Historical rankings of presidents of the United States


In political studies, surveys have been conducted in order to construct historical rankings of the success of individuals who have served as the president of the United States. Ranking systems are usually based on surveys of academic historians and political scientists or popular opinion. The rankings focus on presidential achievements, leadership qualities, failures, and faults.
and President Calvin Coolidge selected George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln to appear on Mount Rushmore—it later became an iconic symbol of presidential greatness.

General findings

, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George Washington are most often listed as the three highest-rated presidents among historians. The remaining places within the Top 10 are often rounded out by Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Harry S. Truman, Woodrow Wilson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Andrew Jackson, and John F. Kennedy. More recent presidents such as Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton are often rated among the greatest in public opinion polls, but do not always rank as highly among presidential scholars and historians. The bottom 10 often include James Buchanan, Warren G. Harding, Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, Millard Fillmore, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Ulysses S. Grant, Zachary Taylor, and George W. Bush. Because William Henry Harrison and James A. Garfield both died shortly after taking office, they are usually omitted from presidential rankings. Furthermore, Zachary Taylor died after serving as president for only 16 months, but he is usually included. In the case of these three, it is not clear if they received low rankings due to their actions as president, or because each was in office for such a limited time that it is not possible to assess them more thoroughly.
Political scientist Walter Dean Burnham noted the "dichotomous or schizoid profiles" of presidents, which can make some hard to classify. Historian Alan Brinkley stated that "there are presidents who could be considered both failures and great or near great ". Historian and political scientist James MacGregor Burns observed of Nixon: "How can one evaluate such an idiosyncratic president, so brilliant and so morally lacking?"

