Total public debt outstanding

$40.2T

Gross federal debt, including intragovernmental holdings
as of Aug 31, 2026 · Treasury (Daily Treasury Statement)
retrieved Sep 2, 2026, 12:36 a.m. ET

$40,175,641,071,634

Estimated now, extrapolated from the published figure at the average rate of the last twelve months — about $8.0 billion a day. These digits are a projection, not a Treasury reading.

Published figure $40,175,641,071,634 as of Aug 31, 2026 · Treasury (Daily Treasury Statement) · retrieved Sep 2, 2026, 12:36 a.m. ET

Clock after the one at govspending.org, a sibling publication in our network.

Total public debt, Sep 2, 2015 – Aug 31, 2026. Values as published; retrieved Sep 2, 2026, 12:36 a.m. ET. Source: Treasury (Daily Treasury Statement), FRED series GFDEBTN.

1 year ago

$37.3T

5-year avg

$34.1T

Cycle peak

$40.2T

What this series shows

This series is the gross figure: everything the federal government owes, including the balances it owes its own trust funds. It is the measure the statutory debt limit is written against.

It is not the same as debt held by the public, which excludes intragovernmental holdings and is the more relevant figure for questions about federal borrowing in financial markets. When comparing a number here against one quoted elsewhere, check which of the two is meant — the gap between them is measured in trillions.