The Tone of the State of the Union, 1790–2026
Topic: Government & Debt
In this chart: Second Layer
About this chart
Each year's State of the Union message, from Washington's first in 1790 to 2026, is a point on two lines: the mint line is how many positive words it uses and the coral line how many negative words, both per 1,000 words, as the VADER word list rates them. The space between them is green where positive words lead and coral where negative words lead. The readout gives the year, the net tone (positive minus negative), the President, whether the message was spoken or sent in writing, its length and the two rates. The animation draws the record over sixty seconds, holds on the last year for three seconds, and loops. The scrubber under the chart marks each year and pauses on any of them.
Method
Every annual message a President has sent or delivered to Congress, from George Washington's first on January 8, 1790, to February 24, 2026, one for each year — the same messages, texts and word counting as “The State of the Union in 19 Words”. There was none in 1933: Hoover's last came in December 1932 and Roosevelt's first in January 1934, so the lines break there. Where a year has more than one, the chart uses the spoken annual address, else the written annual message, else a new President's first address to a joint session of Congress (1989, 1993, 2001, 2009, 2017, 2021 and 2025); in 1790 it uses Washington's first of two. From 1801 to 1912, and in some later years, the message was sent in writing rather than spoken; the readout says which. The texts come from government printings: Richardson's Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents for 1790–1892, in Project Gutenberg's transcription; Foreign Relations of the United States for 1893–1932; the bound Congressional Record for Taft's 1911 and 1912 messages and for 1934–1992; and the Compilation of Presidential Documents, as delivered, for 1993–2026. The spoken addresses of 1934–1992 are as printed in the Congressional Record, which sometimes differs a little from the text the White House released. Lines the Record's scans lost (in 1912, 1949 and 1957, and in the written messages of 1974 and 1979–1981) stay lost. The American Presidency Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara, was used only to check each text word for word; none of its text is used or published here.
Each word is scored with the VADER lexicon (Hutto and Gilbert, 2014; MIT licence), the 7,209 single words and their ratings published with the VADER sentiment tool (its emoticons and phrases are not words here), used exactly as published and fixed before any message was scored: a word the list rates above zero is a positive word, below zero a negative word, and a word it does not list is neither. The list is used word by word only — none of VADER's rules for negation, emphasis or capitals is applied, so “not good” counts one positive word. A word is a run of letters, ignoring capitals, and a word before an apostrophe is looked up if the whole word is not listed. Every sense of a word counts: “united” in “United States” and “great” in “Great Britain” count as positive, and “war” in “Secretary of War” as negative. We tested that choice: with twenty fixed names and phrases of that kind set aside, the net tone of each year moves by a few words per 1,000, most in the earliest decades, but the shape of the chart and its highest and lowest years stay the same. Each line is the count per 1,000 words of that year's message; short messages swing more, and Washington's first, 1,093 words, is the highest point on the chart. The net tone in the readout is the difference between the two rates as shown. The VADER list was built from modern English, so it knows more of the words in recent messages than in early ones. These are counts of listed words; they say nothing about what a President meant or felt.
Data sources
- James D. Richardson, A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, 1790–1892 (Project Gutenberg's transcription)
- Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, the annual message, 1893–1932 (Office of the Historian)
- Congressional Record, bound edition, 1911–1912 and 1934–1992 (govinfo)
- Compilation of Presidential Documents, 1993–2026 (govinfo)
- VADER sentiment lexicon, C. J. Hutto and E. Gilbert (2014), MIT licence
Data table
Every year's State of the Union message from 1790 to 2026, with its length, how many positive and negative words it uses as the VADER word list rates them, each per 1,000 words, and which leads, from the texts and word list described in the Method. Counted by DataSlapper.