Notable scholar surveys

The 1948 poll was conducted by historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr. of Harvard University. The 1962 survey was also conducted by Schlesinger, who surveyed 75 historians. Schlesinger's son, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., conducted another poll in 1996.
The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents also gives the results of the 1982 survey, a poll of 49 historians conducted by the Chicago Tribune. A notable difference from the 1962 Schlesinger poll was the ranking of Dwight D. Eisenhower, which rose from 22nd in 1962 to 9th in 1982.
The 1996 column shows the results from a poll conducted from 1988 to 1996 by William J. Ridings Jr. and Stuart B. McIver and published in Rating The Presidents: A Ranking of U.S. Leaders, from the Great and Honorable to the Dishonest and Incompetent. More than 719 people took part in the poll, primarily academic historians and political scientists, although some politicians and celebrities also took part. Participants from every state were included and emphasis was placed upon getting input from female historians and "specialists in African-American studies" as well as a few non-American historians. Poll respondents rated the presidents in five categories and the results were tabulated to create the overall ranking.
A 2000 survey by The Wall Street Journal consisted of an "ideologically balanced group of 132 prominent professors of history, law, and political science". This poll sought to include an equal number of liberals and conservatives in the survey as the editors argued that previous polls were dominated by either one group or the other. According to the editors, this poll included responses from more women, minorities and young professors than the 1996 Schlesinger poll. The editors noted that the results of their poll were "remarkably similar" to the 1996 Schlesinger poll, with the main difference in the 2000 poll being the lower rankings for the 1960s presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy and higher ranking of President Ronald Reagan at 8th. Franklin D. Roosevelt still ranked in the top three.
Another presidential poll was conducted by The Wall Street Journal in 2005, with James Lindgren of Northwestern University Law School for the Federalist Society. As in the 2000 survey, the editors sought to balance the opinions of liberals and conservatives, adjusting the results "to give Democratic- and Republican-leaning scholars equal weight". Franklin D. Roosevelt still ranked in the top three, but editor James Taranto noted that Democratic-leaning scholars rated George W. Bush the sixth-worst president of all time while Republican scholars rated him the sixth-best, giving him a split-decision rating of "average".
The Siena College Research Institute of Siena College has conducted surveys in 1982, 1990, 1994, 2002, 2010, and 2018—during the second year of the first term of each president since Ronald Reagan. These surveys collect presidential rankings from historians, political scientists, and presidential scholars in a range of attributes, abilities, and accomplishments. The 1994 survey placed only two presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, above 80 points and two presidents, Andrew Johnson and Warren G. Harding, below 50 points.
A 2006 Siena College poll of 744 professors reported the following results:
Thomas Kelly, professor emeritus of American studies at Siena College, said: "President Bush would seem to have small hope for high marks from the current generation of practicing historians and political scientists. In this case, current public opinion polls actually seem to cut the President more slack than the experts do". Douglas Lonnstrom, Siena College professor of statistics and director of the Siena Research Institute, stated: "In our 2002 presidential rating, with a group of experts comparable to this current poll, President Bush ranked 23rd of 42 presidents. That was shortly after 9/11. Clearly, the professors do not think things have gone well for him in the past few years. These are the experts that teach college students today and will write the history of this era tomorrow".
The 2010 Siena poll of 238 presidential scholars found that former president George W. Bush was ranked 39th out of 43, with poor ratings in handling of the economy, communication, ability to compromise, foreign policy accomplishments and intelligence. Meanwhile, the then-current president Barack Obama was ranked 15th out of 43, with high ratings for imagination, communication ability and intelligence and a low rating for background.
The 2018 Siena poll of 157 presidential scholars reported George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson as the top five US presidents, with SCRI director Don Levy stating, "The top five, Mount Rushmore plus FDR, is carved in granite with presidential historians...." Donald J. Trump—entering the SCRI survey for the first time—joined Andrew Johnson, James Buchanan, Warren G. Harding, and Franklin Pierce among the bottom five US presidents. George W. Bush, who presidential scholars had rated among the bottom five in the previous 2010 survey, improved to a position in the third quartile.
The C-SPAN Survey of Presidential Leadership consists of rankings from a group of presidential historians and biographers. The C-SPAN Survey of Presidential Leadership has taken place three times: in 2000, 2009 and 2017. The most recent survey was of 91 presidential historians, surveyed by C-SPAN's Academic Advisor Team, made up of Douglas G. Brinkley, Edna Greene Medford and Richard Norton Smith. In the survey, each historian rates each president on a scale of one to 10 on presidential leadership in ten categories: Public Persuasion, Crisis Leadership, Economic Management, Moral Authority, International Relations, Administrative Skills, Relations with Congress, Vision/Setting An Agenda, Pursued Equal Justice for All and Performance Within the Context of His Times—each category is equally weighed. The results of all three C-SPAN surveys have been fairly consistent. Abraham Lincoln has taken the highest ranking in each survey and George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt have always ranked in the top five while James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson and Franklin Pierce have been ranked at the bottom of all three surveys.
In 2008, The Times daily newspaper of London asked eight of its own "top international and political commentators" to rank all 42 presidents "in order of greatness".
In 2011, through the agency of its United States Presidency Centre, the Institute for the Study of the Americas released the first ever United Kingdom academic survey to rate presidents. This polled the opinion of British specialists in American history and politics to assess presidential performance. They also gave an interim assessment of Barack Obama, but his unfinished presidency was not included in the survey.
In 2012, Newsweek magazine asked a panel of historians to rank the ten best presidents since 1900. The results showed that historians had ranked Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, Woodrow Wilson, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama as the best since that year.
A 2013 History News Network poll of 203 American historians, when asked to rate Obama's presidency on an A–F scale, gave him a B- grade. Obama, whom historians graded using 15 separate measures plus an overall grade, was rated most highly in the categories of communication ability, integrity and crisis management; and most poorly for his relationship with Congress, transparency and accountability.
A 2015 poll administered by the American Political Science Association among political scientists specializing in the American presidency had Abraham Lincoln in the top spot, with George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bill Clinton, Andrew Jackson and Woodrow Wilson making the top 10. APSA conducted a repeat of this poll in 2018, with Donald Trump appearing for the first time, in last position.

