Origin: U.S. National Debt Surpasses $38 Trillion
U.S. gross national debt reached $38,019,813,354,700.26 as of Oct. 21. The $37 trillion mark was hit in August. Adding $1 trillion in roughly two months is the fastest pace outside the pandemic period.
The milestone came during a partial federal shutdown that began Oct. 1. About 750,000 federal workers are furloughed, with roughly $400 million in salary costs accruing each day the government is closed. Past shutdowns also added restart and productivity costs, including about $2 billion in lost worker productivity in 2013.
The ledger has accelerated over the past two years: $34 trillion in January 2024, $35 trillion in July 2024, $36 trillion in November 2024, $37 trillion in August 2025, and now $38 trillion in October. Over the past year, the total has risen at about $69,714 per second.
Synthesized from 19 sources
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AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources
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