Show all 236 rows
| Year | President | Message | Words | Positive words | Positive per 1,000 | Negative words | Negative per 1,000 | Leads | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | George Washington | Spoken | 1,093 | 109 | 99.7 | 7 | 6.4 | Positive | 93.3 |
| 1791 | George Washington | Spoken | 2,263 | 149 | 65.8 | 37 | 16.3 | Positive | 49.5 |
| 1792 | George Washington | Spoken | 2,103 | 110 | 52.3 | 45 | 21.4 | Positive | 30.9 |
| 1793 | George Washington | Spoken | 1,970 | 129 | 65.5 | 60 | 30.5 | Positive | 35.0 |
| 1794 | George Washington | Spoken | 2,919 | 162 | 55.5 | 98 | 33.6 | Positive | 21.9 |
| 1795 | George Washington | Spoken | 1,991 | 140 | 70.3 | 58 | 29.1 | Positive | 41.2 |
| 1796 | George Washington | Spoken | 2,867 | 181 | 63.1 | 63 | 22.0 | Positive | 41.1 |
| 1797 | John Adams | Spoken | 2,057 | 124 | 60.3 | 58 | 28.2 | Positive | 32.1 |
| 1798 | John Adams | Spoken | 2,218 | 126 | 56.8 | 52 | 23.4 | Positive | 33.4 |
| 1799 | John Adams | Spoken | 1,505 | 100 | 66.4 | 30 | 19.9 | Positive | 46.5 |
| 1800 | John Adams | Spoken | 1,372 | 99 | 72.2 | 17 | 12.4 | Positive | 59.8 |
| 1801 | Thomas Jefferson | Sent in writing | 3,234 | 175 | 54.1 | 65 | 20.1 | Positive | 34.0 |
| 1802 | Thomas Jefferson | Sent in writing | 2,200 | 100 | 45.5 | 43 | 19.5 | Positive | 26.0 |
| 1803 | Thomas Jefferson | Sent in writing | 2,257 | 133 | 58.9 | 56 | 24.8 | Positive | 34.1 |
| 1804 | Thomas Jefferson | Sent in writing | 2,095 | 107 | 51.1 | 35 | 16.7 | Positive | 34.4 |
| 1805 | Thomas Jefferson | Sent in writing | 2,920 | 153 | 52.4 | 64 | 21.9 | Positive | 30.5 |
| 1806 | Thomas Jefferson | Sent in writing | 2,863 | 147 | 51.3 | 49 | 17.1 | Positive | 34.2 |
| 1807 | Thomas Jefferson | Sent in writing | 2,383 | 114 | 47.8 | 63 | 26.4 | Positive | 21.4 |
| 1808 | Thomas Jefferson | Sent in writing | 2,674 | 128 | 47.9 | 63 | 23.6 | Positive | 24.3 |
| 1809 | James Madison | Sent in writing | 1,834 | 102 | 55.6 | 37 | 20.2 | Positive | 35.4 |
| 1810 | James Madison | Sent in writing | 2,440 | 122 | 50.0 | 40 | 16.4 | Positive | 33.6 |
| 1811 | James Madison | Sent in writing | 2,271 | 114 | 50.2 | 44 | 19.4 | Positive | 30.8 |
| 1812 | James Madison | Sent in writing | 3,251 | 178 | 54.8 | 116 | 35.7 | Positive | 19.1 |
| 1813 | James Madison | Sent in writing | 3,286 | 234 | 71.2 | 141 | 42.9 | Positive | 28.3 |
| 1814 | James Madison | Sent in writing | 2,115 | 142 | 67.1 | 93 | 44.0 | Positive | 23.1 |
| 1815 | James Madison | Sent in writing | 3,136 | 221 | 70.5 | 53 | 16.9 | Positive | 53.6 |
| 1816 | James Madison | Sent in writing | 3,357 | 211 | 62.9 | 68 | 20.3 | Positive | 42.6 |
| 1817 | James Monroe | Sent in writing | 4,419 | 272 | 61.6 | 69 | 15.6 | Positive | 46.0 |
| 1818 | James Monroe | Sent in writing | 4,394 | 264 | 60.1 | 103 | 23.4 | Positive | 36.7 |
| 1819 | James Monroe | Sent in writing | 4,700 | 280 | 59.6 | 94 | 20.0 | Positive | 39.6 |
| 1820 | James Monroe | Sent in writing | 3,489 | 208 | 59.6 | 65 | 18.6 | Positive | 41.0 |
| 1821 | James Monroe | Sent in writing | 5,850 | 289 | 49.4 | 99 | 16.9 | Positive | 32.5 |
| 1822 | James Monroe | Sent in writing | 4,796 | 285 | 59.4 | 92 | 19.2 | Positive | 40.2 |
| 1823 | James Monroe | Sent in writing | 6,360 | 350 | 55.0 | 105 | 16.5 | Positive | 38.5 |
