Chart assignment
Charts to read and discuss
Read each chart, then answer its questions. Every chart shows its source and date; open it for a table of the numbers and the data to download.
Chart 1 of 1 · Federal budget
How much does the US government pay in interest each year?
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are on the chart's page.
The government spent $1.36 trillion on interest in fiscal 2026, 3.3 times the $414 billion of 2010, as both the debt and interest rates rose. This counts interest on all federal debt, including debt held by trust funds such as Social Security, so it is higher than the budget's "net interest". Not adjusted for inflation; this Treasury dataset starts in fiscal 2010.
Questions to discuss
- In one sentence of your own, what does this chart show?
- Find the biggest change or difference in the chart. What might explain it?
- Who collected these numbers, and how recent are they? What else would you want to know before drawing a conclusion?
Source: U.S. Treasury Fiscal Data, Interest Expense on the Public Debt Outstanding (Public domain (U.S. government work)) · Data as of Sep 30, 2026
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