Date | Format | Words | |
George Washington | average | 2080 | |
January 8, 1790 | spoken | 1089 | |
December 8, 1790 | spoken | 1401 | |
October 25, 1791 | spoken | 2302 | |
November 6, 1792 | spoken | 2101 | |
December 3, 1793 | spoken | 1968 | |
November 19, 1794 | spoken | 2918 | |
December 8, 1795 | spoken | 1989 | |
December 7, 1796 | spoken | 2871 | |
John Adams |
average |
1790 | |
November 22, 1797 | spoken | 2063 | |
December 8, 1798 | spoken | 2218 | |
December 3, 1799 | spoken | 1505 | |
November 22, 1800 | spoken | 1372 | |
Thomas Jefferson | average | 2578 | |
December 8, 1801 | written | 3224 | |
December 15, 1802 | written | 2197 | |
October 17, 1803 | written | 2263 | |
November 8, 1804 | written | 2096 | |
December 3, 1805 | written | 2927 | |
December 2, 1806 | written | 2860 | |
October 27, 1807 | written | 2384 | |
November 8, 1808 | written | 2675 | |
James Madison |
average |
2709 | |
November 29, 1809 | written | 1831 | |
December 5, 1810 | written | 2446 | |
November 5, 1811 | written | 2273 | |
November 4, 1812 | written | 3242 | |
December 7, 1813 | written | 3257 | |
September 20, 1814 | written | 2111 | |
December 5, 1815 | written | 3146 | |
December 3, 1816 | written | 3364 | |
James Monroe | average | 5280 | |
December 12, 1817 | written | 4418 | |
November 16, 1818 | written | 4376 | |
December 7, 1819 | written | 4702 | |
November 14, 1820 | written | 3446 | |
December 3, 1821 | written | 5814 | |
December 3, 1822 | written | 4723 | |
December 2, 1823 | written | 6358 | |
December 7, 1824 | written | 8400 | |
John Quincy Adams |
average |
7722 | |
December 6, 1825 | written | 8985 | |
December 5, 1826 | written | 7705 | |
December 4, 1827 | written | 6917 | |
December 2, 1828 | written | 7282 | |
Andrew Jackson | average | 10645 | |
December 8, 1829 | written | 10525 | |
December 6, 1830 | written | 15114 | |
December 6, 1831 | written | 7178 | |
December 4, 1832 | written | 7863 | |
December 3, 1833 | written | 7877 | |
December 1, 1834 | written | 13411 | |
December 7, 1835 | written | 10825 | |
December 5, 1836 | written | 12367 | |
Martin van Buren |
average |
11340 | |
December 5, 1837 | written | 11449 | |
December 3, 1838 | written | 11488 | |
December 2, 1839 | written | 13431 | |
December 5, 1840 | written | 8991 | |
William Henry Harrison | no annual messages | ||
John Tyler |
average |
8503 | |
December 7, 1841 | written | 8241 | |
December 6, 1842 | written | 8417 | |
December ?, 1843 | written | 8036 | |
December 3, 1844 | written | 9318 | |
James K. Polk | average | 18014 | |
December 2, 1845 | written | 16111 | |
December 8, 1846 | written | 18222 | |
December 7, 1847 | written | 16414 | |
December 5, 1848 | written | 21309 | |
Zachary Taylor | average | 7617 | |
December 4, 1849 | written | 7617 | |
Millard Fillmore | average | 10498 | |
December 2, 1850 | written | 8322 | |
December 2, 1851 | written | 13244 | |
December 6, 1852 | written | 9929 | |
Franklin Pierce |
average |
10457 | |
December 5, 1853 | written | 9590 | |
December 4, 1854 | written | 10139 | |
December 31, 1855 | written | 11612 | |
December 2, 1856 | written | 10486 | |
James Buchanan | average | 14097 | |
December 8, 1857 | written | 13655 | |
December 6, 1858 | written | 16349 | |
December 19, 1859 | written | 12336 | |
December 3, 1860 | written | 14049 | |
Abraham Lincoln |
average |
6838 | |
December 3, 1861 | written | 6987 | |
December 1, 1862 | written | 8385 | |
December 8, 1863 | written | 6114 | |
December 6, 1864 | written | 5865 | |
Andrew Johnson | average | 9551 | |
December 4, 1865 | written | 9232 | |
December 3, 1866 | written | 7134 | |
December 3, 1867 | written | 12002 | |
December 9, 1868 | written | 9834 | |
Ulysses S. Grant |