| 1824 | James Monroe | Sent in writing | 8,417 | 470 | 55.8 | 136 | 16.2 | Positive | 39.6 |
| 1825 | John Quincy Adams | Sent in writing | 9,102 | 488 | 53.6 | 122 | 13.4 | Positive | 40.2 |
| 1826 | John Quincy Adams | Sent in writing | 7,720 | 382 | 49.5 | 121 | 15.7 | Positive | 33.8 |
| 1827 | John Quincy Adams | Sent in writing | 6,980 | 361 | 51.7 | 114 | 16.3 | Positive | 35.4 |
| 1828 | John Quincy Adams | Sent in writing | 7,293 | 352 | 48.3 | 126 | 17.3 | Positive | 31.0 |
| 1829 | Andrew Jackson | Sent in writing | 10,506 | 645 | 61.4 | 233 | 22.2 | Positive | 39.2 |
| 1830 | Andrew Jackson | Sent in writing | 15,047 | 915 | 60.8 | 303 | 20.1 | Positive | 40.7 |
| 1831 | Andrew Jackson | Sent in writing | 7,189 | 411 | 57.2 | 143 | 19.9 | Positive | 37.3 |
| 1832 | Andrew Jackson | Sent in writing | 7,919 | 463 | 58.5 | 183 | 23.1 | Positive | 35.4 |
| 1833 | Andrew Jackson | Sent in writing | 7,917 | 447 | 56.5 | 164 | 20.7 | Positive | 35.8 |
| 1834 | Andrew Jackson | Sent in writing | 13,436 | 695 | 51.7 | 340 | 25.3 | Positive | 26.4 |
| 1835 | Andrew Jackson | Sent in writing | 15,609 | 837 | 53.6 | 354 | 22.7 | Positive | 30.9 |
| 1836 | Andrew Jackson | Sent in writing | 12,360 | 581 | 47.0 | 294 | 23.8 | Positive | 23.2 |
| 1837 | Martin Van Buren | Sent in writing | 11,426 | 646 | 56.5 | 221 | 19.3 | Positive | 37.2 |
| 1838 | Martin Van Buren | Sent in writing | 11,469 | 645 | 56.2 | 239 | 20.8 | Positive | 35.4 |
| 1839 | Martin Van Buren | Sent in writing | 13,412 | 658 | 49.1 | 362 | 27.0 | Positive | 22.1 |
| 1840 | Martin Van Buren | Sent in writing | 8,977 | 478 | 53.2 | 244 | 27.2 | Positive | 26.0 |
| 1841 | John Tyler | Sent in writing | 8,222 | 409 | 49.7 | 201 | 24.4 | Positive | 25.3 |
| 1842 | John Tyler | Sent in writing | 8,393 | 468 | 55.8 | 216 | 25.7 | Positive | 30.1 |
| 1843 | John Tyler | Sent in writing | 8,009 | 432 | 53.9 | 189 | 23.6 | Positive | 30.3 |
| 1844 | John Tyler | Sent in writing | 9,314 | 576 | 61.8 | 233 | 25.0 | Positive | 36.8 |
| 1845 | James K. Polk | Sent in writing | 16,019 | 829 | 51.8 | 351 | 21.9 | Positive | 29.9 |
| 1846 | James K. Polk | Sent in writing | 18,117 | 847 | 46.8 | 531 | 29.3 | Positive | 17.5 |
| 1847 | James K. Polk | Sent in writing | 16,332 | 844 | 51.7 | 509 | 31.2 | Positive | 20.5 |
| 1848 | James K. Polk | Sent in writing | 21,235 | 989 | 46.6 | 452 | 21.3 | Positive | 25.3 |
| 1849 | Zachary Taylor | Sent in writing | 7,611 | 389 | 51.1 | 142 | 18.7 | Positive | 32.4 |
| 1850 | Millard Fillmore | Sent in writing | 8,311 | 461 | 55.5 | 169 | 20.3 | Positive | 35.2 |
| 1851 | Millard Fillmore | Sent in writing | 13,164 | 619 | 47.0 | 263 | 20.0 | Positive | 27.0 |
| 1852 | Millard Fillmore | Sent in writing | 9,846 | 533 | 54.1 | 207 | 21.0 | Positive | 33.1 |
| 1853 | Franklin Pierce | Sent in writing | 9,543 | 556 | 58.3 | 192 | 20.1 | Positive | 38.2 |
| 1854 | Franklin Pierce | Sent in writing | 10,099 | 530 | 52.5 | 271 | 26.8 | Positive | 25.7 |
| 1855 | Franklin Pierce | Sent in writing | 11,589 | 577 | 49.8 | 289 | 24.9 | Positive | 24.9 |
| 1856 | Franklin Pierce | Sent in writing | 10,470 | 545 | 52.1 | 266 | 25.4 | Positive | 26.7 |
| 1857 | James Buchanan | Sent in writing | 13,569 | 670 | 49.4 | 350 | 25.8 | Positive | 23.6 |
| 1858 | James Buchanan | Sent in writing | 16,260 | 762 | 46.9 | 445 | 27.4 | Positive | 19.5 |