Scholar survey results

;Within each column:
Note: click the "sort" icon at the head of each column to view the rankings for each survey in numerical order.
No.PresidentPolitical party
1George WashingtonIndependent020203020404040302 03010401020403020202011
2John AdamsFederalist09100915101412141116131213171712151914142
3Thomas JeffersonDemocratic-Republican05050405020305040407040504070504050705051
4James MadisonDemocratic-Republican14121417090809101718150917200614131712072
5James MonroeDemocratic-Republican12181516151115131514160816140713161318082
6John Quincy AdamsDemocratic-Republican11131619171617181819201725191920222123182
7Andrew JacksonDemocratic06060707130911080513061310131409091815191
8Martin Van BurenDemocratic15172018212122212130232427312327253427253
9William Henry HarrisonWhig2635283537363935393842394
10John TylerIndependent22252828343334343236343735353737363937374
11James K. PolkDemocratic1008 1210121314110912101109121216191420122
12Zachary TaylorWhig25242726293433292928313433293333333135303
13Millard FillmoreWhig24262931323235363135353836373835373738384
14Franklin PierceDemocratic272831333536373733 3937 3938404039404141404
15James BuchananDemocratic26293334373839403841394140424240434343434
16Abraham LincolnRepublican01010101030202010101020202010302010101031
17Andrew JohnsonNational Union19233230383940393740364237414336414240444
18Ulysses S. GrantRepublican283035323637383833 33323529232629282221244
19Rutherford B. HayesRepublican13142222222324252326222724333130303229323
20James A. GarfieldRepublican2530263029332827312934283
21Chester A. ArthurRepublican1721 2324242627282632263026322532323531343
22/24Grover ClevelandDemocratic08111713181719161317122012212021232324232
23Benjamin HarrisonRepublican21202625312930311931273230303434293032353
25William McKinleyRepublican18151811191918171615141914162117211619202
26Theodore RooseveltRepublican07070504050503050604050305040205040404041
27William Howard TaftRepublican16161920202021202224192120242425202422222
28Woodrow WilsonDemocratic04040606060606060706110611090806101111111
29Warren G. HardingRepublican2931363639404141393837 4039384138424039414
30Calvin CoolidgeRepublican23273029303136333027252923262928272728313
31Herbert HooverRepublican201921212728292433 34293131343626383636363
32Franklin D. RooseveltDemocratic030302030101010202 02030103030101030303021
33Harry S. TrumanDemocratic08 0808070707070805070707050907060606091
34Dwight D. EisenhowerRepublican21 1109111208091009091008081010070507061
35John F. KennedyDemocratic1314081010151208181415061115140816102
36Lyndon B. JohnsonDemocratic1012141513121410171518111611121010162
37Richard NixonRepublican3435282523323625332632273023342833293
38Gerald FordRepublican2423232732272823282828222824242525273
39Jimmy CarterDemocratic2527332425192722302534253218262626263
40Ronald ReaganRepublican16 *2220262511081606101808110909131
41George H. W. BushRepublican18 *31222420212221182222172017212
42Bill ClintonDemocratic16 *23 *20 *21 *24 *1822151319081513152
43George W. BushRepublican23 *19 *363931353330333
44Barack ObamaDemocratic15 *18 *1208172
45Donald TrumpRepublican44 *42 *4 *
Total in survey29313636394041413941394240424340434344444

Murray-Blessing 1982 survey

The Murray-Blessing 1982 survey asked historians whether they were liberal or conservative on domestic, social and economic issues. The table below shows that the two groups had only small differences in ranking the best and worst presidents. Both groups agreed on the composition of nine of the top ten presidents and six of the worst seven.
RankLiberals Conservatives
1Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
2Franklin D. RooseveltGeorge Washington
3George WashingtonFranklin D. Roosevelt
4Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson
5Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt
6Woodrow WilsonAndrew Jackson
7Andrew JacksonHarry S. Truman
8Harry S. TrumanWoodrow Wilson
9Lyndon B. JohnsonDwight D. Eisenhower
10John AdamsJohn Adams
30Calvin CoolidgeJimmy Carter
31Franklin PierceRichard Nixon
32James BuchananFranklin Pierce
33Andrew JohnsonAndrew Johnson
34Ulysses S. GrantJames Buchanan
35Richard NixonUlysses S. Grant
36Warren G. HardingWarren G. Harding