average |
8983 | |
December 6, 1869 | written | 7706 | |
December 5, 1870 | written | 8743 | |
December 4, 1871 | written | 6459 | |
December 2, 1872 | written | 10102 | |
December 1, 1873 | written | 10026 | |
December 7, 1874 | written | 9819 | |
December 7, 1875 | written | 12211 | |
December 5, 1876 | written | 6799 | |
Rutherford B. Hayes | average | 10896 | |
December 3, 1877 | written | 10724 | |
December 2, 1878 | written | 7879 | |
December 1, 1879 | written | 11635 | |
December 6, 1880 | written | 13347 | |
James Garfield | no annual messages | ||
Chester Arthur | average | 10219 | |
December 6, 1881 | written | 13321 | |
December 4, 1882 | written | 10274 | |
December 4, 1883 | written | 8363 | |
December 1, 1884 | written | 8917 | |
Grover Cleveland - I |
average |
13440 | |
December 8, 1885 | written | 19960 | |
December 6, 1886 | written | 15285 | |
December 6, 1887 | written | 5290 | |
December 3, 1888 | written | 13226 | |
Benjamin Harrison | average | 13628 | |
December 1, 1889 | written | 13004 | |
December 1, 1890 | written | 11522 | |
December 9, 1891 | written | 16306 | |
December 6, 1892 | written | 13680 | |
Grover Cleveland - II |
average |
14574 | |
December 4, 1893 | written | 12282 | |
December 3, 1894 | written | 15892 | |
December 2, 1895 | written | 14670 | |
December 7, 1896 | written | 15453 | |
William McKinley | average | 18578 | |
December 6, 1897 | written | 12113 | |
December 5, 1898 | written | 20224 | |
December 5, 1899 | written | 22831 | |
December 3, 1900 | written | 19142 | |
Theodore Roosevelt |
average |
19656 | |
December 3, 1901 | written | 19616 | |
December 5, 1902 | written | 9782 | |
December 7, 1903 | written | 14943 | |
December 6, 1904 | written | 17415 | |
December 5, 1905 | written | 25071 | |
December 3, 1906 | written | 23609 | |
December 3, 1907 | written | 27397 | |
December 8, 1908 | written | 19411 | |
William Howard Taft | average | 22614 | |
December 7, 1909 | written | 13901 | |
December 6, 1910 | written | 27651 | |
December 5, 1911 | written | 23744 | |
December 3, 1912 | written | 25161 | |
Woodrow Wilson |
average spoken |
4545 | |
December 2, 1913 | spoken | 3553 | |
December 8, 1914 | spoken | 4537 | |
December 7, 1915 | spoken | 7687 | |
December 5, 1916 | spoken | 2118 | |
December 4, 1917 | spoken | 3913 | |
December 2, 1918 | spoken | 5463 | |
December 2, 1919 | written | 4756 | |
December 7, 1920 | written | 2706 | |
Warren G. Harding | average | 5677 | |
December 6, 1921 | spoken | 5606 | |
December 8, 1922 | spoken | 5748 | |
Calvin Coolidge |
average written |
8992 | |
December 6, 1923 | spoken | 6706 | |
December 3, 1924 | written | 6968 | |
December 8, 1925 | written | 10848 | |
December 7, 1926 | written | 10305 | |
December 6, 1927 | written | 8777 | |
December 4, 1928 | written | 8061 | |
Herbert Hoover | average | 6353 | |
December 3, 1929 | written | 10994 | |
December 5, 1930 | written | 4536 | |
December 8, 1931 | written | 5682 | |
December 6, 1932 | written | 4201 | |
Franklin D. Roosevelt |
average spoken |
3563 | |
January 3, 1934 | spoken | 2230 | |
January 4, 1935 | spoken | 3525 | |
January 3, 1936 | spoken | 3826 | |
January 6, 1937 | spoken | 2732 | |
January 3, 1938 | spoken | 4697 | |
January 4, 1939 | spoken | 3768 | |
January 3, 1940 | spoken | 3196 | |
January 6, 1941 | spoken | 3312 | |
January 6, 1942 | spoken | 3511 | |
January 7, 1943 | spoken | 4588 | |
January 11, 1944 | spoken | 3805 | |
January 6, 1945 | written | 8211 | |
Harry S. Truman | average spoken | 4836 | |
January 21, 1946 | written | 27465 | |
January 6, 1947 | spoken | 6028 | |
January 7, 1948 | spoken | 5094 | |
January 5, 1949 | spoken | 3401 | |
January 4, 1950 | spoken | 5130 | |
January 8, 1951 | spoken | 3994 | |
