Sources
Every figure we publish and exactly where it comes from. All of it is free, public data. Population, taxpayer and GDP baselines are maintained by hand on the review schedule noted below; the debt figure itself updates automatically each day.
| Figure | Source | Cadence | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total public debt outstanding (the clock) | U.S. Treasury — Debt to the Penny | Each business day | 17 July 2026 |
| Resident population (debt per citizen) | U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 National Population Estimates | Annual / quarterly | 1 July 2025 |
| Taxable returns (debt per taxpayer) | IRS Statistics of Income, Individual Income Tax Returns | Annual | 2022 |
| Nominal GDP (debt-to-GDP) | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, GDP (third estimate), nominal SAAR | Quarterly | 2026-Q1 |
| Interest on the debt (interest per day) | U.S. Treasury, Interest Expense on the Debt Outstanding (FY2025); GAO Schedules of Federal Debt | Monthly / annual | FY2025 |
For the calculations behind these figures, see methodology.