Public opinion polls

Rasmussen poll

According to a Rasmussen poll conducted in 2007, six presidents—George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy—were rated favorably by at least 80% of Americans.
PresidentFavorableUnfavorableNet favorable
George Washington94292
Abraham Lincoln92488
Thomas Jefferson89485
Theodore Roosevelt84876
Franklin D. Roosevelt811269
John F. Kennedy801367
John Adams74965
James Madison73865
Ronald Reagan722250
Dwight D. Eisenhower721557
Harry S. Truman701456
Andrew Jackson691455
Gerald Ford622636
John Quincy Adams59752
Ulysses S. Grant582434
George H. W. Bush574116
Jimmy Carter573423
William Howard Taft571542
Woodrow Wilson561937
Bill Clinton554114
James Monroe491039
Herbert Hoover483414
Lyndon B. Johnson45423
Andrew Johnson452619
Chester A. Arthur431726
James A. Garfield421626
William McKinley422418
George W. Bush4159−18
Grover Cleveland402614
Calvin Coolidge38317
Rutherford B. Hayes381919
Richard Nixon3260−28
Benjamin Harrison3035−5
Warren G. Harding2933−4
James Buchanan2832−4
James K. Polk27216
Zachary Taylor26188
Martin Van Buren23194
William Henry Harrison21165
Franklin Pierce1725−8
Millard Fillmore1725−8
John Tyler915−6

Gallup poll

A Gallup poll about presidential greatness taken February 2–5, 2011, asked 1,015 adults in the United States the following question: "Who do you regard as the greatest United States president?"
  1. Ronald Reagan
  2. Abraham Lincoln
  3. Bill Clinton
  4. John F. Kennedy
  5. George Washington
  6. Franklin Roosevelt
  7. Barack Obama
  8. Theodore Roosevelt
  9. Harry S. Truman
  10. George W. Bush
  11. Thomas Jefferson
  12. Jimmy Carter
  13. Dwight Eisenhower
  14. George H. W. Bush
  15. Andrew Jackson
  16. Lyndon B. Johnson
  17. Richard Nixon
In addition, "Other" received 1%, "None" received 1% and "No opinion" received 5%.

Public opinion polls on recent presidents

These polls evaluate recent presidents only.

2010 Gallup poll

A Gallup poll taken on November 19–21, 2010, asked 1,037 Americans to say, based on what they know or remember about the nine most recent former presidents, whether they approve or disapprove of how each handled his job in office.
  1. John F. Kennedy
  2. Ronald Reagan
  3. Bill Clinton
  4. George H. W. Bush
  5. Gerald Ford
  6. Jimmy Carter
  7. Lyndon B. Johnson
  8. George W. Bush
  9. Richard Nixon

    Public Policy Polling

A Public Policy Polling poll taken between September 8–11, 2011, asked 665 American voters, based on what they know or remember about the nine then-most recent former presidents, whether they hold favorable or unfavorable views of how each handled his job in office.
  1. John F. Kennedy
  2. Ronald Reagan
  3. Bill Clinton
  4. George H. W. Bush
  5. Gerald Ford
  6. Jimmy Carter
  7. Lyndon B. Johnson
  8. George W. Bush
  9. Richard Nixon

    Vision Critical/Angus Reid poll

A Vision Critical/Angus Reid Public Opinion poll taken on February 18–19, 2011, asked 1,010 respondents about 11 former presidents plus the current president and whether each was a good or bad president.
  1. John F. Kennedy
  2. Ronald Reagan
  3. Bill Clinton
  4. Dwight D. Eisenhower
  5. Harry S. Truman
  6. Jimmy Carter
  7. George H. W. Bush
  8. Barack Obama
  9. Gerald Ford
  10. Lyndon B. Johnson
  11. George W. Bush
  12. Richard Nixon

