Data Guides
Short pages that collect figures already published in Fiscal Lab research. Each number links to the page it comes from.
These guides match common questions about the debt, the deficit, the CBO outlook, interest costs, jobs, and homeownership. They do not add new estimates.
- U.S. National Debt Near $40 Trillion. Total public debt outstanding was $39.987 trillion on August 17, 2026. A later brief reports gross federal debt passed $40 trillion that August, with debt held by the public at $32 trillion.
- $1.9 Trillion Federal Deficit in 2026. CBO's February 2026 outlook puts the 2026 deficit at $1.9 trillion, 5.8% of GDP. Closing it in 10 years without spending cuts would take 4.67% real growth a year.
- February 2026 CBO Outlook: $1.9 Trillion Deficit. CBO's February 11, 2026 outlook: a $1.9 trillion deficit in 2026, debt held by the public from 101% of GDP to 120% by 2036, and real growth averaging 1.8% after 2026.
- Interest Costs: Nearly $1.3 Trillion if Rates Stay High. Rates above CBO's February 2026 baseline could add nearly $1.3 trillion in outlays over FY 2026-2036. One scored bill's interest raised a $141 billion cost by 13%.
- 2026 Jobs Reports: 29,000 Added in September. Fiscal Lab jobs reports: payrolls up 172,000 in May, 57,000 in June, down 23,000 in the July first closing, up 162,000 in August, and up 29,000 in September.
- Homeownership Under Age 25 Fell to 15%. Homeownership among people 24 or younger fell from 19 to 20% in 2006 to 15% by 2023. Ownership among 25- to 34-year-olds fell to 42%.