January 9, 1952 | spoken | 5369 | |
January 7, 1953 | written | 9683 | |
Dwight D. Eisenhower |
average spoken |
5689 | |
February 2, 1953 | spoken | 6973 | |
January 7, 1954 | spoken | 5985 | |
January 6, 1955 | spoken | 7250 | |
January 5, 1956 | written | 8265 | |
January 10, 1957 | spoken | 4137 | |
January 9, 1958 | spoken | 4915 | |
January 9, 1959 | spoken | 4933 | |
January 7, 1960 | spoken | 5633 | |
January 12, 1961 | written | 6210 | |
John F. Kennedy | average | 5771 | |
January 30, 1961 | spoken | 5274 | |
January 11, 1962 | spoken | 6569 | |
January 14, 1963 | spoken | 5470 | |
Lyndon B. Johnson |
average |
4889 | |
January 8, 1964 | spoken | 3168 | |
January 4, 1965 | spoken | 4399 | |
January 12, 1966 | spoken | 5542 | |
January 10, 1967 | spoken | 7195 | |
January 17, 1968 | spoken | 4914 | |
January 14, 1969 | spoken | 4115 | |
Richard Nixon | average spoken | 4521 | |
January 22, 1970 | spoken | 4457 | |
January 22, 1971 | spoken | 4508 | |
January 20, 1972 | spoken | 3976 | |
February 2, 1973 | written | 27147 | |
January 30, 1974 | spoken | 5144 | |
Gerald R. Ford |
average |
4600 | |
January 15, 1975 | spoken | 4126 | |
January 19, 1976 | spoken | 4948 | |
January 12, 1977 | spoken | 4727 | |
Jimmy Carter | average spoken | 3750 | |
January 19, 1978 | spoken | 4580 | |
January 25, 1979 | spoken | 3257 | |
January 21, 1980 | spoken | 3412 | |
January 16, 1981 | written | 33667 | |
Ronald Reagan |
average (ex. 1981) |
4596 | |
1981 NOT a "State of the Union" | February 18, 1981 | spoken | 4446 |
January 26, 1982 | spoken | 5154 | |
January 25, 1983 | spoken | 5554 | |
January 25, 1984 | spoken | 4931 | |
February 6, 1985 | spoken | 4214 | |
February 4, 1986 | spoken | 3514 | |
January 27, 1987 | spoken | 3847 | |
January 25, 1988 | spoken | 4955 | |
George Bush | average (ex. 1989) | 4204 | |
1989 NOT a "State of the Union" | February 9, 1989 | spoken | 4811 |
January 31, 1990 | spoken | 3777 | |
January 29, 1991 | spoken | 3823 | |
January 28, 1992 | spoken | 5012 | |
William J. Clinton |
average (ex. 1993) |
7426 | |
1993 NOT a "State of the Union" | February 17, 1993 | spoken | 7003 |
January 25, 1994 | spoken | 7432 | |
January 24, 1995 | spoken | 9190 | |
January 23, 1996 | spoken | 6317 | |
February 4, 1997 | spoken | 6774 | |
January 27, 1998 | spoken | 7303 | |
January 19, 1999 | spoken | 7514 | |
January 27, 2000 | spoken | 7452 | |
George W. Bush | average (ex. 2001) | 5184 | |
2001 NOT a "State of the Union" | February 27, 2001 | spoken | 4362 |
January 29, 2002 | spoken | 3878 | |
January 28, 2003 | spoken | 5413 | |
January 20, 2004 | spoken | 5229 | |
February 2, 2005 | spoken | 5096 | |
January 31, 2006 | spoken | 5323 | |
January 23, 2007 | spoken | 5590 | |
January 28, 2008 | spoken | 5760 | |
Barack Obama |
average (ex. 2009) |
6824 | |
2009 NOT a "State of the Union" | February 24, 2009 | spoken | 5902 |
January 27, 2010 | spoken | 7304 | |
January 25, 2011 | spoken | 6878 | |
January 24, 2012 | spoken | 7059 | |
February 12, 2013 | spoken | 6775 | |
January 28, 2014 | spoken | 6989 | |
January 20, 2015 | spoken | 6718 | |
January 12, 2016 | spoken | 6044 | |
Donald J. Trump |
average (ex. 2017) |
5690 | |
2017 NOT a "State of the Union" | February 28, 2017 | spoken | 5006 |
January 30, 2018 | spoken | 5839 | |
February 5, 2019 | spoken | 5540 | |
February 4, 2020 | spoken | 6217 |
Citation: Gerhard Peters. "Length of State of the Union Messages and Addresses in Words." The American Presidency Project. Ed. John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters. Santa Barbara, CA: University of California. 1999-2020. Available from the World Wide Web: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/324135/.