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Advancing Racial Equity and Justice, Building an Economy for All, Restoring Social Trust in Democracy, Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice, Budget, Economy, Infrastructure, Taxes+5 More
Associate Director, Media Relations
snadeau@americanprogress.org
Vice President, Communications
jcusick@americanprogress.org
Director, Federal Affairs
mshepherd@americanprogress.org
Associate Director, State and Local Government Affairs
elofgren@americanprogress.org
The foundation of America is the promise of progress. As a people, we are committed to continually making our nation stronger. Since the start of the new millennium, the Bush administration has spent $2.2 trillion that we didn’t have. It’s a bill that will have to be paid by our children. This report by The Center for American Progress, an organization dedicated to progress, assesses what we’ve gotten in return. It will be updated regularly, as new data becomes available.
Where We Started[1]
Where We Are Now[2]
Trend
S&P 500
1,382.27 [Source]
$1,181.20 [Source]
-15%
Price of Gas per Gallon
$1.56 [Source]
$2.28 [Source]
+46%
New AIDS Diagnoses
40,165 [Source]
44,232 [Source]
+10%
Home Ownership Rate
67.5% [Source]
69.2% [Source]
+3%
Real Value of Minimum Wage
$5.50 [Source]
$5.10 [Source]
-7%
Unemployment Rate
4% [Source]
5.2% [Source]
+30%
Poverty Rate
11.3% [Source]
12.5% [Source]
+11%
Number of Uninsured
39.8 million [Source]
45 million [Source]
+18%
Inflation
3.5% [Source]
3.0% [Source]
-14%
Murder Rate (per 100,000)
5.5 [Source]
5.7 [Source]
+4%
Number of Active Duty Army Recruits Without a HS Diploma
5% [Source]
9% [Source]
+80%
Number of Active Duty Army Recruits scoring below average on qualifying exam
0.9% [Source]
1.8% [Source]
+100%
Federal Government Surplus/Deficit
+23 billion [Source]
-412 billion [Source]
-1,891%
Federal Debt
$5.6 trillion [Source]
$7.8 trillion [Source]
-39%
Debt Held By Foreigners
$1.01 trillion [Source]
$1.96 trillion [Source]
+96%
Dollar v. Euro
$1 = 1.12 Euros [Source]
$1 = 0.78 Euros [Source]
-30%
Dollar v. Yen
$1 = 121.68 Yen [Source]
$1 = 108.26 Yen [Source]
-11%
Median Household Income
$45,000 [Source]
$43,318 [Source]
-4%
Average Cost of 4-Year Public College
(2004 Dollars)
$9,131 [Source]
$11,354 [Source]
+24%
Motor Vehicle Fatality Rate (per 100
million motor vehicles)
1.53 [Source]
1.48 [Source]
-3%
Number of States with High Mercury Levels
40 [Source]
45 [Source]
+13%
Workers With Employee Health
Coverage
65% [Source]
61% [Source]
-6%
Gross Domestic Product (2000 dollars)
$9.8 trillion [Source]
$10.8 trillion [Source]
Monthly Trade Deficit
-$33.3 billion [Source]
-$58.3 billion [Source]
-75%
Number of Adult Smokers
46.5 million [Source]
45.8 million [Source]
-2%
Americans Filing for Bankruptcy
1.25 million [Source]
1.66 million [Source]
+33%
Adult Obesity Rate
20.1% [Source]
22.1% [Source]
Incidents of International Terrorism
100 [Source]
300 [Source]
+200%
Grade 4 Math Scores (NAEP Test)
272 [Source]
276 [Source]
+1%
Annual Increase In Prescription Drug Prices
4.1% [Source]
6.9% [Source]
+68%
U.S. Global Favorability Rating: Britain
83% [Source]
58% [Source]
U.S. Global Favorability Rating: Germany
78% [Source]
38% [Source]
-51%
Americans Generally Satisfied With the Way Things Are Going in the United States
58% [Gallup]
38% [Gallup]
-34%
Americans Generally Dissatisfied With the Way Things Are Going in the United States
41%[Gallup]
59% [Gallup]
+43%
[1] Most recent data as of 1/1/01
[2] Most recent data as of 4/10/05
The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.