U.S. NATIONAL DEBT / A FISCAL SNAPSHOT
A mountain of debt.
A clearer perspective.
Explore U.S. national debt by president,
over time, and per capita.
$40,073,558,531,202 in total federal debt
TREASURY OBSERVATION / SEP 23, 2026
Debt ÷ 341.8 million residents
Uses the July 1, 2025 population estimate.
A measure of scale, not a personal bill.
Saved Treasury snapshot · Sep 23, 2026. Inflation reference: August 2026 dollars.
Historical amounts in the same purchasing power.
01 / THE BIG PICTURE
The climb over time
Move across the chart to inspect a date. On a keyboard, focus the chart and use the arrow keys.
Held by investors, the Federal Reserve, and others outside federal government accounts.
Held by federal government accounts, including Social Security trust funds.
Two components. One total.
02 / BY PRESIDENT
National debt by president.
A common dollar.
All 45 presidents, with nonconsecutive terms combined. Each change in debt is converted into the same purchasing power before being summed. Debt reflects decisions by presidents and Congress, inherited policy, and economic conditions.
Donald Trump2017–2021 + 2025–present+$14.19T+$2.50T/year
Combined periods: +$10.22T +$3.97T = +$14.19T in August 2026 dollars. Years out of office are excluded. Totals use unrounded values.
Jan 20, 2017 – Jan 20, 2021
Jan 20, 2025 – present
Covered time: 5.67 years.
Barack Obama2009–2017+$13.79T+$1.72T/year
Jan 20, 2009 – Jan 20, 2017
Covered time: 8.00 years.
Joe Biden2021–2025+$9.56T+$2.39T/year
Jan 20, 2021 – Jan 20, 2025
Covered time: 4.00 years.
George W. Bush2001–2009+$8.30T+$1.04T/year
Jan 20, 2001 – Jan 20, 2009
Covered time: 8.00 years.
Ronald Reagan †1981–1989 · estimated+$5.50T+$687.38B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Jan 20, 1981 – Jan 20, 1989
Covered time: 8.00 years.
Franklin D. Roosevelt †1933–1945 · estimated+$4.54T+$375.25B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1933 – Apr 12, 1945
Covered time: 12.11 years.
George H. W. Bush †1989–1993 · estimated+$3.72T+$930.78B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Jan 20, 1989 – Jan 20, 1993
Covered time: 4.00 years.
Bill Clinton †1993–2001 · estimated+$3.42T+$427.67B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Jan 20, 1993 – Jan 20, 2001
Covered time: 8.00 years.
Jimmy Carter †1977–1981 · estimated+$1.33T+$333.44B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Jan 20, 1977 – Jan 20, 1981
Covered time: 4.00 years.
Gerald Ford †1974–1977 · estimated+$1.07T+$435.90B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Aug 9, 1974 – Jan 20, 1977
Covered time: 2.45 years.
Richard Nixon †1969–1974 · estimated+$1.05T+$189.04B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Jan 20, 1969 – Aug 9, 1974
Covered time: 5.55 years.
Woodrow Wilson †1913–1921 · estimated+$516.62B+$64.58B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1913 – Mar 4, 1921
Covered time: 8.00 years.
Lyndon B. Johnson †1963–1969 · estimated+$432.43B+$83.75B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Nov 22, 1963 – Jan 20, 1969
Covered time: 5.16 years.
Harry S. Truman †1945–1953 · estimated+$299.43B+$38.51B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Apr 12, 1945 – Jan 20, 1953
Covered time: 7.78 years.
Dwight D. Eisenhower †1953–1961 · estimated+$295.05B+$36.88B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Jan 20, 1953 – Jan 20, 1961
Covered time: 8.00 years.
John F. Kennedy †1961–1963 · estimated+$225.46B+$79.49B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Jan 20, 1961 – Nov 22, 1963
Covered time: 2.84 years.
Herbert Hoover †1929–1933 · estimated+$107.70B+$26.93B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1929 – Mar 4, 1933
Covered time: 4.00 years.
Abraham Lincoln †1861–1865 · estimated+$66.80B+$16.23B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1861 – Apr 15, 1865
Covered time: 4.11 years.
