List of State of the Union addresses

George W. Bush during his 2005 State of the Union address.

This is a list of State of the Union addresses. The State of the Union is the constitutionally mandated annual report by the president of the United States, the head of the U.S. federal executive departments, to the United States Congress, the U.S. federal legislative body.[1]

William Henry Harrison and James A. Garfield are the only presidents in U.S. history to not deliver a State of the Union, as they both died within their first year in office before they could do so.

Before 1933, the State of the Union was delivered at the end of the calendar year. The ratification of the 20th Amendment in 1933 changed the opening of Congress from early March to early January, affecting the delivery of the annual message. There was none in 1933, and since 1934, it has been in January, February, or March.[2]

Starting in 1981, presidents have been invited to address a joint session of Congress early in the first year of their presidency. These have reflected the style of a State of the Union address. However, the addresses are not officially titled "State of the Union" but "Address to Joint Session of Congress" or like that instead.[3][4] Since 1989, the opposition party has offered a response.[5] There were unofficial addresses by incoming presidents in 1981, 1989, 1993, 2001, 2009, 2017, 2021, and 2025.

List

Year President Format Date Word count[6] Time (minutes)[7]
Jan 1790 George Washington Spoken Jan 8 1,089 Unknown
Dec 1790 Dec 8 1,401
1791 Oct 25 2,302
1792 Nov 6 2,101
1793 Dec 3 1,968
1794 Nov 19 2,918
1795 Dec 8 1,989
1796 Dec 7 2,871
1797 John Adams Spoken Nov 22 2,063
1798 Dec 8 2,218
1799 Dec 3 1,505
1800 Nov 22 1,372
1801 Thomas Jefferson Written Dec 8 3,224 N/a
1802 Dec 15 2,197 N/a
1803 Oct 17 2,263 N/a
1804 Nov 8 2,096 N/a
1805 Dec 3 2,927 N/a
1806 Dec 2 2,860 N/a
1807 Oct 27 2,384 N/a
1808 Nov 8 2,675 N/a
1809 James Madison Written Nov 29 1,831 N/a
1810 Dec 5 2,446 N/a
1811 Nov 5 2,273 N/a
1812 Nov 4 3,242 N/a
1813 Dec 7 3,257 N/a
1814 Sep 20 2,111 N/a
1815 Dec 5 3,146 N/a
1816 Dec 3 3,364 N/a
1817 James Monroe Written Dec 12 4,418 N/a
1818 Nov 16 4,376 N/a
1819 Dec 7 4,702 N/a
1820 Nov 14 3,446 N/a
1821 Dec 3 5,814 N/a
1822 Dec 3 4,723 N/a
1823 Dec 2 6,358 N/a
1824 Dec 7 8,400 N/a
1825 John Quincy Adams Written Dec 6 8,985 N/a
1826 Dec 5 7,705 N/a
1827 Dec 4 6,917 N/a
1828 Dec 2 7,282 N/a
1829 Andrew Jackson Written Dec 8 10,525 N/a
1830 Dec 6 15,114 N/a
1831 Dec 6 7,178 N/a
1832 Dec 4 7,863 N/a
1833 Dec 3 7,877 N/a
1834 Dec 1 13,411 N/a
1835 Dec 7 10,825 N/a
1836 Dec 5 12,367 N/a
1837 Martin Van Buren Written Dec 5 11,449 N/a
1838 Dec 3 11,488 N/a
1839 Dec 2 13,431 N/a
1840 Dec 5 8,991 N/a
N/a William Henry Harrison N/a N/a N/a N/a
1841 John Tyler Written Dec 7 8,241 N/a
1842 Dec 6 8,417 N/a
1843 Dec 5 8,036 N/a
1844 Dec 3 9,318 N/a
1845 James K. Polk Written Dec 2 16,111 N/a
1846 Dec 8 18,222 N/a
1847 Dec 7 16,414 N/a
1848 Dec 5 21,309 N/a
1849 Zachary Taylor Written Dec 4 7,617 N/a
1850 Millard Fillmore Written Dec 2 8,322 N/a
1851 Dec 2 13,244 N/a
1852 Dec 6 9,929 N/a
1853 Franklin Pierce Written Dec 5 9,590 N/a
1854 Dec 4 10,139 N/a
1855 Dec 31 11,612 N/a
1856 Dec 2 10,486 N/a
1857 James Buchanan Written Dec 8 13,655 N/a
1858 Dec 6 16,349 N/a
1859 Dec 19 12,336 N/a
1860 Dec 3 14,049 N/a
1861 Abraham Lincoln Written Dec 3 6,987 N/a
1862 Dec 1 8,385 N/a
1863 Dec 8 6,114 N/a
1864 Dec 6 5,865 N/a
1865 Andrew Johnson Written Dec 4 9,232 N/a
1866 Dec 3 7,134 N/a
1867 Dec 3 12,002 N/a
1868 Dec 9 9,834 N/a
1869 Ulysses S. Grant Written Dec 6 7,706 N/a
1870 Dec 5 8,743 N/a
1871 Dec 4 6,459 N/a
1872 Dec 2 10,102 N/a
1873 Dec 1 10,026 N/a
1874 Dec 7 9,819 N/a
1875 Dec 7 12,211 N/a
1876 Dec 5 6,799 N/a
1877 Rutherford B. Hayes Written Dec 3 10,724 N/a
1878 Dec 2 7,879 N/a
1879 Dec 1 11,635 N/a
1880 Dec 6 13,347 N/a
N/a James A. Garfield N/a N/a N/a N/a
