U.S. public debt reached $26.3 trillion last year, with annual interest costs projected to hit $1 trillion by 2025. The scale of government operations is equally vast, including $236 billion in improper payments and a workforce of 2.1 million federal civilian employees.
Key Takeaways
- U.S. public debt held by the public reached $26.3 trillion in FY 2023.
- Intragovernmental holdings of U.S. debt were $7.0 trillion in 2023.
- U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio was 98% at end of FY 2023.
- Federal government procurement spending efficiency: GAO reports 10-20% waste in contracts.
- U.S. federal improper payments totaled $236 billion in FY 2022.
- IT modernization lags: 80% of federal systems are legacy per 2023 GAO.
- In 2022, U.S. federal civilian employment totaled 2.1 million employees.
- U.S. Postal Service employed 640,000 workers in 2022.
- Department of Defense civilian workforce in 2023 was 780,000 employees.
- In FY 2023, U.S. federal individual income tax revenue was $2.2 trillion.
- Corporate income tax revenue for U.S. federal in FY 2023 totaled $420 billion.
- Payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare) generated $1.6 trillion in FY 2023.
- In FY 2023, U.S. federal government discretionary spending totaled $1.7 trillion, representing 25% of total federal outlays.
- Mandatory spending in the U.S. federal budget for FY 2023 reached $3.8 trillion, primarily on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
- U.S. federal defense spending in FY 2023 was $877 billion, accounting for 13% of the total budget.
With debt near 100% of GDP and interest costs rising fast, budgeting pressure is intensifying for the U.S.
Related reading
01 · Category
Government Debt26 stats
01
U.S. public debt held by the public reached $26.3 trillion in FY 2023.
02
Intragovernmental holdings of U.S. debt were $7.0 trillion in 2023.
03
U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio was 98% at end of FY 2023.
04
Federal deficit for FY 2023 was $1.7 trillion.
05
Interest costs on U.S. public debt projected to reach $1 trillion by 2025.
06
30% of U.S. marketable debt matures within 1 year as of 2023.
07
Foreign holders of U.S. debt: $7.6 trillion in Dec 2023.
08
Japan holds $1.1 trillion of U.S. Treasury securities in 2023.
09
China holds $775 billion of U.S. debt in Dec 2023.
10
Federal debt limit suspended until Jan 2025.
11
State and local government debt outstanding: $3 trillion in 2022.
12
U.S. municipal bond market size: $4 trillion in 2023.
13
Average credit rating for U.S. Treasuries: AAA but downgraded to AA+ by Fitch in 2023.
14
Debt service as % of federal revenue: 10% in FY 2023.
15
U.S. gross federal debt: $33.2 trillion as of Oct 2023.
16
Social Security Trust Fund holds $2.8 trillion in Treasuries in 2023.
17
Medicare HI Trust Fund assets: $200 billion in 2023.
18
Unfunded liabilities for federal entitlements estimated at $75 trillion over 75 years.
19
Primary deficit excluding interest: $1 trillion in FY 2023.
20
U.S. debt held by Federal Reserve: $5.2 trillion in 2023.
21
Household holdings of Treasuries: under 5% of total debt in 2023.
22
Pension funds hold 10% of U.S. marketable debt.
23
Projected debt-to-GDP: 122% by 2033 per CBO.
24
State pension debt unfunded: $1.4 trillion in 2022.
25
Local government OPEB liabilities: $600 billion unfunded.
26
U.S. Treasury yield curve inverted in 2023 signaling recession risks tied to debt.
Interpretation
Government Debt Interpretation
Within the Government Debt category, the United States ended FY 2023 with $26.3 trillion in public debt and a near doubling of fiscal pressure as debt-to-GDP hit 98%, while a large refinancing need is evident since 30% of marketable debt is set to mature within one year.
02 · Category
Government Efficiency24 stats
01
Federal government procurement spending efficiency: GAO reports 10-20% waste in contracts.
02
U.S. federal improper payments totaled $236 billion in FY 2022.
03
IT modernization lags: 80% of federal systems are legacy per 2023 GAO.
04
Regulatory compliance cost to businesses: $2 trillion annually per studies.
05
Federal workforce productivity growth: 0.5% annually 2010-2020.
06
Permitting delays for infrastructure average 4.5 years per project.
07
Tax code complexity: 4.3 million words, 70,000+ pages in 2023.
08
Federal grants to states: $800 billion with 20% administrative overhead.
09
Duplicative programs: GAO identified 100+ overlapping in 2023.
10
E-government adoption: 60% of services digitized by 2023.
11
Federal real property: 20% underutilized per GSA reports.
12
Acquisition savings from better practices: $100 billion potential annually.
13
Telework reduces federal office space needs by 25%.
