U.S. Public Debt Falls $20.4 Billion to $40.09 Trillion
Total public debt outstanding declined to $40.094 trillion on September 16, 2026. The drop represents a $20.365 billion reduction from the previous day's record level.
U.S. total public debt outstanding stood at 40,094,080,427,791 dollars on September 16, 2026. This figure marks a decrease of 20,365,263,376 dollars from the prior day. The data comes from the U.S. Treasury FiscalData Debt to the Penny dataset.
Debt held by the public accounted for 32,406,353,922,774 dollars of the total. Intragovernmental holdings made up the remaining 7,687,726,505,017 dollars. Both components fall within fiscal year 2026, quarter 4.
Daily fluctuations show narrow range
On September 15, the total debt was 40,114,445,691,167 dollars. This included 32,406,391,951,586 dollars held by the public. Intragovernmental holdings reached 7,708,053,739,581 dollars on that date.
The September 14 reading showed a total of 40,054,421,967,787 dollars. Public debt stood at 32,358,452,350,575 dollars. Intragovernmental holdings were 7,695,969,617,212 dollars.
Monthly trends indicate steady movement
Earlier in September, the total ranged between 40,046,178,322,793 dollars and 40,117,045,127,073 dollars. The September 1 reading was 40,112,464,593,206 dollars. The September 11 figure was 40,046,178,322,793 dollars.
August data showed totals fluctuating between 39,739,223,157,131 dollars and 40,175,641,071,634 dollars. The August 31 total was 40,175,641,071,634 dollars. The August 3 total was 39,739,223,157,131 dollars.
Quarterly baseline sets context for debt
At the end of fiscal quarter 3, total debt was 39,462,398,380,774 dollars. This included 31,681,308,373,695 dollars held by the public. Intragovernmental holdings were 7,781,090,007,079 dollars.
The June 30 figure was 39,462,398,380,774 dollars. The June 29 figure was 39,345,340,787,970 dollars. The June 25 figure was 39,311,022,730,162 dollars. These figures provide the baseline for current quarterly changes.
