See which US presidents delivered the longest and shortest State of the Union addresses

Former presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Ronald Reagan gave two of the shortest SOTU address that each lasted just over 40 minutes.

Former Presidents Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Barack Obama delivering State of the Union speeches during each of their terms in the White House.
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President Joe Biden will take the national podium Thursday night to deliver his third State of the Union Address just days after Super Tuesday, where the stage was set for an expected election rematch with former President Donald Trump.

Biden will address Congress and the nation from the House chambers in a speech that will likely include an announcement of a new port in Gaza to allow humanitarian aid to the region. The economy, abortion and his administration's effort to seek the release of Hamas-held hostages are also expected to be among topics in the president's speech.

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So, how long will it take Biden to deliver his speech?

Biden unveiled his "unity agenda" during his first SOTU address that he delivered on March 1, 2022, and lasted one hour, one minute and 50 seconds. Biden delivered his second address last year on Feb. 7, which ran for one hour and thirteen minutes.

Will his third SOTU address be shorter than the first or longer than the second?

Former presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, on average, delivered longer SOTU addresses than other presidents. Trump's speeches averaged more than an hour and 20 minutes in length, while Clinton averaged an hour and 14 minutes, according to UC Santa Barbara's The American Presidency Project.

Meanwhile, addresses given by ex-presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter averaged no longer than 45 minutes.

Here’s a look at the top 10 longest and shortest SOTU addresses given by U.S. presidents within the last 60 years.

The Top 10 Longest SOTU Addresses

PresidentDateLength (in Minutes)
William J. ClintonJanuary 27, 20001:28:49
William J. ClintonJanuary 24, 19951:24:58
Donald J. TrumpFebruary 5, 20191:22:25
Donald J. TrumpJanuary 30, 20181:20:32
William J. ClintonJanuary 19, 19991:18:40
Donald J. TrumpFebruary 4, 20201:18:04
William J. ClintonJanuary 27, 19981:16:43
Joe BidenFebruary 7, 20231:13:00
Lyndon B. JohnsonJanuary 10, 19671:11:16
Barack ObamaJanuary 27, 20101:09:20

The Top 10 Shortest SOTU Addresses

PresidentDateLength (in Minutes)
Richard NixonJanuary 20, 19720:28:55
Ronald ReaganFebruary 4, 19860:31:00~
Jimmy CarterJanuary 21, 19800:32:04
Jimmy CarterJanuary 25, 19790:32:32
Richard NixonJanuary 22, 19710:33:17
Ronald ReaganJanuary 27, 19870:34:39
George BushJanuary 31, 19900:35:43
Richard NixonJanuary 22, 19700:36:40
Ronald ReaganJanuary 26, 19820:40:14
Lyndon B. JohnsonJanuary 8, 19640:40:50
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