |
| Dec 1977 | 13.1 |
| Jan 1978 | 13.2 |
| Feb 1978 | 12.5 |
| Mar 1978 | 12.7 |
| Apr 1978 | 12.6 |
| May 1978 | 13.1 |
| Jun 1978 | 13.3 |
| Jul 1978 | 13.9 |
| Aug 1978 | 13.8 |
| Sep 1978 | 14.5 |
| Oct 1978 | 14.7 |
| Nov 1978 | 14.8 |
| Dec 1978 | 15 |
| Jan 1979 | 15.2 |
| Feb 1979 | 15.7 |
| Mar 1979 | 16.1 |
| Apr 1979 | 16.3 |
| May 1979 | 16.3 |
| Jun 1979 | 16.8 |
| Jul 1979 | 17.2 |
| Aug 1979 | 17.8 |
| Sep 1979 | 17.8 |
| Oct 1979 | 18.1 |
| Nov 1979 | 18.5 |
| Dec 1979 | 19.3 |
| Jan 1980 | 20.2 |
| Feb 1980 | 20.5 |
| Mar 1980 | 20.9 |
| Apr 1980 | 21.5 |
| May 1980 | 21.9 |
| Jun 1980 | 21.9 |
| Jul 1980 | 21 |
| Aug 1980 | 20.6 |
| Sep 1980 | 20.3 |
| Oct 1980 | 20.1 |
| Nov 1980 | 20.1 |
| Dec 1980 | 19.6 |
| Jan 1981 | 19.3 |
| Period | Unemployment rate | Inflation |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1977 | 7.5% | 5.2% |
| Feb 1977 | 7.6% | 6.1% |
| Mar 1977 | 7.4% | 6.4% |
| Apr 1977 | 7.2% | 7% |
| May 1977 | 7% | 6.7% |
| Jun 1977 | 7.2% | 6.7% |
| Jul 1977 | 6.9% | 6.7% |
| Aug 1977 | 7% | 6.6% |
| Sep 1977 | 6.8% | 6.4% |
| Oct 1977 | 6.8% | 6.4% |
| Nov 1977 | 6.8% | 6.7% |
| Dec 1977 | 6.4% | 6.7% |
| Jan 1978 | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| Feb 1978 | 6.3% | 6.2% |
| Mar 1978 | 6.3% | 6.4% |
| Apr 1978 | 6.1% | 6.5% |
| May 1978 | 6% | 7.1% |
| Jun 1978 | 5.9% | 7.4% |
| Jul 1978 | 6.2% | 7.7% |
| Aug 1978 | 5.9% | 7.9% |
| Sep 1978 | 6% | 8.5% |
| Oct 1978 | 5.8% | 8.9% |
| Nov 1978 | 5.9% | 8.9% |
| Dec 1978 | 6% | 9% |
| Jan 1979 | 5.9% | 9.3% |
| Feb 1979 | 5.9% | 9.8% |
| Mar 1979 | 5.8% | 10.3% |
| Apr 1979 | 5.8% | 10.5% |
| May 1979 | 5.6% | 10.7% |
| Jun 1979 | 5.7% | 11.1% |
| Jul 1979 | 5.7% | 11.5% |
| Aug 1979 | 6% | 11.8% |
| Sep 1979 | 5.9% | 11.9% |
| Oct 1979 | 6% | 12.1% |
| Nov 1979 | 5.9% | 12.6% |
| Dec 1979 | 6% | 13.3% |
| Jan 1980 | 6.3% | 13.9% |
| Feb 1980 | 6.3% | 14.2% |
| Mar 1980 | 6.3% | 14.6% |
| Apr 1980 | 6.9% | 14.6% |
| May 1980 | 7.5% | 14.4% |
| Jun 1980 | 7.6% | 14.3% |
| Jul 1980 | 7.8% | 13.2% |
| Aug 1980 | 7.7% | 12.9% |
| Sep 1980 | 7.5% | 12.8% |
| Oct 1980 | 7.5% | 12.6% |
| Nov 1980 | 7.5% | 12.6% |
| Dec 1980 | 7.2% | 12.4% |
| Jan 1981 | 7.5% | 11.8% |
Federal deficit and debt
The federal budget balance, as a share of GDP, was −2.6% in FY1977 and −2.6% in FY1980, with a high of −1.6% in FY1979.
