What Was the U.S. GDP Then?

Annual Observations in Table and Graphical Format for years 1790 to Present.
      What Was?
US Nominal GDP
US Real GDP
US GDP Deflator
US Population
US Nominal GDP Per Capita
US Real GDP Per Capita
Initial Year *:  
Ending Year *:
* Select initial and ending years within 1790- 2009 period.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country during a given time period. There are two ways to measure GDP:

  • Nominal GDP is the dollar value of production at current-year prices. For example, nominal GDP in 1990, $5,800.5 billion, is calculated using year 1990 prices for goods and services.
  • Real GDP is the dollar value of production using a given base year prices. For example, real GDP in 1990, $8,033.9 billion in year 2005 dollars, that is, the output of 1990 times the prices from 2005.

    • The GDP Deflator measures changes in the overall level of prices for the goods and services that make up GDP. It is simply the ratio of nominal to real GDP times 100. Thus the value for 2005 is 100.

    GDP per capita is calculated by dividing either nominal or real GDP for a given year by the population in that year. These numbers can be thought of as the average share of output per person. The nominal GDP per capita in 1870 was $194, while in 2008 was $47,422; the real GDP per capita for those same years was $2,814 and $43,714.

    The authors have constructed some of these data. There is no doubt that the accuracy of these data varies, and can be different for each the variables and for the different periods. In most cases the earlier the period the less accurate the observations are. It is recommended that users consult the source note before using them for economic analysis.

    The data from 1790 to 1868 are for census years, and from 1869 on for calendar years. See the Source Note on GDP for an explanation.

    These six values are available for any year, or range of years, between 1790 and 2009.


    Citation

    Louis D. Johnston and Samuel H. Williamson, "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?" MeasuringWorth, 2008. URL: http://www.measuringworth.org/usgdp/

    Please read our Note on Data Revisions.

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