Debt vs. Deficit
The debt is accumulated borrowing. A deficit is the amount by which spending exceeds revenue during a particular reporting period. A fiscal surplus occurs when revenue exceeds spending.
Official U.S. Treasury Data
America's Debt, by the Numbers
Financial transparency starts with knowing the facts. These figures are retrieved from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and are labeled with their official reporting dates.
Debt to the Penny
Current U.S. National Debt
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Total Public Debt Outstanding
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As of — · U.S. Treasury Debt to the Penny
Debt Held by the Public
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Held by households, investors, financial institutions, foreign entities and the Federal Reserve.
Intragovernmental Holdings
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Treasury securities held by government accounts, including trust funds.
Change Between Treasury Reports
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Compared with the prior available record.
About “real time”: Treasury updates this dataset after business days. The figures refresh from Treasury's official API; they are not estimated second by second. On weekends and holidays, the latest available official report may be older. Debt differs from the annual budget deficit.
Putting the Debt in Context
Understanding the fiscal challenge
A growing debt balance doesn't by itself measure annual spending, yearly deficits, debt service, or economic performance. Each is a different fiscal concept.
What would it take to balance the budget?
Explore a simple interactive model built from Treasury's latest complete fiscal-year revenue and spending totals.
Open Budget Simulator