U.S. Debt Hits $117,279 Per Person as $40 Trillion Total Grows by $5.1 Million a Minute
Updated
Updated · Fortune · Sep 9
U.S. Debt Hits $117,279 Per Person as $40 Trillion Total Grows by $5.1 Million a Minute
2 articles · Updated · Fortune · Sep 9
Summary
$40 trillion in gross U.S. debt now equals $117,279 per person and $297,522 per household, according to the Joint Economic Committee’s latest monthly budget update.
The committee said debt has risen by $2.67 trillion from a year earlier—about $85,111.72 per second, $7.35 billion a day and $5.11 million a minute.
At the average daily growth rate of the past three years, the U.S. would reach $41 trillion by mid-January and add another $1 trillion roughly 151 days later, around June 2027.
Borrowing costs remain elevated: the average interest rate on marketable national debt was 3.475% in August 2026, up from 3.415% a year earlier and 1.458% five years ago.
Debt critics say the burden still reaches households through higher taxes, inflation and loan costs, while debt bulls argue Treasury markets have not yet signaled a debt-driven crisis.