    2013 Gallup poll

A Gallup poll taken November 7–10, 2013, asked 1,039 adults in the United States the following question: "How do you think each of the following presidents will go down in history—as an outstanding president, above average, average, below average, or poor?".
PresidentOutstandingAbove averageAverageBelow averagePoorNo opinionWeighted average
Dwight D. Eisenhower10%39%36%2%1%12%3.63
John F. Kennedy18%56%19%2%1%4%3.92
Lyndon B. Johnson4%16%46%14%8%12%2.93
Richard Nixon2%13%27%29%23%6%2.38
Gerald Ford2%14%56%15%5%8%2.92
Jimmy Carter4%19%37%20%15%6%2.76
Ronald Reagan19%42%27%6%4%2%3.67
George H. W. Bush3%24%48%12%10%2%2.98
Bill Clinton11%44%29%9%6%1%3.45
George W. Bush3%18%36%20%23%1%2.58
Barack Obama6%22%31%18%22%1%2.72

2014 Quinnipiac poll

A Quinnipiac University poll taken June 24–30, 2014, asked 1,446 registered voters in the United States who they thought were the best and worst presidents since World War II.

2017 Quinnipiac poll

Four years later, a Quinnipiac University poll taken January 20–25, 2017, asked 1,190 voters in the United States who they thought were the best and worst presidents since World War II.

2017 Morning Consult poll

Including for the first time President Donald Trump, a Morning Consult poll taken February 9–10, 2017, asked 1,791 registered voters in the United States, who they thought were the best and worst presidents since World War II.

2018 Quinnipiac poll

A Quinnipiac University poll taken March 3–5, 2018, asked 1,122 voters in the United States who they thought were the best and worst presidents since World War II.

Siena College Research Institute, Presidential Expert Poll of 2010

;Abbreviations
Source:
Seq.PresidentPolitical party
1George WashingtonIndependent718123341341494223112134
2John AdamsFederalist429182610132332161513172231912207151217
3Thomas JeffersonDemocratic-Republican146461661185536145761655
4James MadisonDemocratic-Republican3101197121771596812514201721086
5James MonroeDemocratic-Republican9121581499817816168101121315797
6John Quincy AdamsDemocratic-Republican234203516143029231315111842116265202119
7Andrew JacksonDemocratic3021014272843851912131423619523121314
8Martin Van BurenDemocratic161323192438331332252424272923252722272423
9William Henry HarrisonWhig243025313327423530243735363033392431333435
10John TylerIndependent334239423931223926343529343337353633323637
11James K. PolkDemocratic179131221157237161714112498102091112
12Zachary TaylorWhig373528373724363428283427372131342537253333
13Millard FillmoreWhig404140383533252537353836353638333939303538
14Franklin PierceDemocratic383737414034353638383939393840404038354040
15James BuchananDemocratic234041404241404143394242434042414340414342
16Abraham LincolnRepublican28626451312212111523213
17Andrew JohnsonNational Union424343434337394334424141423741384241424243
18Ulysses S. GrantRepublican262824222529212222402826262734242129313126
19Rutherford B. HayesRepublican293330292926191833333332332830303230242931
20James A. GarfieldRepublican202222243223412731292528252526312326222727
21Chester A. ArthurRepublican413132272819142127263025203227262832172625
22/24Grover ClevelandDemocratic191617151722201924182022171917211925141920
23Benjamin HarrisonRepublican393234283035293039363634323135283435233234
25William McKinleyRepublican211419112318242021202123192218151827112021
26Theodore RooseveltRepublican6735122121431264446342
27William Howard TaftRepublican143629301820322436222330211825233118282324
28Woodrow WilsonDemocratic8891688153791085911101012429108
29Warren G. HardingRepublican433836343639372640434343404243374143394141
30Calvin CoolidgeRepublican252438212630122841303237311728323328192829
31Herbert HooverRepublican102631331943434042322638411329363714403836
32Franklin D. RooseveltDemocratic51122152332431631310421
33Harry S. TrumanDemocratic351514201561115677157886917869
34Dwight D. EisenhowerRepublican121721109118520171120139797195710
35John F. KennedyDemocratic1319413127276106147153513171111161411
36Lyndon B. JohnsonDemocratic153161510289121291253412431521371616
37Richard NixonRepublican182026363825343314372219244324112916433730
38Gerald FordRepublican272535172236311735233133301532273034262528
39Jimmy CarterDemocratic31392739204038312521292129736293513363032
40Ronald ReaganRepublican3455731213141131191823262013836131718
41George H. W. BushRepublican112733233432261629272731282022142224182222
42Bill ClintonDemocratic22118251131041811101010411518149341513
43George W. BushRepublican362342324142184219414040383939423842383939
44Barack ObamaDemocratic322171813171610131418616121622168211815
Seq.PresidentPolitical party

