Explore how U.S. real GDP per capita grew across 76 years of changing control in the House, Senate, and White House.
Annual percent change alongside party control.
House: Republican · Senate: Republican
1950–2025 · 76 years · July 1 snapshot
These averages describe historical associations. Recessions, recoveries, global shocks, monetary policy, and policies inherited from earlier administrations can all affect annual growth. The comparisons cannot identify a causal effect of party control.
Each calendar-year level is the arithmetic mean of four quarterly observations from BEA via FRED series A939RX0Q048SBEA, in chained 2017 dollars at seasonally adjusted annual rates. Growth is 100 × (this year’s level ÷ last year’s level − 1). The snapshot uses FRED’s October 29, 2026 series update and includes 1949 as the base for 1950.
BEA series on FRED ↗Each year receives one label per institution based on July 1 by default. December 31 provides a sensitivity check. The transition file records party-control changes and presidential successions. Senate control follows organizational control, including caucusing and vice-presidential tie breaks. In 2001 the Senate changed hands twice after January 3. In 2002 the November switch changes its annual label when you select December 31.
House records ↗ Senate records ↗ Presidential dates ↗ Party affiliations ↗Congress is split when its two chambers have different parties. Government is unified when all three institutions share a party, and divided otherwise. Group means weight every included year equally. Counts show the number of years in each group.
The annual file includes both political snapshots. The two input files let you reproduce the annual calculations.