| 1859 | James Buchanan | Sent in writing | 12,239 | 602 | 49.2 | 339 | 27.7 | Positive | 21.5 |
| 1860 | James Buchanan | Sent in writing | 13,985 | 634 | 45.3 | 367 | 26.2 | Positive | 19.1 |
| 1861 | Abraham Lincoln | Sent in writing | 6,953 | 364 | 52.4 | 141 | 20.3 | Positive | 32.1 |
| 1862 | Abraham Lincoln | Sent in writing | 8,292 | 440 | 53.1 | 215 | 25.9 | Positive | 27.2 |
| 1863 | Abraham Lincoln | Sent in writing | 6,076 | 329 | 54.1 | 144 | 23.7 | Positive | 30.4 |
| 1864 | Abraham Lincoln | Sent in writing | 5,801 | 332 | 57.2 | 135 | 23.3 | Positive | 33.9 |
| 1865 | Andrew Johnson | Sent in writing | 9,221 | 528 | 57.3 | 201 | 21.8 | Positive | 35.5 |
| 1866 | Andrew Johnson | Sent in writing | 7,068 | 400 | 56.6 | 159 | 22.5 | Positive | 34.1 |
| 1867 | Andrew Johnson | Sent in writing | 11,921 | 681 | 57.1 | 350 | 29.4 | Positive | 27.7 |
| 1868 | Andrew Johnson | Sent in writing | 9,688 | 505 | 52.1 | 222 | 22.9 | Positive | 29.2 |
| 1869 | Ulysses S. Grant | Sent in writing | 7,647 | 423 | 55.3 | 141 | 18.4 | Positive | 36.9 |
| 1870 | Ulysses S. Grant | Sent in writing | 8,705 | 435 | 50.0 | 167 | 19.2 | Positive | 30.8 |
| 1871 | Ulysses S. Grant | Sent in writing | 6,459 | 394 | 61.0 | 113 | 17.5 | Positive | 43.5 |
| 1872 | Ulysses S. Grant | Sent in writing | 9,689 | 535 | 55.2 | 173 | 17.9 | Positive | 37.3 |
| 1873 | Ulysses S. Grant | Sent in writing | 9,946 | 492 | 49.5 | 173 | 17.4 | Positive | 32.1 |
| 1874 | Ulysses S. Grant | Sent in writing | 9,723 | 494 | 50.8 | 211 | 21.7 | Positive | 29.1 |
| 1875 | Ulysses S. Grant | Sent in writing | 12,146 | 638 | 52.5 | 244 | 20.1 | Positive | 32.4 |
| 1876 | Ulysses S. Grant | Sent in writing | 6,728 | 322 | 47.9 | 119 | 17.7 | Positive | 30.2 |
| 1877 | Rutherford B. Hayes | Sent in writing | 10,617 | 669 | 63.0 | 250 | 23.5 | Positive | 39.5 |
| 1878 | Rutherford B. Hayes | Sent in writing | 7,783 | 434 | 55.8 | 141 | 18.1 | Positive | 37.7 |
| 1879 | Rutherford B. Hayes | Sent in writing | 11,536 | 640 | 55.5 | 194 | 16.8 | Positive | 38.7 |
| 1880 | Rutherford B. Hayes | Sent in writing | 13,095 | 808 | 61.7 | 218 | 16.6 | Positive | 45.1 |
| 1881 | Chester A. Arthur | Sent in writing | 12,926 | 725 | 56.1 | 287 | 22.2 | Positive | 33.9 |
| 1882 | Chester A. Arthur | Sent in writing | 9,853 | 452 | 45.9 | 188 | 19.1 | Positive | 26.8 |
| 1883 | Chester A. Arthur | Sent in writing | 7,927 | 381 | 48.1 | 159 | 20.1 | Positive | 28.0 |
| 1884 | Chester A. Arthur | Sent in writing | 8,690 | 446 | 51.3 | 154 | 17.7 | Positive | 33.6 |
| 1885 | Grover Cleveland | Sent in writing | 19,674 | 1,099 | 55.9 | 443 | 22.5 | Positive | 33.4 |
| 1886 | Grover Cleveland | Sent in writing | 15,085 | 846 | 56.1 | 312 | 20.7 | Positive | 35.4 |
| 1887 | Grover Cleveland | Sent in writing | 5,250 | 258 | 49.1 | 125 | 23.8 | Positive | 25.3 |
| 1888 | Grover Cleveland | Sent in writing | 13,027 | 753 | 57.8 | 323 | 24.8 | Positive | 33.0 |
| 1889 | Benjamin Harrison | Sent in writing | 12,912 | 687 | 53.2 | 271 | 21.0 | Positive | 32.2 |
| 1890 | Benjamin Harrison | Sent in writing | 11,423 | 663 | 58.0 | 219 | 19.2 | Positive | 38.8 |
| 1891 | Benjamin Harrison | Sent in writing | 16,130 | 826 | 51.2 | 350 | 21.7 | Positive | 29.5 |
