U.S. economy statistics to remember for the presidential debate.

• The first live presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will likely center on the U.S. economy.
• National polling consistently shows that the high cost of living is a top priority for voters, and both Harris and Trump have recently presented new economic plans before the election.
• CNBC's economic numbers guide helps viewers evaluate candidates' statements on inflation, job market, federal spending, and GDP.

On Tuesday night in Philadelphia, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will come prepared with a collection of arguments regarding the U.S. economy for their debate.

In the weeks leading up to their upcoming debate, both Harris and Trump have released new economic plans and attempted to portray their opponent as a danger to the U.S. economy's well-being and stability.

Remember these important figures as you attempt to present the economy in a positive light on Tuesday.

Inflation and prices

• The Consumer Price Index in January 2021 at the start of the Biden-Harris administration. President Joe Biden has repeatedly claimed that he inherited a 9% inflation rate from Trump, which is false.
• 9.1%: The CPI in June 2022 was the highest post-pandemic inflation surge under Biden and the highest rate since 1981. Despite Trump's repeated claims, this is not the highest inflation rate in U.S. history.
• The most recent annual CPI reading in July of this year is 2.9%, which is the lowest 12-month inflation rate since March 2021. The next CPI report will be released on Wednesday.
• Since Biden and Harris took office, the cumulative increase in prices has been 19.4%, according to a CNBC analysis of CPI data. Trump has falsely claimed that cumulative prices have soared more than 50% since Jan. 2021.
• Over the four years of Trump's presidency, the cumulative increase in prices, as calculated by CNBC using CPI data, was 7.8%.

Jobs and wages

• The unemployment rate in April 2020 reached its highest point during the Trump administration, with employers losing jobs due to Covid-19. This was also the highest monthly rate recorded by the BLS since they began tracking unemployment in 1948.

• The unemployment rate in January 2021, when Biden and Harris assumed office, was the highest monthly rate of their administration to date.

• Since Biden took office, the average hourly wage increase has been 17.6%, according to a CNBC analysis of BLS data. However, Biden claims that wage growth outpaced inflation during his presidency, which is not true since prices have cumulatively increased by 19.4%.

• According to BLS data, the Biden-Harris administration has created 15.9 million jobs so far.
• During the Trump administration, 2.7 million jobs were lost, mainly due to the economic recession caused by the pandemic.

• From January 2017 to February 2020, the U.S. job market experienced a growth of 6.7 million jobs, before being adversely affected by the pandemic.

Deficits, spending and debt

• The estimated net total spending by the Trump administration is $8.4 trillion, according to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. This figure represents the amount Trump approved in gross ten-year borrowing, minus the amount he approved in deficit reduction. If Covid-19 stimulus and relief packages are removed from the total, that number drops to $4.8 trillion.

• The CRFB estimates that Biden's net total spending during his first three years and five months in office, including the American Rescue Plan, is $4.3 trillion. Without the American Rescue Plan, the net total falls to $2.2 trillion.

• According to a CNBC analysis, the U.S. national debt increased by 39.1% from Trump's inauguration to the day of Biden's inauguration, as per figures from the Congressional Research Service.

• According to a CNBC analysis of Treasury data, the U.S. national debt has increased by 30.6% since Biden's inauguration day until this month.

GDP

• During Trump's first three years in office, the U.S. experienced an average annual growth rate of 2.7% in GDP, which measures the value of the country's goods and services. This data was obtained from the World Bank and covers the years 2017 to 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic caused an economic crash.

• The average U.S. annual GDP growth rate from 2021 to 2023, during the first three years of the Biden-Harris administration, was 3.4%. This growth rate was largely due to a strong 2021, which was fueled in part by the numerous pandemic-era stimulus packages passed by both Trump and Biden.

Stock market

• The average return of the stock from 2021 to 2023, during the first three years of the Biden-Harris administration, was 12.3%, according to Berkshire Hathaway's figures.

• The S&P 500's average return during the first three years of the Trump presidency from 2017 to 2019 was 16.3%.