The United States government's debt is very high. The interest on the debt has become a significant component of the US budget. The chart below illustrates the growth in the public debt over the years. The figures represent the official historical figures of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
Please note that the dollar amounts are in billions of US Dollars and are not adjusted for inflation. The term "deficit" refers to the annual increase to the overall debt figures illustrated below. The figures in the table represent the end-of-year figures.
By way of example, the total deficit on in 2010 was just over $9,000 billion US Dollars (USD), or $9 trillion USD. When you divide this figure by 309 million, which is approximately the entire population of the United States that year, you are left with over $29,000 USD for every man, woman and child.
| Year | ||
| 1962 | $248.0 |  |
| 1963 | $254.0 | |
| 1964 | $256.8 | |
| 1965 | $260.8 | |
| 1966 | $263.7 | |
| 1967 | $266.6 | |
| 1968 | $289.5 | |
| 1969 | $278.1 | |
| 1970 | $283.2 | |
| 1971 | $303.0 | |
| 1972 | $322.4 | |
| 1973 | $340.9 | |
| 1974 | $343.7 | |
| 1975 | $394.7 | |
| 1976 | $477.4 | |
| 1977 | $549.1 | |
| 1978 | $607.1 | |
| 1979 | $640.3 | |
| 1980 | $711.9 | |
| 1981 | $789.4 | |
| 1982 | $924.6 | |
| 1983 | $1,137.3 | |
| 1984 | $1,307.0 | |
| 1985 | $1,507.3 | |
| 1986 | $1,740.6 | |
| 1987 | $1,889.8 | |
| 1988 | $2,051.6 | |
| 1989 | $2,190.7 | |
| 1990 | $2,411.6 | |
| 1991 | $2,689.0 | |
| 1992 | $2,999.7 | |
| 1993 | $3,248.4 | |
| 1994 | $3,433.1 | |
| 1995 | $3,604.4 | |
| 1996 | $3,734.1 | |
| 1997 | $3,772.3 | |
| 1998 | $3,721.1 | |
| 1999 | $3,632.4 | |
| 2000 | $3,409.8 | |
| 2001 | $3,319.6 | |
| 2002 | $3,540.4 | |
| 2003 | $3,913.4 | |
| 2004 | $4,295.5 | |
| 2005 | $4,592.2 | |
| 2006 | $4,828.9 | |
| 2007 | $5,035.1 | |
| 2008 | $5,803.1 | |
| 2009 | $7,544 | |
| 2010 | $9,023 | |