Theodore Roosevelt †1901–1909 · estimated+$18.62B+$2.49B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Sep 14, 1901 – Mar 4, 1909
Covered time: 7.47 years.
William McKinley †1897–1901 · estimated+$14.30B+$3.16B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1897 – Sep 14, 1901
Covered time: 4.53 years.
William Howard Taft †1909–1913 · estimated+$9.60B+$2.40B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1909 – Mar 4, 1913
Covered time: 4.00 years.
James Buchanan †1857–1861 · estimated+$2.16B+$540.19M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1857 – Mar 4, 1861
Covered time: 4.00 years.
Grover Cleveland †1885–1889 + 1893–1897 · estimated+$2.16B+$269.60M/year
Combined periods: −$7.67B +$9.83B = +$2.16B in August 2026 dollars. Years out of office are excluded. Totals use unrounded values.
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1885 – Mar 4, 1889
Mar 4, 1893 – Mar 4, 1897
Covered time: 8.00 years.
Andrew Johnson †1865–1869 · estimated+$1.75B+$449.59M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Apr 15, 1865 – Mar 4, 1869
Covered time: 3.89 years.
James K. Polk †1845–1849 · estimated+$1.71B+$428.64M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1845 – Mar 4, 1849
Covered time: 4.00 years.
James Madison †1809–1817 · estimated+$1.32B+$165.00M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1809 – Mar 4, 1817
Covered time: 8.00 years.
John Tyler †1841–1845 · estimated+$447.00M+$114.17M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Apr 4, 1841 – Mar 4, 1845
Covered time: 3.92 years.
George Washington †1789–1797 · partial record · estimated+$375.63M+$52.39M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Apr 30, 1789 – Mar 4, 1797 · data begin Jan 1, 1790
Covered time: 7.17 years.
Zachary Taylor †1849–1850 · estimated+$258.26M+$191.73M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1849 – Jul 9, 1850
Covered time: 1.35 years.
Martin Van Buren †1837–1841 · estimated+$222.15M+$55.54M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1837 – Mar 4, 1841
Covered time: 4.00 years.
John Adams †1797–1801 · estimated+$32.33M+$8.09M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1797 – Mar 4, 1801
Covered time: 4.00 years.
William Henry Harrison †1841–1841 · estimated+$28.06M+$330.60M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1841 – Apr 4, 1841
Covered time: 0.08 years.
Millard Fillmore †1850–1853 · estimated−$75.17M−$28.34M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Jul 9, 1850 – Mar 4, 1853
Covered time: 2.65 years.
Thomas Jefferson †1801–1809 · estimated−$746.38M−$93.30M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1801 – Mar 4, 1809
Covered time: 8.00 years.
John Quincy Adams †1825–1829 · estimated−$943.91M−$235.98M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1825 – Mar 4, 1829
Covered time: 4.00 years.
James Monroe †1817–1825 · estimated−$1.04B−$129.88M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1817 – Mar 4, 1825
Covered time: 8.00 years.
Franklin Pierce †1853–1857 · estimated−$1.35B−$338.17M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1853 – Mar 4, 1857
Covered time: 4.00 years.
James A. Garfield †1881–1881 · estimated−$1.68B−$3.09B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1881 – Sep 19, 1881
Covered time: 0.54 years.
Andrew Jackson †1829–1837 · estimated−$2.20B−$275.23M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1829 – Mar 4, 1837
Covered time: 8.00 years.
Benjamin Harrison †1889–1893 · estimated−$3.14B−$785.38M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1889 – Mar 4, 1893
Covered time: 4.00 years.
Rutherford B. Hayes †1877–1881 · estimated−$3.79B−$947.51M/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1877 – Mar 4, 1881
Covered time: 4.00 years.
Chester A. Arthur †1881–1885 · estimated−$6.22B−$1.80B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Sep 19, 1881 – Mar 4, 1885
Covered time: 3.46 years.
Ulysses S. Grant †1869–1877 · estimated−$11.04B−$1.38B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1869 – Mar 4, 1877
Covered time: 8.00 years.
Warren G. Harding †1921–1923 · estimated−$45.69B−$18.94B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Mar 4, 1921 – Aug 2, 1923
Covered time: 2.41 years.
