The latest reading, $40.39 trillion for 15 Oct 2026, was up $0.06 trillion from the previous day, the highest in the 3 years shown. A year earlier it was $37.98 trillion.
Projection
gov.house's statistical projection for this series, with the range that has contained about 80% of outcomes in our backtests. In those backtests it was 64% more accurate than assuming no change.
| Horizon | Period | Total public debt outstanding | 80% range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks | 12 NOV 2026 | 40.55 | 40.35 to 40.75 |
| 13 weeks | 14 JAN 2027 | 40.89 | 40.50 to 41.27 |
| 26 weeks | 15 APR 2027 | 41.33 | 40.76 to 41.91 |
Backtest: 62 rolling forecast origins. Average miss at 26 weeks: 0.336 (no-change: 1.165).
A statistical projection, not a prediction of policy and not investment advice. How the projections work.
About this data
Total public debt outstanding of the US government, from the Treasury's Debt to the Penny dataset. It includes debt held by the public and intragovernmental holdings.
What it measures
Everything the federal government owes, updated every business day: debt held by investors at home and abroad (including the Fed) plus debt the government owes to its own trust funds, such as Social Security.
Why it matters
Almost all of it counts against the statutory debt limit, so this is the figure that matters when Congress negotiates over the ceiling. Debt held by the public is the measure economists use to judge the burden on the economy.
gov.house refreshes this page automatically from the official source twice a day. Figures are shown as published; recent values can be revised by the source agency.
Latest values
| Date | Total public debt outstanding |
|---|---|
| 15 OCT 2026 | 40.39 |
| 14 OCT 2026 | 40.33 |
| 13 OCT 2026 | 40.34 |
| 09 OCT 2026 | 40.30 |
| 08 OCT 2026 | 40.31 |
| 07 OCT 2026 | 40.28 |
| 06 OCT 2026 | 40.27 |
| 05 OCT 2026 | 40.25 |
| 02 OCT 2026 | 40.24 |
| 01 OCT 2026 | 40.26 |
| 30 SEP 2026 | 40.17 |
| 29 SEP 2026 | 40.10 |