Official historical series
U.S. national debt history
One confirmed Treasury observation per year, with the underlying dates and values visible. No unlabeled interpolation and no invented pre-1993 precision.
Source: U.S. Treasury, Debt to the Penny. Each row is the last published record in that calendar year; the current year uses the latest available record.
Year-by-year data
Download JSON| Year | Record date | Total public debt |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 11 September 2026 | $40,046,178,322,793 |
| 2025 | 31 December 2025 | $38,514,009,184,233 |
| 2024 | 31 December 2024 | $36,218,605,311,690 |
| 2023 | 29 December 2023 | $34,001,493,655,565 |
| 2022 | 30 December 2022 | $31,419,689,421,558 |
| 2021 | 31 December 2021 | $29,617,214,856,052 |
| 2020 | 31 December 2020 | $27,747,797,947,668 |
| 2019 | 31 December 2019 | $23,201,380,134,807 |
| 2018 | 31 December 2018 | $21,974,095,705,791 |
| 2017 | 29 December 2017 | $20,492,746,546,194 |
| 2016 | 30 December 2016 | $19,976,826,951,048 |
| 2015 | 31 December 2015 | $18,922,179,009,421 |
| 2014 | 31 December 2014 | $18,141,444,135,563 |
| 2013 | 31 December 2013 | $17,351,970,784,950 |
| 2012 | 31 December 2012 | $16,432,730,050,569 |
| 2011 | 30 December 2011 | $15,222,940,045,451 |
| 2010 | 31 December 2010 | $14,025,215,218,709 |
| 2009 | 31 December 2009 | $12,311,349,677,512 |
| 2008 | 31 December 2008 | $10,699,804,864,612 |
| 2007 | 31 December 2007 | $9,229,172,659,218 |
| 2006 | 29 December 2006 | $8,680,224,380,086 |
| 2005 | 30 December 2005 | $8,170,424,541,314 |
| 2004 | 31 December 2004 | $7,596,142,802,424 |
| 2003 | 31 December 2003 | $6,997,964,247,818 |
| 2002 | 31 December 2002 | $6,405,707,456,848 |
| 2001 | 31 December 2001 | $5,943,438,563,436 |
| 2000 | 29 December 2000 | $5,662,216,013,697 |
| 1999 | 31 December 1999 | $5,776,091,314,225 |
| 1998 | 31 December 1998 | $5,614,217,021,196 |
| 1997 | 31 December 1997 | $5,502,388,012,376 |
| 1996 | 31 December 1996 | $5,323,171,750,783 |
| 1995 | 29 December 1995 | $4,988,664,979,015 |
| 1994 | 30 December 1994 | $4,800,149,946,144 |
| 1993 | 31 December 1993 | $4,535,687,054,406 |
How to read the history
National debt is a stock: the accumulated amount outstanding on a date. A federal deficit is a flow: the gap between spending and revenue during a period. They are related, but accounting adjustments mean annual deficit figures do not map one-for-one onto daily debt changes.
Attribution caution: placing debt changes under presidential terms is useful chronology, not proof of sole responsibility. Congress authorizes spending and taxes, and major policies persist across administrations.
History questions
How far back does the daily Treasury dataset go?
The current Debt to the Penny API series begins on April 1, 1993. This page uses the last available Treasury publication in each calendar year from that series.
Are these values adjusted for inflation?
No. They are nominal dollar totals exactly as published. Inflation-adjusted comparisons answer a different question and should be labelled separately.
Does a president control the national debt?
No. Debt changes reflect legislation, economic conditions, inherited commitments, emergencies and joint decisions by Congress and the executive branch.