GFDEBTNFederal Debt: Total Public Debt — Current Value & Historical Data
Gray bands: NBER recessions·Dashed lines: key policy events
What is Federal Debt: Total Public Debt?
Federal Debt: Total Public Debt measures the total outstanding gross federal debt of the United States, published quarterly by the U.S. Treasury and recorded in FRED from 1966. The series includes both debt held by the public — Treasury securities owned by investors, foreign central banks, and the Federal Reserve — and intragovernmental holdings, primarily Treasury securities held by federal trust funds for Social Security, Medicare, military retirement, and civilian retirement. Gross federal debt crossed $10 trillion in October 2008 during the financial crisis, $20 trillion in September 2017, and $33 trillion in September 2023, a trajectory driven by persistent annual deficits plus the compounding cost of interest. The debt-to-GDP ratio using this measure exceeded 120% in 2024, the highest level since just after World War II.
Current Federal Debt: Total Public Debt Value
As of October 1, 2025, the current federal debt: total public debt is 38514009.00 Millions of Dollars. This is the most recent observation available for this series, updated quarterly, end of period.
Historical Trend
Federal Debt: Total Public Debt rose 2.33% year-over-year. In the series' tracked history, the highest recorded value was 38514009.00 (October 2025), and the lowest was 316097.00 (April 1966).
Methodology & Source
Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury
Frequency: Quarterly, End of Period
Units: Millions of Dollars