| 1892 | Benjamin Harrison | Sent in writing | 13,293 | 711 | 53.5 | 233 | 17.5 | Positive | 36.0 |
| 1893 | Grover Cleveland | Sent in writing | 12,131 | 635 | 52.3 | 267 | 22.0 | Positive | 30.3 |
| 1894 | Grover Cleveland | Sent in writing | 15,688 | 764 | 48.7 | 340 | 21.7 | Positive | 27.0 |
| 1895 | Grover Cleveland | Sent in writing | 14,561 | 827 | 56.8 | 393 | 27.0 | Positive | 29.8 |
| 1896 | Grover Cleveland | Sent in writing | 15,221 | 852 | 56.0 | 367 | 24.1 | Positive | 31.9 |
| 1897 | William McKinley | Sent in writing | 12,061 | 625 | 51.8 | 341 | 28.3 | Positive | 23.5 |
| 1898 | William McKinley | Sent in writing | 20,025 | 1,036 | 51.7 | 449 | 22.4 | Positive | 29.3 |
| 1899 | William McKinley | Sent in writing | 22,627 | 1,264 | 55.9 | 367 | 16.2 | Positive | 39.7 |
| 1900 | William McKinley | Sent in writing | 18,920 | 1,053 | 55.7 | 319 | 16.9 | Positive | 38.8 |
| 1901 | Theodore Roosevelt | Sent in writing | 19,686 | 1,156 | 58.7 | 539 | 27.4 | Positive | 31.3 |
| 1902 | Theodore Roosevelt | Sent in writing | 9,801 | 535 | 54.6 | 249 | 25.4 | Positive | 29.2 |
| 1903 | Theodore Roosevelt | Sent in writing | 15,054 | 786 | 52.2 | 329 | 21.9 | Positive | 30.3 |
| 1904 | Theodore Roosevelt | Sent in writing | 17,605 | 959 | 54.5 | 442 | 25.1 | Positive | 29.4 |
| 1905 | Theodore Roosevelt | Sent in writing | 25,217 | 1,423 | 56.4 | 732 | 29.0 | Positive | 27.4 |
| 1906 | Theodore Roosevelt | Sent in writing | 23,720 | 1,346 | 56.7 | 828 | 34.9 | Positive | 21.8 |
| 1907 | Theodore Roosevelt | Sent in writing | 27,551 | 1,447 | 52.5 | 815 | 29.6 | Positive | 22.9 |
| 1908 | Theodore Roosevelt | Sent in writing | 19,437 | 979 | 50.4 | 629 | 32.4 | Positive | 18.0 |
| 1909 | William Howard Taft | Sent in writing | 13,856 | 750 | 54.1 | 215 | 15.5 | Positive | 38.6 |
| 1910 | William Howard Taft | Sent in writing | 27,207 | 1,386 | 50.9 | 421 | 15.5 | Positive | 35.4 |
| 1911 | William Howard Taft | Sent in writing | 23,626 | 1,211 | 51.3 | 451 | 19.1 | Positive | 32.2 |
| 1912 | William Howard Taft | Sent in writing | 25,247 | 1,379 | 54.6 | 461 | 18.3 | Positive | 36.3 |
| 1913 | Woodrow Wilson | Spoken | 3,565 | 223 | 62.6 | 61 | 17.1 | Positive | 45.5 |
| 1914 | Woodrow Wilson | Spoken | 4,552 | 301 | 66.1 | 96 | 21.1 | Positive | 45.0 |
| 1915 | Woodrow Wilson | Spoken | 7,713 | 428 | 55.5 | 176 | 22.8 | Positive | 32.7 |
| 1916 | Woodrow Wilson | Spoken | 2,125 | 112 | 52.7 | 54 | 25.4 | Positive | 27.3 |
| 1917 | Woodrow Wilson | Spoken | 3,932 | 203 | 51.6 | 166 | 42.2 | Positive | 9.4 |
| 1918 | Woodrow Wilson | Spoken | 5,475 | 288 | 52.6 | 140 | 25.6 | Positive | 27.0 |
| 1919 | Woodrow Wilson | Sent in writing | 4,764 | 285 | 59.8 | 158 | 33.2 | Positive | 26.6 |
| 1920 | Woodrow Wilson | Sent in writing | 2,696 | 164 | 60.8 | 60 | 22.3 | Positive | 38.5 |
| 1921 | Warren G. Harding | Spoken | 5,602 | 318 | 56.8 | 189 | 33.7 | Positive | 23.1 |
| 1922 | Warren G. Harding | Spoken | 5,755 | 311 | 54.0 | 233 | 40.5 | Positive | 13.5 |
| 1923 | Calvin Coolidge | Spoken | 6,702 | 430 | 64.2 | 173 | 25.8 | Positive | 38.4 |
| 1924 | Calvin Coolidge | Sent in writing | 6,942 | 418 | 60.2 | 151 | 21.8 | Positive | 38.4 |
| 1925 | Calvin Coolidge | Sent in writing | 10,799 | 616 | 57.0 | 221 | 20.5 | Positive | 36.5 |
| 1926 | Calvin Coolidge | Sent in writing | 10,250 | 595 | 58.0 | 224 | 21.9 | Positive | 36.1 |
