
The United States has a staggering debt, and it's essential to understand the numbers behind it. The total national debt of the United States is over $31 trillion.
This figure is a result of the country's spending habits and the interest that accrues on that debt. As of 2022, the national debt is equivalent to over $95,000 per household.
The national debt has been increasing steadily over the years, with some fluctuations. In 2010, the national debt was around $13 trillion.
What Is the Deficit?
The United States has a significant debt problem, and understanding what a deficit is a crucial part of grasping this issue.
The primary deficit is the difference between government revenues and spending, excluding interest payments.
To put it simply, the government takes in money through taxes and other sources, but it also spends a lot on various programs and services.
The primary deficit is a key factor in the country's overall debt, and it's essential to consider it when evaluating the nation's financial health.
History
The United States has a long history of borrowing money to fund its activities, with the first federal debt dating back to 1790 when the country borrowed $54 million to pay off its Revolutionary War debt.
The national debt has been a persistent issue, with the country's total debt increasing to $83 billion by 1860, largely due to the costs of the Civil War.
The early 20th century saw significant growth in government spending and borrowing, with the national debt reaching $45 billion by 1945, primarily due to World War II expenses.
The 1980s saw a significant increase in national debt, with the country's total debt rising to over $2 trillion by the end of the decade, largely due to tax cuts and increased government spending under President Ronald Reagan.
Since then, the national debt has continued to grow, with the country's total debt reaching $22 trillion by 2020, a staggering increase of over 1,000% since the 1980s.
Government Debt
The United States has a staggering amount of debt, with a total of $26.51 trillion as of July 20, 2020. This includes $20.57 trillion held by the public and $5.94 trillion in intragovernmental holdings.
The national debt can be broken down into marketable and non-marketable securities. Most of the marketable securities are Treasury notes, bills, and bonds held by investors and governments globally.
The non-marketable securities, on the other hand, are mainly owed to certain government trust funds such as the Social Security Trust Fund, which represented $2.82 trillion in 2017.
Government Accounts
The government accounts are a crucial part of understanding the national debt. As of July 20, 2020, debt held by the public was $20.57 trillion, and intragovernmental holdings were $5.94 trillion, for a total of $26.51 trillion.
The government accounts can be classified into marketable or non-marketable securities. Most of the marketable securities are Treasury notes, bills, and bonds held by investors and governments globally.
The non-marketable securities are mainly the "government account series" owed to certain government trust funds such as the Social Security Trust Fund. This fund represented $2.82 trillion in 2017, and is expected to be around $3.45 trillion in 2023.
The non-marketable securities represent amounts owed to program beneficiaries, such as Social Security recipients. If the government continues to run deficits in other parts of the budget, it will have to issue debt held by the public to fund the Social Security Trust Fund.
The Federal Housing Administration, the Federal Savings and Loan Corporation's Resolution Fund, and the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund (Medicare) are also large intragovernmental holders.
Ceiling
The debt ceiling is a legislative constraint on the amount of national debt that can be incurred by the U.S. Treasury.
It limits how much money the federal government may pay on the debt it already has by borrowing even more money.
The debt ceiling applies to almost all federal debt, including accounts owned by the public and intra-government funds for Medicare and Social Security.
This means the government has to be careful not to borrow too much money, or it could face financial difficulties.
Methodology
To calculate the total debt of the United States, we need to consider various sources of debt, including government debt, corporate debt, and household debt.
The government debt, also known as public debt, is the most significant component of the total debt. According to the article, the total public debt of the United States is over $28 trillion.
This staggering number is comprised of debt from various government accounts, including the Social Security trust fund, Medicare trust fund, and the general fund. The Social Security trust fund alone has a deficit of over $13 trillion.
To put this into perspective, $28 trillion is equivalent to approximately $85,000 per American citizen.
The Methodology
The Debt Clock is updated daily based on the total debt outstanding reported by the U.S. Treasury Department.
Our formula uses the debt projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which are updated 2-3 times per year, to estimate the rate at which the debt is currently growing.

The total debt outstanding is calculated by adding debt held by the public to debt held by federal trust funds and other government accounts.
Debt per person is calculated by dividing the total debt outstanding by the population of the United States, as published by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The $36 trillion gross federal debt is the sum of debt held by the public and debt held by federal trust funds and other government accounts.
Valuation and Measurement
The Debt Clock is calculated daily based on the U.S. Treasury Department's report of the total debt outstanding as of the previous business day.
Our debt clocks are updated daily with this number, and a formula that uses the Congressional Budget Office's debt projections is also applied to estimate the rate at which the debt is growing.
The Congressional Budget Office updates these projections 2-3 times per year.
Debt per person is calculated by dividing the total debt outstanding by the population of the United States, as published by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The total national debt is $36 trillion and growing.
The gross federal debt equals debt held by the public plus debt held by federal trust funds and other government accounts.
The debt-to-GDP ratio is one measure of the debt burden, calculated by dividing the debt by the GDP amount.
The debt-to-GDP ratio can decrease even while debt grows if the rate of increase in GDP is higher than the rate of increase of debt.
Conversely, the debt-to-GDP ratio can increase even while debt is being reduced, if the decline in GDP is sufficient.
As of April 2016, the U.S. debt to GDP ratio was 76.2%, measured using "debt held by the public".
The ratio is higher if the total national debt is used, by adding the "intragovernmental debt" to the "debt held by the public".
For example, on April 29, 2016, debt held by the public was approximately $13.84 trillion, or about 76% of GDP.
Raising Reserve Requirements
Raising reserve requirements can be a powerful tool in managing the money supply. Economists at the Paris School of Economics have noted that it's already the status quo for coinage currency.
Raising reserve requirements means that banks are required to hold a larger portion of their deposits in reserve, rather than lending them out. This can help to reduce the money supply and prevent inflation.
The Chicago Plan Revisited, a working paper by Jaromir Benes and Michael Kumhof, suggests that raising reserve requirements and converting to full-reserve banking could eliminate debt. This is because no real liability is created by new fiat money creation.
Countries such as China, Hong Kong, India, and Singapore have already implemented reserve requirements, but the specifics of these requirements vary widely.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money is the United States worth?
The United States has a net worth of at least $123.8 trillion, making it one of the wealthiest countries in the world. This staggering figure represents a significant portion of the global economy, with assets exceeding debts by a substantial margin.
Sources
- https://www.crfb.org/press-releases/national-debt-reaches-33-trillion-adds-1-trillion-debt-3-months
- https://www.pgpf.org/national-debt-clock/
- https://www.pgpf.org/article/the-national-debt-is-now-more-than-36-trillion-what-does-that-mean/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_of_the_United_States
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/14/facts-about-the-us-national-debt/
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