2017 C-SPAN Presidential Historian Survey

;Abbreviations
Source:
Seq.PresidentPolitical party
1George WashingtonIndependent421122221312
2John AdamsFederalist2217151113212420151919
3Thomas JeffersonDemocratic-Republican813136117551767
4James MadisonDemocratic-Republican181919922171318181617
5James MonroeDemocratic-Republican17141816711914251113
6John Quincy AdamsDemocratic-Republican332317121518321592221
7Andrew JacksonDemocratic710262020232110381318
8Martin Van BurenDemocratic3035403326262833303334
9William Henry HarrisonWhig2838383142403836373838
10John TylerIndependent3936393728384137413639
11James K. PolkDemocratic13914271691111361214
12Zachary TaylorWhig2728282830353530343031
13Millard FillmoreWhig4034343634363639393737
14Franklin PierceDemocratic4141413940394041424141
15James BuchananDemocratic4343424343414243434343
16Abraham LincolnRepublican31223141121
17Andrew JohnsonNational Union4242374139434342404242
18Ulysses S. GrantRepublican1921271919372023102122
19Rutherford B. HayesRepublican2930253233293032322832
20James A. GarfieldRepublican2131292236322725202729
21Chester A. ArthurRepublican3732313535282934273235
22/24Grover ClevelandDemocratic2022242623222221312323
23Benjamin HarrisonRepublican3233323027302631243130
25William McKinleyRepublican1616111817131017261816
26Theodore RooseveltRepublican254544741144
27William Howard TaftRepublican3126202521122328222424
28Woodrow WilsonDemocratic111198128167351011
29Warren G. HardingRepublican3639354037423440334040
30Calvin CoolidgeRepublican2429222129251829292627
31Herbert HooverRepublican3840432931143138283936
32Franklin D. RooseveltDemocratic13531333833
33Harry S. TrumanDemocratic14410105101413456
34Dwight D. EisenhowerRepublican12664656161275
35John F. KennedyDemocratic677151416129798
36Lyndon B. JohnsonDemocratic152012243861821410
37Richard NixonRepublican2627234210243724213428
38Gerald FordRepublican3424302325271935142525
39Jimmy CarterDemocratic353733143231332252926
40Ronald ReaganRepublican581613933862389
41George H. W. BushRepublican231221178161527162020
42Bill ClintonDemocratic9183381820171961715
43George W. BushRepublican2525363441342526193533
44Barack ObamaDemocratic1015872419391231512
Seq.PresidentPolitical party