1881 Chester A. Arthur Written Dec 6 13,321 N/a
1882 Dec 4 10,274 N/a
1883 Dec 4 8,363 N/a
1884 Dec 1 8,917 N/a
1885 Grover Cleveland Written Dec 8 19,960 N/a
1886 Dec 6 15,285 N/a
1887 Dec 6 5,290 N/a
1888 Dec 3 13,226 N/a
1889 Benjamin Harrison Written Dec 1 13,004 N/a
1890 Dec 1 11,522 N/a
1891 Dec 9 16,306 N/a
1892 Dec 6 13,680 N/a
1893 Grover Cleveland Written Dec 4 12,282 N/a
1894 Dec 3 15,892 N/a
1895 Dec 2 14,670 N/a
1896 Dec 7 15,453 N/a
1897 William McKinley Written Dec 6 12,113 N/a
1898 Dec 5 20,224 N/a
1899 Dec 5 22,831 N/a
1900 Dec 3 19,142 N/a
1901 Theodore Roosevelt Written Dec 3 19,616 N/a
1902 Dec 5 9,782 N/a
1903 Dec 7 14,943 N/a
1904 Dec 6 17,415 N/a
1905 Dec 5 25,071 N/a
1906 Dec 3 23,609 N/a
1907 Dec 3 27,397 N/a
1908 Dec 8 19,411 N/a
1909 William Howard Taft Written Dec 7 13,901 N/a
1910 Dec 6 27,651 N/a
1911 Dec 5 23,744[a] N/a
1912 Dec 3 25,161[b] N/a
1913 Woodrow Wilson Spoken Dec 2 3,553 Unknown
1914 Dec 8 4,537
1915 Dec 7 7,687
1916 Dec 5 2,118
1917 Dec 4 3,913
1918 Dec 2 5,463
1919 Written Dec 2 4,756 N/a
1920 Dec 7 2,706 N/a
1921 Warren G. Harding Spoken Dec 6 5,606 Unknown
1922 Dec 8 5,748
1923 Calvin Coolidge Spoken Dec 6 6,706
1924 Written Dec 3 6,968 N/a
1925 Dec 8 10,848 N/a
1926 Dec 7 10,305 N/a
1927 Dec 6 8,777 N/a
1928 Dec 4 8,061 N/a
1929 Herbert Hoover Written Dec 3 10,994 N/a
1930 Dec 5 4,536 N/a
1931 Dec 8 5,682 N/a
1932 Dec 6 4,201 N/a
1933 N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a
1934 Franklin D. Roosevelt Spoken Jan 3 2,230 Unknown
1935 Jan 4 3,525
1936 Jan 3 3,826 50[9]
1937 Jan 6 2,732 Unknown
1938 Jan 3 4,697
1939 Jan 4 3,768
1940 Jan 3 3,196
1941 Jan 6 3,312 36[10]
1942 Jan 6 3,511 Unknown
1943 Jan 7 4,588
1944 Written Jan 11 3,805 N/a
1945 Jan 6 8,211 N/a
1946 Harry S. Truman Written Jan 21 27,465 N/a
1947 Spoken Jan 6 6,028 Unknown
1948 Jan 7 5,094
1949 Jan 5 3,401
1950 Jan 4 5,130
1951 Jan 8 3,994
1952 Jan 9 5,369
1953 Written Jan 7 9,683 N/a
1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower Spoken Feb 2 6,973 56[11]
1954 Jan 7 5,985 52[12]
1955 Jan 6 7,250 53[12]
1956 Written Jan 5 8,265 N/a
1957 Spoken Jan 10 4,137 33[13]
1958 Jan 9 4,915 44[14]
1959 Jan 9 4,933 42[15]
1960 Jan 7 5,633 45 [16]
1961 Written Jan 12 6,210 N/a
1961 John F. Kennedy Spoken Jan 30 5,274 43[17]
1962 Jan 11 6,569 53[18]
1963 Jan 14 5,470 43[19]
1964 Lyndon B. Johnson Spoken Jan 8 3,168 41
1965 Jan 4 4,399 47
1966 Jan 12 5,542 51
1967 Jan 10 7,195 71
1968 Jan 17 4,914 50
1969 Jan 14 4,115 44
1970 Richard Nixon Spoken Jan 22 4,457 37
1971 Jan 22 4,508 33
1972 Jan 20 3,976 29
1973 Written Feb 2 27,147[c] N/a
1974 Spoken Jan 30 5,144 43
1975 Gerald Ford Spoken Jan 15 4,126 41
1976 Jan 19 4,948 51
1977 Jan 12 4,727 45
1978 Jimmy Carter Spoken Jan 19 4,580 46
1979 Jan 25 3,257 33
1980 Jan 21 3,412 32
1981 Written Jan 16 33,667 N/a
1981[d] Ronald Reagan Spoken Feb 18 4,446 33
1982 Jan 26 5,154 40
1983 Jan 25 5,554 46
1984 Jan 25 4,931 43
1985 Feb 6 4,214 40
1986 Feb 4 3,514 31
1987 Jan 27 3,847 35
1988 Jan 25 4,955 44
1989[d] George H. W. Bush Spoken Feb 9 4,811 48
1990 Jan 31 3,777 36
1991 Jan 29 3,823 47
1992 Jan 28 5,012 51
1993[d] Bill Clinton Spoken Feb 17 7,003 66
1994 Jan 25 7,432 64
1995 Jan 24 9,190 85
1996 Jan 23 6,317 67
1997 Feb 4 6,774 64
1998 Jan 27 7,303 77
1999 Jan 19 7,514 79
2000 Jan 27 7,452 89
2001[d] George W. Bush Spoken Feb 27 4,362 49
2002 Jan 29 3,878 48
2003 Jan 28 5,413 60
2004 Jan 20 5,229 54
2005 Feb 2 5,096 53
2006 Jan 31 5,323 51
2007 Jan 23 5,590 49
2008 Jan 28 5,760 53
2009[d] Barack Obama Spoken Feb 24 5,902 52
2010 Jan 27 7,304 69
2011 Jan 25 6,878 62
2012 Jan 24 7,059 65
2013 Feb 12 6,775 60
2014 Jan 28 6,989 65
2015 Jan 20 6,718 60
2016 Jan 12 6,044 59
2017[d] Donald Trump Spoken Feb 28 5,006 60
2018 Jan 30 5,839 81
2019 Feb 5 5,540 82
2020 Feb 4 6,217 78
2021[d] Joe Biden Spoken Apr 28 8,003 65
2022 Mar 1 7,705 62
2023 Feb 7 9,216 73
2024 Mar 7 8,078 67
2025[d] Donald Trump Spoken Mar 4 9,831 99
2026 Feb 24