| 1927 | Calvin Coolidge | Sent in writing | 8,723 | 481 | 55.1 | 204 | 23.4 | Positive | 31.7 |
| 1928 | Calvin Coolidge | Sent in writing | 7,989 | 459 | 57.5 | 141 | 17.6 | Positive | 39.9 |
| 1929 | Herbert Hoover | Sent in writing | 10,885 | 559 | 51.4 | 216 | 19.8 | Positive | 31.6 |
| 1930 | Herbert Hoover | Sent in writing | 4,440 | 189 | 42.6 | 102 | 23.0 | Positive | 19.6 |
| 1931 | Herbert Hoover | Sent in writing | 5,649 | 310 | 54.9 | 155 | 27.4 | Positive | 27.5 |
| 1932 | Herbert Hoover | Sent in writing | 3,989 | 203 | 50.9 | 129 | 32.3 | Positive | 18.6 |
| 1934 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Spoken | 2,210 | 138 | 62.4 | 63 | 28.5 | Positive | 33.9 |
| 1935 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Spoken | 3,537 | 225 | 63.6 | 77 | 21.8 | Positive | 41.8 |
| 1936 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Spoken | 3,868 | 259 | 67.0 | 120 | 31.0 | Positive | 36.0 |
| 1937 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Spoken | 2,701 | 151 | 55.9 | 71 | 26.3 | Positive | 29.6 |
| 1938 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Spoken | 4,650 | 210 | 45.2 | 178 | 38.3 | Positive | 6.9 |
| 1939 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Spoken | 3,734 | 233 | 62.4 | 130 | 34.8 | Positive | 27.6 |
| 1940 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Spoken | 3,116 | 204 | 65.5 | 117 | 37.5 | Positive | 28.0 |
| 1941 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Spoken | 3,271 | 237 | 72.5 | 128 | 39.1 | Positive | 33.4 |
| 1942 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Spoken | 3,394 | 168 | 49.5 | 183 | 53.9 | Negative | 4.4 |
| 1943 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Spoken | 4,477 | 243 | 54.3 | 222 | 49.6 | Positive | 4.7 |
| 1944 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Sent in writing | 3,791 | 222 | 58.6 | 167 | 44.1 | Positive | 14.5 |
| 1945 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Sent in writing | 8,226 | 449 | 54.6 | 371 | 45.1 | Positive | 9.5 |
| 1946 | Harry S Truman | Sent in writing | 26,980 | 1,431 | 53.0 | 685 | 25.4 | Positive | 27.6 |
| 1947 | Harry S Truman | Spoken | 5,943 | 373 | 62.8 | 187 | 31.5 | Positive | 31.3 |
| 1948 | Harry S Truman | Spoken | 5,087 | 393 | 77.3 | 138 | 27.1 | Positive | 50.2 |
| 1949 | Harry S Truman | Spoken | 3,316 | 251 | 75.7 | 75 | 22.6 | Positive | 53.1 |
| 1950 | Harry S Truman | Spoken | 5,064 | 449 | 88.7 | 88 | 17.4 | Positive | 71.3 |
| 1951 | Harry S Truman | Spoken | 4,001 | 309 | 77.2 | 122 | 30.5 | Positive | 46.7 |
| 1952 | Harry S Truman | Spoken | 5,266 | 407 | 77.3 | 163 | 31.0 | Positive | 46.3 |
| 1953 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Spoken | 6,986 | 528 | 75.6 | 169 | 24.2 | Positive | 51.4 |
| 1954 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Spoken | 5,973 | 418 | 70.0 | 128 | 21.4 | Positive | 48.6 |
| 1955 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Spoken | 7,045 | 559 | 79.3 | 156 | 22.1 | Positive | 57.2 |
| 1956 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Sent in writing | 8,252 | 617 | 74.8 | 197 | 23.9 | Positive | 50.9 |
| 1957 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Spoken | 4,018 | 324 | 80.6 | 101 | 25.1 | Positive | 55.5 |
