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US national debt tops $40 trillion: These charts offer more context
WGAL • • general
Key Points:
- The U.S. national debt has exceeded $40 trillion, marking nearly a 600% increase since 2000 when it was about $5.8 trillion.
- Divided by the current population, the debt amounts to approximately $116,800 per American.
- The national debt grew by 10.6% from January 2025 when President Trump took office, with the largest dollar increase of $8.45 trillion occurring during President Biden's term, influenced in part by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Federal spending surged about 50% between fiscal years 2019 and 2021 due to pandemic-related measures, contributing to a rising deficit; the last federal surplus was recorded in 2001.
- Debt growth varies by presidency, with Obama seeing the highest percentage increase during his first term amid the 2008 financial crisis, and Trump’s first term seeing a 39.1% rise.