Siena College Research Institute, Presidential Expert Poll of 2018

On February 13, 2019, Siena released its 6th presidential poll.
The poll was initiated in 1982 and occurs one year into the term of each new president. It is currently a survey of 157 presidential scholars, across a range of leadership parameters.
The ranking gave the top five spots to George Washington, Franklin Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson. This top five, described as Mt. Rushmore plus FDR, was consistent with prior surveys. Washington had been ranked fourth in all previous surveys, and FDR first.
;Abbreviations
Seq.PresidentPolitical party
1George WashingtonIndependent771101622111218111122121
2John AdamsFederalist3134424143121211382817413151913161014
3Thomas JeffersonDemocratic-Republican221418514664455720469755
4James MadisonDemocratic-Republican4673161561317106910614711191187
5James MonroeDemocratic-Republican91411186167101215171281199105698
6John Quincy AdamsDemocratic-Republican19652919242223121629291517182115141818
7Andrew JacksonDemocratic37152928443811918196163025251723201919
8Martin Van BurenDemocratic232227253428202827252716232531262927242825
9William Henry HarrisonWhig223828374432413829313736374241404244373939
10John TylerIndependent343335342226373637343641403834363626323637
11James K. PolkDemocratic1910232397187111612101122151612881312
12Zachary TaylorWhig302622323724262625323235323727332730263030
13Millard FillmoreWhig403736383538323739403940393937373737333738
14Franklin PierceDemocratic383938403938393940414039384140394139384040
15James BuchananDemocratic364340394241404244424342414342434443444443
16Abraham LincolnRepublican28122181112112434216213
17Andrew JohnsonDemocratic424241424034434343444244434443424341434344
18Ulysses S. GrantRepublican202425242618172718262624192426382424312424
19Rutherford B. HayesRepublican353032292335233333303133302722303531282932
20James A. GarfieldRepublican222521204130252524232427263429273434272528
21Chester A. ArthurRepublican413137361733223034363534333330312532233134
22/24Grover ClevelandDemocratic262326271927221920192220272021232321152223
23Benjamin HarrisonRepublican333430352836333535353431283532343229293335
25William McKinleyRepublican292020263222211719222011122316172014132020
26Theodore RooseveltRepublican5486221544557793543544
27William Howard TaftRepublican122812142731192326212330211619211822192322
28Woodrow WilsonDemocratic8819714113514147148141311141411251511
29Warren G. HardingRepublican394142433340344041394138353635413836394141
30Calvin CoolidgeRepublican323617331339273238373326243124323335223231
31Herbert HooverRepublican133515134337362936292932332644353933403536
32Franklin D. RooseveltDemocratic63161253433231322331432
33Harry S. TrumanDemocratic311692112812810141014151781074979
34Dwight D. EisenhowerRepublican1118517721555207159561187366
35John F. KennedyDemocratic14531113198128311171312761517181210
36Lyndon B. JohnsonDemocratic1511342225109913179328128540351716
37Richard NixonRepublican162143163612302428272522343223282216423829
38Gerald FordRepublican183210303029113130333025252133243128212727
39Jimmy CarterDemocratic25193153827293232242837361938222825342626
40Ronald ReaganRepublican2717243131310157618461818201612121613
41George H. W. BushRepublican102718192027132022282121202928192610172121
42Bill ClintonDemocratic2112398111731615813131810512918301415
43George W. BushRepublican172933412120283431383819222836293038363433
44Barack ObamaDemocratic2411139152316181691523311410131320101117
45Donald TrumpRepublican434044441025424142434443424039444042414242
Seq.PresidentPolitical party

Memorability of the presidents

In November 2014, Henry L. Roediger III and K. Andrew DeSoto published a study in the journal Science asking research subjects to name as many presidents as possible. They reported data from three generations as well as from an online survey conducted in 2014. The percentage of participants in the online survey sample who could name each president was the following:
  1. Barack Obama
  2. Bill Clinton
  3. George W. Bush or George H. W. Bush
  4. George Washington
  5. Abraham Lincoln
  6. John F. Kennedy
  7. Richard Nixon
  8. Jimmy Carter
  9. Thomas Jefferson
  10. Ronald Reagan
  11. Gerald Ford
  12. Franklin D. Roosevelt or Theodore Roosevelt
  13. John Adams or John Quincy Adams
  14. Dwight D. Eisenhower
  15. Harry S. Truman
  16. Andrew Jackson
  17. Herbert Hoover
  18. Andrew Johnson or Lyndon B. Johnson
  19. William Howard Taft
  20. James Madison
  21. Ulysses S. Grant
  22. James Monroe
  23. Woodrow Wilson
  24. Calvin Coolidge
  25. James A. Garfield
  26. James K. Polk
  27. Warren G. Harding
  28. William McKinley
  29. John Tyler
  30. James Buchanan
  31. Grover Cleveland
  32. William Henry Harrison or Benjamin Harrison
  33. Martin Van Buren
  34. Rutherford B. Hayes
  35. Zachary Taylor
  36. Millard Fillmore
  37. Franklin Pierce
  38. Chester A. Arthur

    Criticism and alternatives

, noted biographer of Abraham Lincoln, relates that when he met John F. Kennedy in 1961, Kennedy voiced his deep dissatisfaction and resentment with historians who had rated some of his predecessors. Kennedy remarked, "No one has a right to grade a president — even poor James Buchanan — who has not sat in his chair, examined the mail and information that came across his desk, and learned why he made his decisions". Historian and political scientist Julian E. Zelizer has argued that traditional presidential rankings explain little concerning actual presidential history and that they are "weak mechanisms for evaluating what has taken place in the White House".
The broadly static nature of the rankings over multiple decades has also been called into question, particularly given that the frequent nature of previously unknown material about American government getting exposed.