| 1958 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Spoken | 4,904 | 390 | 79.5 | 157 | 32.0 | Positive | 47.5 |
| 1959 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Spoken | 5,053 | 407 | 80.5 | 114 | 22.6 | Positive | 57.9 |
| 1960 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Spoken | 5,666 | 459 | 81.0 | 170 | 30.0 | Positive | 51.0 |
| 1961 | John F. Kennedy | Spoken | 5,225 | 341 | 65.3 | 178 | 34.1 | Positive | 31.2 |
| 1962 | John F. Kennedy | Spoken | 6,511 | 456 | 70.0 | 198 | 30.4 | Positive | 39.6 |
| 1963 | John F. Kennedy | Spoken | 5,352 | 365 | 68.2 | 191 | 35.7 | Positive | 32.5 |
| 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Spoken | 3,176 | 215 | 67.7 | 98 | 30.9 | Positive | 36.8 |
| 1965 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Spoken | 4,415 | 330 | 74.7 | 127 | 28.8 | Positive | 45.9 |
| 1966 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Spoken | 5,508 | 344 | 62.5 | 209 | 37.9 | Positive | 24.6 |
| 1967 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Spoken | 7,086 | 465 | 65.6 | 230 | 32.5 | Positive | 33.1 |
| 1968 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Spoken | 4,845 | 263 | 54.3 | 130 | 26.8 | Positive | 27.5 |
| 1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Spoken | 4,081 | 236 | 57.8 | 93 | 22.8 | Positive | 35.0 |
| 1970 | Richard M. Nixon | Spoken | 4,455 | 293 | 65.8 | 142 | 31.9 | Positive | 33.9 |
| 1971 | Richard M. Nixon | Spoken | 4,451 | 275 | 61.8 | 69 | 15.5 | Positive | 46.3 |
| 1972 | Richard M. Nixon | Spoken | 3,900 | 260 | 66.7 | 111 | 28.5 | Positive | 38.2 |
| 1973 | Richard M. Nixon | Sent in writing | 26,690 | 1,561 | 58.5 | 794 | 29.7 | Positive | 28.8 |
| 1974 | Richard M. Nixon | Spoken | 5,065 | 316 | 62.4 | 110 | 21.7 | Positive | 40.7 |
| 1975 | Gerald R. Ford | Spoken | 4,022 | 244 | 60.7 | 116 | 28.8 | Positive | 31.9 |
| 1976 | Gerald R. Ford | Spoken | 4,967 | 349 | 70.3 | 174 | 35.0 | Positive | 35.3 |
| 1977 | Gerald R. Ford | Spoken | 4,682 | 381 | 81.4 | 136 | 29.0 | Positive | 52.4 |
| 1978 | Jimmy Carter | Spoken | 4,576 | 334 | 73.0 | 149 | 32.6 | Positive | 40.4 |
| 1979 | Jimmy Carter | Spoken | 3,261 | 287 | 88.0 | 100 | 30.7 | Positive | 57.3 |
| 1980 | Jimmy Carter | Spoken | 3,480 | 293 | 84.2 | 114 | 32.8 | Positive | 51.4 |
| 1981 | Jimmy Carter | Sent in writing | 33,551 | 2,260 | 67.4 | 707 | 21.1 | Positive | 46.3 |
| 1982 | Ronald Reagan | Spoken | 5,080 | 312 | 61.4 | 152 | 29.9 | Positive | 31.5 |
| 1983 | Ronald Reagan | Spoken | 5,512 | 390 | 70.8 | 176 | 31.9 | Positive | 38.9 |
| 1984 | Ronald Reagan | Spoken | 4,894 | 452 | 92.4 | 134 | 27.4 | Positive | 65.0 |
| 1985 | Ronald Reagan | Spoken | 4,210 | 394 | 93.6 | 107 | 25.4 | Positive | 68.2 |
| 1986 | Ronald Reagan | Spoken | 3,401 | 305 | 89.7 | 125 | 36.8 | Positive | 52.9 |
| 1987 | Ronald Reagan | Spoken | 3,670 | 237 | 64.6 | 103 | 28.1 | Positive | 36.5 |
| 1988 | Ronald Reagan | Spoken | 4,793 | 364 | 75.9 | 117 | 24.4 | Positive | 51.5 |
| 1989 | George Bush | Spoken | 4,729 | 379 | 80.1 | 135 | 28.5 | Positive | 51.6 |
| 1990 | George Bush | Spoken | 3,698 | 256 | 69.2 | 61 | 16.5 | Positive | 52.7 |
| 1991 | George Bush | Spoken | 3,930 | 276 | 70.2 | 144 | 36.6 | Positive | 33.6 |
| 1992 | George Bush | Spoken | 5,024 | 292 | 58.1 | 151 | 30.1 | Positive | 28.0 |
