actual rates of unemployment, inflation in US

Politically expedient statistics from government agencies distort reality in the short term (statement at 465).

by calibration, US unemployment is 8.6%

The US Department of Labor reports unemployment at 5.9% for June 2021.

by calibration, the rate of inflation in the US is 7.7%

The Department of Labor reported inflation at the end of June 2021 at 5.4%.

Misery index

The "misery index" adds the rates of unemployment and inflation. It would thus be 16.3 by calibration and 11.3 by government statistic. The link shows the Carter tenure averaging 16.26, the highest of any administration. The Biden administration appears on track to meet or exceed that, though their published statistics do not seem, in the short term, historically comparable to previous administrations. For that reason, I suggest the 16.3 result for comparison.

The "Misery index by US presidential administration" (at the link, above) tests strong for me at 395, while the current numbers from the Department of Labor test strong at 200, which means they are evidently not based on arithmetic, which calibrates at 395 (TvF). The numbers are true in the sense they provide utility, as would a "ballpark" estimate, but they should not be considered statistically precise, at least not according to my research. The passage of time offers statistics unhindered by political expediency.

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