Calvin Coolidge †1923–1929 · estimated−$98.59B−$17.64B/year
† Contains estimates between annual Treasury observations. These are approximate allocations over time, not observed borrowing on individual dates.
Aug 2, 1923 – Mar 4, 1929
Covered time: 5.59 years.
Negative values mean net debt reduction in the selected dollar basis during the covered period. † Annual-data estimates assume debt changed evenly between observations; short presidencies are especially uncertain. Totals describe timing, not sole responsibility.
03 / BEHIND THE NUMBERS
Facts need footnotes.
Open sources. Visible dates.
No simulated ticking debt clock.
How are amounts converted to current dollars?
Default comparisons use August 2026 purchasing power, the latest verified CPI month here (CPI-U: 334.980). Each increase or decrease in nominal debt is multiplied by the reference CPI divided by the CPI for the time of that change, then summed. This measures net debt additions in comparable dollars; it does not count inflation’s erosion of inherited debt as debt repayment.
Historical conversions use annual CPI from Lawrence H. Officer and Samuel H. Williamson, MeasuringWorth, 1790–2025. Current-year changes use BLS monthly CPI-U through August 2026. September 2026 uses August’s index until a newer index is incorporated. Early CPI figures are historical reconstructions, not modern national surveys.
The history chart converts each outstanding-debt balance into August 2026 dollars. Presidential totals instead add inflation-adjusted debt changes; these are different measures. Inflation adjustment does not account for population, GDP, congressional control, or the circumstances each president faced.
How are all presidents included?
Treasury’s Historical Debt Outstanding provides annual balances starting January 1, 1790. We join it to the daily Debt to the Penny series, starting April 1, 1993. Treasury’s reporting dates changed as the fiscal calendar changed; we use the recorded dates.
Before April 1993, balances between annual observations are estimated by a straight line. This permits consistent allocation across years and changes of president, but is not a record of when borrowing actually occurred. Every affected president is marked †. Small differences, especially for short presidencies, should not be treated as precise rankings.
Washington is measured only from January 1, 1790. The initial $71.1 million balance is inherited debt, not counted as a new addition. Earlier Revolutionary and Confederation-era borrowing is outside this series. All 45 individual presidents appear; Cleveland’s and Trump’s nonconsecutive periods are summed without including intervening presidents.
From April 1993 onward, presidential endpoints use the latest Treasury observation on or before the change in office. Presidential service chronology follows the historical record; constitutional accession dates are used when an oath ceremony occurred later.
What do the portrait sizes mean?
The six portraits show the presidents with the largest total inflation-adjusted debt increases in this snapshot. The area of each square portrait tile is proportional to its displayed value. Width and height are each proportional to the square root of that value, so twice the amount gets twice the area. Portraits always show total debt change and resize when you change dollar basis. Annual averages appear separately in the table.
Generated granite portraits are conceptual artwork. The website calculates their sizes from the data. No minimum-size boost is applied. The complete list includes all presidents, including those who reduced debt.
How does the annual-average comparison work?
The annual average divides the summed debt change by the actual days in the covered periods / 365.25. Nonconsecutive periods are combined; time out of office is excluded. Washington’s denominator starts with the available data in 1790. The current presidency runs only through the latest displayed debt observation. Annual averages are not forecasts.
What counts as federal debt?
Total public debt outstanding includes debt held by the public and intragovernmental holdings. It is an outstanding balance, not the annual budget deficit. The headline shows the latest reported nominal balance; the historical chart and president comparisons follow your selected dollar basis.
How is debt per resident calculated?
Latest nominal debt divided by 341,784,857, the Census Bureau’s July 1, 2025 U.S. resident population estimate. This combines the displayed debt date with a fixed population reference date. It includes residents of all ages and is a measure of scale, not a personal tax bill.
How fresh are these numbers?
The saved daily snapshot ends Sep 23, 2026. The currently displayed debt series ends Sep 23, 2026. Inflation reference: August 2026. Source: U.S. Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service; MeasuringWorth; BLS.
The page attempts to retrieve newer Treasury daily observations on opening, keeping the saved data if that fails. The inflation reference is fixed at August 2026; it is not a live inflation feed. Newer debt uses the latest stored CPI until the inflation data is updated. Annual debt and historical price data were retrieved September 24, 2026.