---
title: Are Democrats or Republicans Better for the Economy?
description: A new report analyzes which political party is better for the economy, and the findings are another vote for bipartisanship in Washington.
authors:
  - name: Alicia Adamczyk
    url: https://money.com/author/alicia-adamczyk/
    at_money_since: 2015
    articles: 201
    covers:
      - Economy and Politics
      - Banking
      - Business
      - Career Advice
      - Credit Cards
      - Education
      - Housing
      - Identity Theft
      - Insurance
      - Investing
      - Lifestyle
      - Loans
      - Personal Finance
      - Retirement
      - Shopping
      - Taxes
      - Technology
    social:
      - https://x.com/aliciaadamczyk
    former_staff: true
published: '2016-09-26T14:27:14.000Z'
modified: '2024-05-08T04:07:29.000Z'
section: Economy and Politics
tags:
  - Election 2016
  - pubdesk
word_count: 236
canonical: https://money.com/democrat-republican-president-better-economy/
type: Article
source: structured-blocks
---

> **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/).

![US-VOTE-POLL-TRUMP-CLINTON](https://img.money.com/2016/09/gettyimages-610371796.jpg)
*Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump*

For many voters, their primary concern of the 2016 election is which candidate will be better for an economy. Can Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton reinvigorate a sluggish economy, or will Republican nominee Donald Trump "Make America Great Again"?

A new study from [WalletHub](https://wallethub.com/edu/which-party-is-better-for-the-economy/24468/) analyzed economic indicators such as GDP growth and annual poverty rate change under each presidential administration from 1950 and 2015. In another vote for the importance of bipartisanship, WalletHub determined that the economy has performed best overall with a Democratic president and a Republican Congress.

***Read Next: Hillary Clinton’s Bid for the Economic Hearts of the Middle Class***

It may seem strange given Washington's current state of gridlock, but WalletHub's report found that the stock market, poverty rates, income growth, and national debt as percentage of GDP all perform better with a Dem in the Oval Office and a Republican-controlled Congress.

***Read Next: [How to Watch Tonight's Presidential Debate Without Cable](https://money.com/presidential-election-debates-how-to-watch/)***

If you're worried about whether a Democratic or Republican presidential candidate will adversely impact *your* financial well-being, take a deep breath. As [Money](https://money.com/page/2016-presidential-election-clinton-trump-affect-finances/) reported, stocks generally rise no matter who's in office. The biggest factor impacting your investment portfolio is how you react to the outcome of the election. As my colleague Taylor Tepper wrote, "the S&P 500 index has finished up in more than two-thirds of all calendar years since 1926, a period that’s seen eight Republican and seven Democratic Presidents."

![Who’s-Best-for-the-Economy-v5](//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/posts/24855/who’s-best-for-the-economy-v5.jpg)

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "@id": "https://money.com/democrat-republican-president-better-economy/#breadcrumb",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "Home",
          "item": "https://money.com"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "Economy and Politics",
          "item": "https://money.com/economy-and-politics/"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Economy",
          "item": "https://money.com/economy/"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 4,
          "name": "Are Democrats or Republicans Better for the Economy?"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "WebSite",
      "@id": "https://money.com/#website",
      "url": "https://money.com",
      "name": "Money",
      "publisher": {
        "@id": "https://money.com/#organization"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://money.com/democrat-republican-president-better-economy/#webpage",
      "url": "https://money.com/democrat-republican-president-better-economy/",
      "name": "Are Democrats or Republicans Better for the Economy?",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://money.com/#website"
      },
      "datePublished": "2016-09-26T14:27:14.000Z",
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://money.com/democrat-republican-president-better-economy/"
      },
      "inLanguage": "en-US",
      "breadcrumb": {
        "@id": "https://money.com/democrat-republican-president-better-economy/#breadcrumb"
      },
      "dateModified": "2024-05-08T04:07:29.000Z"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Article",
      "headline": "Are Democrats or Republicans Better for the Economy?",
      "articleSection": "Economy and Politics",
      "image": [
        {
          "@type": "ImageObject",
          "url": "https://img.money.com/2016/09/gettyimages-610371796.jpg",
          "width": 4904,
          "height": 3088,
          "caption": "democrat-republican-better-economy"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ImageObject",
          "url": "//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/posts/24855/who’s-best-for-the-economy-v5.jpg",
          "width": 0,
          "height": 0
        }
      ],
      "author": [
        {
          "@type": "Person",
          "name": "Alicia Adamczyk",
          "url": "https://money.com/author/alicia-adamczyk/",
          "@id": "https://money.com/author/alicia-adamczyk/#author",
          "image": "https://img.money.com/2016/01/alicia-headshot-2.jpg?quality=85&w=640&h=640&crop=1",
          "email": "alicia.adamczyk@moneymail.com",
          "sameAs": [
            "https://x.com/aliciaadamczyk"
          ]
        }
      ],
      "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization",
      "datePublished": "2016-09-26T14:27:14.000Z",
      "description": "A new report analyzes which political party is better for the economy, and the findings are another vote for bipartisanship in Washington.",
      "abstract": "A new report analyzes which political party is better for the economy, and the findings are another vote for bipartisanship in Washington.",
      "@id": "https://money.com/democrat-republican-president-better-economy/",
      "inLanguage": "en-US",
      "dateModified": "2024-05-08T04:07:29.000Z",
      "wordCount": 236,
      "keywords": [
        "Election 2016",
        "pubdesk"
      ],
      "about": [
        {
          "@type": "Thing",
          "name": "Political economy",
          "sameAs": [
            "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_economy"
          ]
        },
        {
          "@type": "Thing",
          "name": "Economy",
          "sameAs": [
            "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy"
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```