Alvin S. Felzenberg's ''The Leaders We Deserved''

, a professor at both the Elliot School of International Affairs within George Washington University and the Annenberg School for Communication within the University of Pennsylvania, has authored The Leaders We Deserved in an attempt to revise the understanding of presidential rankings. Felzenberg's broad motivation for the book came from his interest in American presidents and his intent "not to fix their reputations in concrete, but to provoke discussion."
Looking back at past discussions over the various ranking methodologies the author argues that the academic process has fallen victim to certain negative trends, and he stresses that the analysis must not only attempt to evaluate individuals based on broad assessments of their performance but on a composite approach looking at different leadership categories. These, in Felzenberg's opinion, should include looking at diverse factors from the performance of the U.S. economy due to presidential actions to leaders' behaviors in advancing the causes of individual liberty to intellectual competence in the administrations managed by the presidents and more.
In his study of American history, the author finds fault with conventional wisdom in certain areas and agrees with it in others. Notably, Felzenberg's assessment of Abraham Lincoln as America's greatest president is followed closely by that of George Washington as its second greatest while both Ronald Reagan and Theodore Roosevelt tie for third place. Dwight D. Eisenhower falls into fifth place.

Racial equality assessments

In 2002, Ron Walters, former director of the University of Maryland's African American Leadership Institute, stated that presidents ranked by how each one balanced the interests of majority interests and the interests of excluded groups was practical in respect to American debate on racial politics. Presidents have traditionally been ranked on personal qualities and their leadership ability to solve problems that move the nation in a positive direction. Walters stated there was a qualitative difference between white and African-American intellectuals in evaluating presidents. In the 1996 New York Times poll by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., 31 white historians and one black historian ranked presidents on differing categories of greatness. In a survey done by professors Hanes Walton Jr. and Robert Smith and in their text book American Politics And The African American Quest For Universal Freedom, 44 African-American political scientists and historians ranked presidents in terms of racial attitudes and racial legislation proposed. Individual presidents' attitudes, policies and perspectives were historically ranked in five categories: White Supremacist; Racist; Racially Neutral; Racially Ambivalent; Antiracist.

Northwestern Presidential Leadership on Diversity and Inclusion Survey (2019)

In May 2019, the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, "in conjunction the Dr. Christina Greer of Fordham University, the Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy’s conducted a poll of 113 academic researchers and asked them to rate the 14 modern presidents on both their overall leadership and rhetoric on diversity and inclusion using a scale ranging from 0 to 100." Survey respondents were significantly more liberal than the national average, "with only 13 percent of the respondents describing themselves as either moderate, slightly conservative, or conservative." However, "similar patterns of ratings across the ideological spectrum".
Overall (performance + diversity and inclusion score)
  1. Franklin D. Roosevelt
  2. Barack Obama
  3. Lyndon B. Johnson
  4. Bill Clinton
  5. John F. Kennedy
  6. Harry S. Truman
  7. Dwight D. Eisenhower
  8. Ronald Reagan
  9. Jimmy Carter
  10. George H. W. Bush
  11. Gerald Ford
  12. George W. Bush
  13. Richard Nixon
  14. Donald Trump
    Diversity and inclusion leadership score (without including overall leadership)
  15. Barack Obama
  16. Bill Clinton
  17. Jimmy Carter
  18. George W. Bush
  19. Lyndon B. Johnson
  20. George H. W. Bush
  21. Franklin D. Roosevelt
  22. Gerald Ford
  23. John F. Kennedy
  24. Harry S. Truman
  25. Ronald Reagan
  26. Dwight D. Eisenhower
  27. Richard Nixon
  28. Donald Trump

    Footnotes