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---
title: Barack Obama: 5 Ways America Changed in His Presidency
description: See how the economy, the military and housing changing during Obama&#x27;s tenure.
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article:published_time: 2017-01-17T11:00:19.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-03-30T12:19:12.647Z
article:section: Politics
og:title: 5 Ways America Changed During Obama’s Presidency
og:description: The country looks a lot different than it did eight years ago
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twitter:description: The country looks a lot different than it did eight years ago
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# 5 Ways America Changed During Obama’s Presidency

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> Last updated: August 2026.

## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ

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### The seven newsletters

| Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
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### Key data points

| Metric | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 |
| Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 |
| Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 |
| Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 |
| Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 |
| US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 |
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| Publishing since | 1923 | TIME |

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#### What newsletters does TIME publish?

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by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) and [Chris Wilson](https://time.com/author/chris-wilson/)

Jan 17, 2017 11:00 AM UTC

by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) and [Chris Wilson](https://time.com/author/chris-wilson/)

Jan 17, 2017 11:00 AM UTC

The country that [Donald Trump ](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2016-donald-trump/)will [assume leadership](http://time.com/4634445/donald-trump-inauguration-prayer/) of on Jan. 20, 2017 looks vastly different from the one that [President Obama](http://time.com/4631089/barack-obama-farewell-speech-analysis/) inherited eight years ago. But as we turn the page on Obama’s presidency, it can be difficult to measure the net effect of his 2,921 days in office.

For all the powers of the executive office, the president does not have unchecked control over the precise direction of the country. All the indicators of national well-being—from employment to housing to hundreds of other vital signs—are subject to both Washington policy and the vagaries of global trends and macroeconomic cycles. Still, whenever a president leaves office, his supporters and his detractors can point to different statistics from his time in office to find things to praise or criticize.

While the broader picture of Obama’s presidency will not be clear for years or even decades, it’s still useful to look at a few key statistics to see how things have changed since Jan. 20, 2009\. Below, we look at five major data sets on President Obama’s tenure.

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