INTRODUCTION
This page shows statistics about US Presidents including rankings, education, vote share and other interesting statistics.
Charts
1. Ranking of US Presidents by Period
2. Country of Birth of Patrilineal Immigrant Ancestor of US Presidents
3. Region of Birth of US Presidents by Period
4. Highest Qualification of President by Period
5. Popularity of Living Former Presidents
6. US Presidents by Best Vote Share
7. US Presidents by Average Approval Rating
8. 5 Youngest People to Become President by Age
This chart shows the distribution of U.S. presidents ranked among the best, average, and worst by historical period. A notable pattern is that presidents from the most recent period (from 1933 onward) appear far more frequently among the “best” group and far less often among the “worst.” One reason for this may be the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who is widely considered one of the greatest American presidents. His leadership during the Great Depression and World War II significantly expanded the scope and expectations of presidential leadership, effectively raising the standard against which later presidents are judged.
Earlier presidents often had a more limited federal government and fewer tools to influence national and global events. After Roosevelt, the presidency became a much more powerful and active institution, allowing later presidents greater opportunities to shape policy and leave lasting legacies.
The middle period, from 1861 to 1933, is particularly striking. Although it covers the era when the United States emerged as a major global power, many presidents from this time are often ranked poorly by historians. After Abraham Lincoln, the presidency was frequently occupied by relatively weak or less influential leaders during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This contributes to the higher number of “worst” rankings from that period.
This chart shows the country of birth of the patrilineal immigrant ancestors of U.S. presidents. A striking feature is the overwhelming dominance of England, which accounts for over half of the total. This reflects the early English colonial origins of the United States, particularly in the political and social elites of the original thirteen colonies from which many early presidents descended.
One surprising aspect is the relatively small number of presidents with German patrilineal ancestry, despite the large-scale German immigration to the United States from the eighteenth through the nineteenth centuries. This highlights how political power in the United States has not always been evenly distributed across ethnic groups, even among different white European populations.
The presence of Northern Ireland on the chart largely reflects ancestry from the Protestant population of Ulster, descended mainly from Scottish settlers during the seventeenth-century Ulster Plantation. By contrast, Irish Catholics—although eventually forming a larger population in the United States—have produced relatively few presidents.
Overall, the chart illustrates how early colonial heritage and historical social hierarchies shaped the ethnic backgrounds of American political leadership.
This chart shows the region of birth of U.S. presidents across three historical periods. The distribution reflects how the political and demographic center of the United States has shifted over time as the country expanded westward and new regions gained influence.
In the earliest period (1789–1861), the South produced the largest number of presidents, followed by the Northeast. This reflects the dominance of the original Atlantic states in early American politics. Virginia in particular played a major role, producing several early presidents such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.
In the middle period (1861–1933), the Midwest became the most prominent region for presidential birthplaces. As the country expanded westward and the population shifted inland, Midwestern states such as Ohio emerged as major political power centers.
In the modern period (1933–present), the distribution becomes more balanced. The Northeast again produces several presidents, while the South and Midwest remain significant. The West also begins to appear, reflecting the growing population and political importance of states such as California and Texas.
This chart shows the highest educational qualification of U.S. presidents across three historical periods. A clear trend is the steady rise in the educational attainment of presidents over time.
In the early period (1789–1861), several presidents had relatively limited formal education, with a significant number having only a high school-level education or its equivalent. This reflected the educational norms of the time, when university attendance was far less common even among political elites. However, many early presidents were still highly educated through private tutoring or self-study.
During the middle period (1861–1933), undergraduate degrees became more common among presidents, reflecting the expansion of higher education in the United States. Graduate degrees were still relatively rare but began to appear more frequently.
In the modern period (1933–present), educational attainment increased significantly. Most presidents have at least an undergraduate degree, and many hold graduate or professional degrees, particularly in fields such as law. This reflects the growing professionalization of political leadership and the increased importance of formal higher education in public life.
This chart shows the popularity of living former U.S. presidents. It compares the percentage of respondents who said they liked or disliked each former president.
Jimmy Carter stands out as the most popular among the group, with a very high favourable rating and relatively low dislike. Although Carter’s presidency was often viewed critically at the time, his reputation improved significantly in later decades due to his humanitarian work and international peace efforts after leaving office.
Barack Obama also has a strong positive rating, with a clear gap between those who like him and those who dislike him. Bill Clinton shows a moderately positive balance of opinion, though with somewhat higher disapproval than Obama or Carter.
George W. Bush has a more mixed reputation, but still shows more people liking him than disliking him. By contrast, Donald Trump is the only former president on the chart with more people disliking him than liking him, reflecting the highly polarized political environment surrounding his presidency.
This chart shows the U.S. presidents who achieved the highest popular vote shares in presidential elections. It highlights how unusually dominant some elections were compared with the more competitive races typical of modern American politics.
James Monroe holds the highest vote share among contested elections, receiving over 80% of the vote in the 1820 election. This occurred during the so-called “Era of Good Feelings,” when the Federalist Party had largely collapsed and Monroe faced minimal opposition. Similarly, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison also achieved extremely high vote shares during the early years of the republic when the party system was still developing.
Later presidents on the list, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan, achieved large victories during periods of strong national support. Nixon’s 1972 victory and Reagan’s 1984 reelection were particularly dominant modern landslides.
Notably, George Washington does not appear on the chart because he effectively ran unopposed in the early presidential elections and received 100% of the electoral vote, making comparisons with later contested elections difficult.
This chart shows the average approval ratings of U.S. presidents from Harry Truman to Joe Biden. One clear pattern is that presidents from earlier decades tend to have higher average approval ratings than more recent presidents.
John F. Kennedy has the highest average approval rating on the chart, reflecting the strong public support he enjoyed during his presidency. Dwight Eisenhower and George H. W. Bush also maintained high average approval levels, benefiting from periods when American politics was generally less polarized.
In contrast, more recent presidents tend to have lower average approval ratings. One major reason is the increasing political polarization of American society. In modern politics, voters who strongly identify with one party are often reluctant to give credit to a president from the opposing party, regardless of specific policies or achievements. This tends to push overall approval averages downward.
Donald Trump’s approval rating is particularly low even by modern standards, reflecting both intense partisan division and widespread criticism of his presidency across large segments of the electorate. Joe Biden’s rating also reflects the highly polarized political environment of recent years.
This chart shows the five youngest people to become President of the United States. Theodore Roosevelt holds the record as the youngest person ever to assume the presidency, taking office at age 42. However, Roosevelt did not win the presidency through election at that time; he became president after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901 while serving as vice president.
John F. Kennedy is therefore the youngest person ever elected president, taking office at age 43 after winning the 1960 election. His youth was widely seen as symbolic of a generational shift in American politics.
The remaining three presidents on the list—Bill Clinton, Ulysses S. Grant, and Barack Obama—also entered office in their mid-to-late forties. Grant became president shortly after the Civil War, while Clinton and Obama represented a younger generation of post–Cold War leadership.
It is notable that the three youngest modern presidents from the post-World War II era—Kennedy, Clinton, and Obama—were all Democrats, reflecting how that party has at times been more successful in elevating relatively young candidates to the presidency.