| 1993 | William J. Clinton | Spoken | 6,955 | 427 | 61.4 | 220 | 31.6 | Positive | 29.8 |
| 1994 | William J. Clinton | Spoken | 7,367 | 456 | 61.9 | 263 | 35.7 | Positive | 26.2 |
| 1995 | William J. Clinton | Spoken | 9,141 | 493 | 53.9 | 271 | 29.6 | Positive | 24.3 |
| 1996 | William J. Clinton | Spoken | 6,303 | 422 | 67.0 | 203 | 32.2 | Positive | 34.8 |
| 1997 | William J. Clinton | Spoken | 6,701 | 419 | 62.5 | 166 | 24.8 | Positive | 37.7 |
| 1998 | William J. Clinton | Spoken | 7,258 | 479 | 66.0 | 166 | 22.9 | Positive | 43.1 |
| 1999 | William J. Clinton | Spoken | 7,443 | 532 | 71.5 | 178 | 23.9 | Positive | 47.6 |
| 2000 | William J. Clinton | Spoken | 9,016 | 677 | 75.1 | 228 | 25.3 | Positive | 49.8 |
| 2001 | George W. Bush | Spoken | 4,333 | 376 | 86.8 | 119 | 27.5 | Positive | 59.3 |
| 2002 | George W. Bush | Spoken | 3,825 | 323 | 84.4 | 204 | 53.3 | Positive | 31.1 |
| 2003 | George W. Bush | Spoken | 5,340 | 328 | 61.4 | 289 | 54.1 | Positive | 7.3 |
| 2004 | George W. Bush | Spoken | 5,157 | 353 | 68.5 | 229 | 44.4 | Positive | 24.1 |
| 2005 | George W. Bush | Spoken | 5,018 | 413 | 82.3 | 164 | 32.7 | Positive | 49.6 |
| 2006 | George W. Bush | Spoken | 5,290 | 433 | 81.9 | 235 | 44.4 | Positive | 37.5 |
| 2007 | George W. Bush | Spoken | 5,522 | 386 | 69.9 | 226 | 40.9 | Positive | 29.0 |
| 2008 | George W. Bush | Spoken | 5,691 | 443 | 77.8 | 196 | 34.4 | Positive | 43.4 |
| 2009 | Barack Obama | Spoken | 6,059 | 334 | 55.1 | 207 | 34.2 | Positive | 20.9 |
| 2010 | Barack Obama | Spoken | 7,207 | 427 | 59.2 | 269 | 37.3 | Positive | 21.9 |
| 2011 | Barack Obama | Spoken | 6,860 | 396 | 57.7 | 153 | 22.3 | Positive | 35.4 |
| 2012 | Barack Obama | Spoken | 7,013 | 429 | 61.2 | 226 | 32.2 | Positive | 29.0 |
| 2013 | Barack Obama | Spoken | 6,794 | 471 | 69.3 | 188 | 27.7 | Positive | 41.6 |
| 2014 | Barack Obama | Spoken | 7,008 | 472 | 67.4 | 191 | 27.3 | Positive | 40.1 |
| 2015 | Barack Obama | Spoken | 6,725 | 444 | 66.0 | 208 | 30.9 | Positive | 35.1 |
| 2016 | Barack Obama | Spoken | 6,041 | 387 | 64.1 | 208 | 34.4 | Positive | 29.7 |
| 2017 | Donald J. Trump | Spoken | 5,000 | 372 | 74.4 | 167 | 33.4 | Positive | 41.0 |
| 2018 | Donald J. Trump | Spoken | 5,826 | 390 | 66.9 | 224 | 38.4 | Positive | 28.5 |
| 2019 | Donald J. Trump | Spoken | 5,576 | 379 | 68.0 | 222 | 39.8 | Positive | 28.2 |
| 2020 | Donald J. Trump | Spoken | 6,238 | 454 | 72.8 | 202 | 32.4 | Positive | 40.4 |
| 2021 | Joseph R. Biden | Spoken | 7,940 | 416 | 52.4 | 259 | 32.6 | Positive | 19.8 |
| 2022 | Joseph R. Biden | Spoken | 7,653 | 433 | 56.6 | 243 | 31.8 | Positive | 24.8 |
| 2023 | Joseph R. Biden | Spoken | 9,134 | 491 | 53.8 | 301 | 33.0 | Positive | 20.8 |
| 2024 | Joseph R. Biden | Spoken | 7,994 | 460 | 57.5 | 297 | 37.2 | Positive | 20.3 |
| 2025 | Donald J. Trump | Spoken | 9,955 | 656 | 65.9 | 350 | 35.2 | Positive | 30.7 |
| 2026 | Donald J. Trump | Spoken | 10,509 | 673 | 64.0 | 393 | 37.4 | Positive | 26.6 |
Updated 2026
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<iframe src="https://dataslapper.com/viz/the-tone-of-the-state-of-the-union.html" width="960" height="600" style="border:0;max-width:100%" title="The Tone of the State of the Union, 1790–2026" loading="lazy"></iframe> Paste this on any page. The visualization is self-contained and loads from dataslapper.com.