Historical rankings of presidents of the United States facts for kids

Sculptor Gutzon Borglum and President Calvin Coolidge chose George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln (left to right) for Mount Rushmore. It became a symbol of great presidents, representing the nation's birth, growth, development, and preservation.

Have you ever wondered who the best United States presidents were? People often try to rank them based on their success. These rankings usually come from surveys of historians and political experts. They look at what presidents achieved, how well they led, and any mistakes they made. Sometimes, polls also ask regular people for their opinions, but these often focus on more recent or famous presidents.

Who Are the Greatest and Worst Presidents?

Historians and experts often agree on some of the top and bottom presidents.

Lincoln

F. D. Roosevelt

Washington

T. Roosevelt

Abraham Lincoln is often seen as one of the greatest presidents. He led the country during the Civil War and helped end slavery. Franklin D. Roosevelt is also highly ranked for guiding the nation through the Great Depression and most of World War II. George Washington, the first president, is praised for uniting the new country. Theodore Roosevelt is consistently ranked high for his work in conservation and protecting consumers.

Buchanan

Johnson

Trump

Harding

On the other hand, some presidents are often ranked as the worst. James Buchanan is usually at the bottom because of his leadership before the Civil War. Many also rank Andrew Johnson low for blocking civil rights for freed slaves after the war. Donald Trump's presidency has often been ranked among the lowest, partly for breaking long-standing traditions like the peaceful transfer of power. Warren G. Harding's time in office, which had many scandals, also frequently appears at the bottom.

Early Presidents and World War II Leaders

The first five presidents were all important leaders who helped create the United States. They are George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. Historians usually rank them among the top 20 presidents. Washington is often in the top three, and Jefferson is usually in the top five.

Washington

Adams

Jefferson

Madison

Monroe

The first five presidents (Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe) were all Founding Fathers. They are consistently ranked in the top 20, with Washington usually in the top three and Jefferson in the top five.

Another group of presidents who are highly rated are those from the mid-20th century, around World War II. Franklin D. Roosevelt is almost always in the top three. Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower are often in the top ten. John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson are usually in the top 20.

F. D. Roosevelt

Truman

Eisenhower

Kennedy

Johnson

Another presidential era considered exceptional by historians is the WWII and post-war era of the mid-20th century, with Franklin Roosevelt consistently ranking in the top three, Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower in the top ten, and John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in the top 20.

Challenging Times and Recent Leaders

The mid-19th century, leading up to the Civil War, is often seen as a difficult time for presidents. John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Millard Fillmore are usually in the bottom ten. Franklin Pierce is often in the bottom five, and James Buchanan is typically in the bottom two.

Tyler

Taylor

Fillmore

Pierce

Buchanan

An era considered exceptionally poor by presidential historians is the mid-19th century and "sectional crisis" years leading up to the Civil War, with John Tyler, Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore typically in the bottom ten, Franklin Pierce in the bottom five, and Buchanan in the bottom two.

In more recent times, presidents like Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden have all appeared in the top 20 rankings. Reagan and Obama are often even in the top ten.

Reagan

H. W. Bush

Clinton

Obama

Biden

During the late-20th century and early 21st, modern-day presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden have all landed in the top 20 of rankings, with Reagan and Obama often in the top ten.

How Presidents Are Ranked

Historians and political scientists use different ways to rank presidents. They often consider things like:

• Leadership qualities: How well did they lead the country?
• Achievements: What important things did they accomplish?
• Crisis management: How did they handle big problems?
• Political skill: Were they good at working with Congress and others?
• Character and integrity: Were they honest and trustworthy?

Many different groups have conducted surveys over the years to create these rankings.

Important Surveys

Several well-known surveys have helped shape how we view presidents.

• The Siena College Research Institute has done surveys since 1982. They ask historians and scholars to rate presidents on many qualities.
• The C-SPAN Survey of Presidential Leadership also asks historians to rate presidents. They use a scale of 1 to 10 in ten different areas, like public speaking, economic management, and international relations.
• The American Political Science Association (APSA) also conducts surveys among political scientists who study the presidency.

These surveys often show similar results. For example, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Franklin D. Roosevelt are almost always ranked at the top. Presidents like James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and Franklin Pierce are consistently ranked at the bottom.

Recent Survey Findings

In a 2018 Siena poll, the top five presidents were George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson. This group is sometimes called the "Mount Rushmore plus FDR" because they are so consistently highly rated. Donald Trump was ranked among the bottom three in this survey.

The 2021 C-SPAN poll showed that Ulysses S. Grant's reputation has improved over time. George W. Bush's ranking also improved, while Barack Obama remained high. Donald Trump was ranked as the fourth lowest.

The 2022 Siena poll had Franklin D. Roosevelt first, Abraham Lincoln second, and George Washington third. The bottom three remained Donald Trump, James Buchanan, and Andrew Johnson.

Presidents and Diversity

Some scholars also rank presidents based on their views and actions regarding race and diversity. This helps us understand how presidents dealt with issues of equality during their time.

Views on Race

Professors Hanes Walton Jr. and Robert Smith looked at presidents' beliefs and policies on race. They categorized presidents into groups like "White supremacist" (meaning personal belief), "Institutionally racist" (meaning policies that supported racism), "Institutionally neutral," "Ambivalent" (meaning mixed feelings or actions), and "Anti-racist."

Diversity and Inclusion Leadership

In 2019, Alvin Tillery and Christina Greer surveyed academic researchers. They asked them to rate modern presidents on their overall leadership and how they spoke about diversity and inclusion.

How Well Do People Remember Presidents?

Surveys have also looked at how many people can remember the names of past presidents. This shows which presidents are most memorable to the public.

2014 Survey of Memorability

In 2014, a study asked people to name as many presidents as they could. Here are the results, showing the percentage of people who remembered each president:

2021 Survey of Memorability

Another survey in 2021 looked at how well people remembered presidents by their name and face. Here are the results for name recognition:

Images for kids

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  Lincoln

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  F. D. Roosevelt

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  Washington

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  T. Roosevelt

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  Johnson

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  Trump

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  Harding

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  Washington

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  Adams

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  Jefferson

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  Madison

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  Monroe

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  F. D. Roosevelt

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  Truman

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  Eisenhower

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  Kennedy

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  Johnson

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  Tyler

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  Taylor

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  Fillmore

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  Pierce

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  Buchanan

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  Reagan

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  H. W. Bush

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  Clinton

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  Obama

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  Biden