Budget balance, % of GDP
Public debt, % of GDP
Data notes
The budget balance is the federal surplus (above zero) or deficit (below) as a share of GDP, by fiscal year (July to June through 1976, October to September since); a year counts for the president in office for most of it, though its budget was usually passed the year before. Debt is total public debt as a share of GDP, quarterly from 1966, including debt the government holds in its own trust funds.
View as table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| FY1977 | −2.6% |
| FY1978 | −2.5% |
| FY1979 | −1.6% |
| FY1980 | −2.6% |
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| Q1 1977 | 33.7% |
| Q2 1977 | 32.8% |
| Q3 1977 | 33% |
| Q4 1977 | 33.2% |
| Q1 1978 | 33.5% |
| Q2 1978 | 32.1% |
| Q3 1978 | 32.2% |
| Q4 1978 | 31.9% |
| Q1 1979 | 31.5% |
| Q2 1979 | 31.1% |
| Q3 1979 | 31% |
| Q4 1979 | 31% |
| Q1 1980 | 30.9% |
| Q2 1980 | 31.4% |
| Q3 1980 | 31.8% |
| Q4 1980 | 31.2% |
| Q1 1981 | 30.9% |
Immigration
Green cards and refugees
New green cards numbered 459k in FY1977 and 524k in FY1980, with a high of 590k in FY1978.
Green cards
Refugee admissions
Data starts October 1979
Data notes
Green cards are people who became lawful permanent residents in the fiscal year, from the DHS Yearbook of Immigration Statistics (from FY1977). Refugee admissions are from the State Department’s Refugee Processing Center (from FY1980). A fiscal year counts for the administration in office for most of its days; a hatched bar is preliminary.
View as table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| FY1977 | 458,760 |
| FY1978 | 589,810 |
| FY1979 | 394,240 |
| FY1980 | 524,300 |
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| FY1980 | 207,116 |
Removals and border encounters
Removals numbered 18k in FY1980.
Removals
Data starts October 1979
Border encounters
Data starts October 1979
Data notes
Removals are formal deportations: the Immigration and Naturalization Service’s through FY2002 (DHS Yearbook) and ICE’s own count from FY2003 (ICE); the two are not the same measure. Border encounters are Border Patrol apprehensions, plus port-of-entry inadmissibles from FY2004 and Title 42 expulsions in FY2020–23 (CBP); they count events, not people. A hatched bar is preliminary.
View as table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| FY1980 | 18,010 |
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| FY1980 | 759,420 |
Security and energy
Troops abroad
Troops stationed abroad numbered 403k in September 1977 and 427k in September 1980. Germany hosted the most in 4 of those years.
Active-duty troops abroad
Data notes
Active-duty U.S. military personnel stationed outside the United States and its territories (afloat and unassigned included where the source reports them), one snapshot a year (September; June for 1953–56), from the Defense Manpower Data Center’s tables and, for years it did not publish, troopdata. The year in progress shows its latest quarter, hatched. From December 2017 DMDC counts permanent assignments only, so later figures leave out most deployed forces.
View as table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| Sep 1977 | 403,447 |
| Sep 1978 | 417,407 |
| Sep 1979 | 417,973 |
| Sep 1980 | 426,570 |
Source: the site’s Presidency, Congress and Supreme Court data, each named in its card’s Data notes; party control of Congress from the House and Senate historians; appointments from the Federal Judicial Center. Portrait: public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Built October 19, 2026.