US national debt tops $40 trillion: These charts offer more context - WGAL

The U.S. national debt has now surpassed the $40 trillion benchmark, new data from the Treasury Department shows. The four charts below give context to the nation's debt issues. A wider look at how the debt has grown U.S. national debt has grown nearly 600% since the turn of the century. In 2000, it was about $5.8 trillion compared to $40.05 trillion as of the close of business on Tuesday. Divided evenly across the current U.S. population, national debt is at about $116,800 per American. Debt by president The U.S. had about $36.2 trillion in debt when President Donald Trump assumed office in January 2025. From then to now, the national debt has grown by 10.6%. Among recent presidents, Barack Obama had the greatest percent increase in national debt from when he assumed office to the end of his first term.