Notes

  1. ^ In 1911 President Taft submitted his written message in four parts on Dec 5, Dec 7, Dec 20, and Dec 21. This word count includes all four parts.[8]
  2. ^ In 1912 President Taft submitted his written message in three parts on Dec 3, Dec 6, and Dec 19. This word count includes all three parts.[8]
  3. ^ In 1973, President Nixon delivered a series of six written State of the Union messages to Congress from February 2 to March 14. One message was an overview, followed by five additional messages each of which focused on a specific public policy theme. This word count includes all six messages.[8]
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Starting in 1981, presidents have been invited to address a joint session of Congress early in the first year of their presidency. These have reflected the style of a State of the Union address but are not officially titled as a "State of the Union." Since 1989 the opposition party has offered a response.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "U.S. Senate: About Traditions & Symbols | State of the Union". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  2. ^ "The Speech: Where and When". History, Art & Archives.
  3. ^ "Remarks of President Barack Obama -- Address to Joint Session of Congress". White House. 2009-02-24. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  4. ^ House, The White (2021-04-29). "Remarks by President Biden in Address to a Joint Session of Congress". The White House. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  5. ^ The President's State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications (PDF). Congressional Research Service. January 24, 2014. p. 2.
  6. ^ Peters, Gerhard. "Length of State of the Union Messages and Addresses in Words". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  7. ^ Peters, Gerhard. "Length of State of the Union Addresses in Minutes (from 1964)". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. (2024). "Annual Messages to Congress on the State of the Union (Washington 1790 - the present)". Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "The First Evening Annual Message". Office of the Historian of the House of Representatives. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "January 6, 1941: State of the Union (Four Freedoms) | Miller Center". millercenter.org. 2016-10-20. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
  11. ^ "GOP Greets President With Cheer a Minute". Philadelphia Inquirer. February 3, 1953. p. 2. Retrieved March 14, 2024. Hand clapping was heard 55 times during the 56-minute speech, mostly from the GOP side of the aisle.
  12. ^ a b "Speeches". Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home. United States National Archives. August 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  13. ^ "Ike In Plea For Vigilance". Rutland Daily Herald. Rutland, Vermont. January 11, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2024. Dressed in a conservative gray business suit, Eisenhower stood for 33 minutes before a combined, undemonstrative Senate-House session in the klieg-lit House chamber.
  14. ^ "First Lady Receives Double Ovation in House Gallery". The Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. January 10, 1958. p. 9. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  15. ^ "Ike Challenges Democrats In 'State of Union' Speech". Great Falls Tribune. January 10, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  16. ^ "January 7, 1960: State of the Union Address". Miller Center. University of Virginia. 13 July 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  17. ^ "January 30, 1961: State of the Union". Miller Center. University of Virginia. 20 October 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  18. ^ "January 11, 1962: State of the Union Address". Miller Center. University of Virginia. 20 October 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  19. ^ "January 14, 1963: State of the Union Address". Miller Center. University of Virginia. 20 October 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  20. ^ The President's State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications (PDF). Congressional Research Service. January 24, 2014. p. 2.