The US national debt
The Treasury's figure for September 28, 2026, published each business day. Also the average interest rate the government pays on it, and the auctions that finance it.
In short
Total US public debt outstanding was $40.10 trillion on September 28, 2026, the Treasury's latest daily figure.
That is −$1.9 billion (−0.00%) in 30 days, and +$2.60 trillion (+6.9%) in a year.
$32.39 trillion of it is held by the public and $7.72 trillion inside the government.
The average interest rate on the Treasury's marketable debt was 3.475% for August 2026, +0.06 points on the year.
Treasury auctions
| Date | Security | Offered | Yield | Bid-to-cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 1, 2026 | 4-Week Bill | $100B | Scheduled | — |
| October 1, 2026 | 8-Week Bill | $95B | Scheduled | — |
| September 30, 2026 | 17-Week Bill | $75B | 4.230% | 2.89× |
| September 29, 2026 | 52-Week Bill | $54B | 4.616% | 3.07× |
| September 29, 2026 | 6-Week Bill | $85B | 4.044% | 2.82× |
| September 28, 2026 | 26-Week Bill | $82B | 4.441% | 2.64× |
| September 28, 2026 | 13-Week Bill | $95B | 4.211% | 2.99× |
| September 24, 2026 | 7-Year Note | $44B | 5.085% | 2.42× |
| September 24, 2026 | 8-Week Bill | $85B | 4.071% | 2.76× |
| September 24, 2026 | 4-Week Bill | $90B | 3.915% | 2.61× |
A bill's yield is its investment rate. Bid-to-cover: dollars bid for each dollar sold.
What the figures mean
The Treasury publishes the total public debt outstanding every business day, in its Debt to the Penny data set. Debt held by the public is what the government owes to investors, companies, the Federal Reserve and foreign governments; intragovernmental holdings are what it owes to its own trust funds, such as Social Security's.
The average interest rate is the Treasury's figure for all its marketable securities — bills, notes, bonds, TIPS and floating-rate notes — weighted by amount. As older, cheaper debt matures and is refinanced at today's rates, the average moves towards them, slowly.
The debt is financed at auctions: the Treasury announces each one, investors bid, and the result sets the yield. The bid-to-cover ratio is how many dollars were bid for each dollar sold.
Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Fiscal Data (fiscaldata.treasury.gov). Data sets: Debt to the Penny, Average Interest Rates on U.S. Treasury Securities, Treasury Securities Auctions Data.
More on the economy
Questions
How much is the US national debt today?
$40.10 trillion on September 28, 2026, the Treasury's latest daily figure for total public debt outstanding.
How fast is the national debt growing?
By $2.60 trillion over the past year, 6.9%; by −$1.9 billion in the past 30 days.
What is the difference between debt held by the public and intragovernmental debt?
Debt held by the public is owed to investors, companies, the Federal Reserve and foreign governments. Intragovernmental holdings are owed by the Treasury to other parts of the government, mostly trust funds such as Social Security's.
What interest rate does the US pay on its debt?
On average 3.475% on its marketable securities, as of August 31, 2026. The average moves slowly, as old debt is refinanced at current rates.
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