14
Cybersecurity incidents: 20,000+ reported federally in 2023.
15
VA wait times average 20 days for new appointments in 2023.
16
IRS audit rate for millionaires: 2.4% vs historical 8%.
17
Medicare fraud losses: $60 billion annually estimated.
18
SNAP error rate: 11.4% improper payments in 2022.
19
Federal student aid default rate: 12% for 2023 cohort.
20
Infrastructure bill execution: only 10% of funds obligated by mid-2023.
21
Pandemic relief fraud: $200 billion estimated losses.
22
Federal R&D ROI: $5benefit per $1 invested historically.
23
Passport processing time: 6-8 weeks average in 2023.
24
SBA loan approval rate: 55% for small businesses in 2023.
Interpretation
Government Efficiency Interpretation
For Government Efficiency, the data points to major avoidable losses and slowdown, with GAO estimating 10 to 20 percent waste in federal contracts and improper payments reaching $236 billion in FY 2022, while legacy IT and long permitting timelines further drag productivity.
03 · Category
Government Employment30 stats
01
In 2022, U.S. federal civilian employment totaled 2.1 million employees.
02
U.S. Postal Service employed 640,000 workers in 2022.
03
Department of Defense civilian workforce in 2023 was 780,000 employees.
04
Veterans Affairs Department employed 450,000 in 2023.
05
U.S. federal executive branch employment excluding Postal Service was 1.87 million in Dec 2023.
06
State government employment in the U.S. reached 5.3 million in 2023.
07
Local government employment totaled 14.8 million workers in 2023.
08
U.S. public education employment at state and local levels was 8.1 million in 2023.
09
Federal government average annual pay in 2022 was $95,000.
10
State government average wages in 2023 were $62,000annually.
11
Local government average annual wages in 2023 stood at $55,000.
12
U.S. federal workforce diversity: 40% women in 2023.
13
18% of federal employees were veterans in 2023.
14
Turnover rate in federal government was 8.5% in 2022.
15
U.S. state and local government pension plans covered 15 million active employees in 2022.
16
Federal retirement contributions averaged 4.4% of payroll in 2023.
17
25% of federal employees have advanced degrees in 2023.
18
U.S. government hospital employment at state/local level was 800,000 in 2023.
19
Police protection employment in local government: 800,000 officers in 2023.
20
Fire protection local government employment: 350,000 in 2023.
21
U.S. correctional institution employment at state/local: 450,000 in 2023.
22
Federal air traffic controllers numbered 14,000 in 2023.
23
IRS employed 80,000 in 2023.
24
FBI workforce was 35,000 in 2023.
25
TSA screened 800 million passengers with 60,000 employees in 2023.
26
U.S. Park Service rangers and staff: 20,000 in 2023.
27
Federal judiciary employed 30,000 in 2023.
28
State legislatures total members: 7,383 in 2023.
29
Local government elected officials: over 500,000 in U.S.
30
Federal telework participation rate: 25% full-time in 2023.
Interpretation
Government Employment Interpretation
Government employment in the US spans from large federal payrolls to state systems, with 5.3 million state government workers in 2023 alongside 2.1 million federal civilian employees in 2022 and 780,000 Department of Defense civilian staff in 2023.
More related reading
04 · Category
Government Revenue26 stats
01
In FY 2023, U.S. federal individual income tax revenue was $2.2 trillion.
02
Corporate income tax revenue for U.S. federal in FY 2023 totaled $420 billion.
03
Payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare) generated $1.6 trillion in FY 2023.
04
Excise taxes brought in $87 billion to U.S. federal coffers in FY 2023.
05
Estate and gift taxes revenue was $34 billion in FY 2023 federally.
06
Customs duties revenue for U.S. in FY 2023 was $80 billion.
07
Federal Reserve earnings remitted $116 billion to Treasury in 2023.
08
State individual income tax collections totaled $500 billion in FY 2022.
09
Local property tax revenue in U.S. was $600 billion in 2022.
10
Sales and gross receipts taxes at state level: $450 billion in FY 2022.
11
U.S. federal tax gap estimated at $688 billion for TY 2021.
12
Effective federal tax rate for top 1% was 25.9% in 2020.
13
Total U.S. federal receipts as % of GDP: 17.4% in FY 2023.
14
State sales tax average rate: 6.5% in 2023.
15
Corporate tax effective rate U.S. federal: 15.3% in 2022.
16
U.S. federal withholding taxes: $1.9 trillion in FY 2023.
17
State corporate income taxes: $100 billion in FY 2022.
18
Local sales taxes: $120 billion collected in 2022.
19
Federal miscellaneous taxes: $20 billion in FY 2023.
20
U.S. total tax revenue as % of GDP: 27% in 2022.
21
State severance taxes on natural resources: $25 billion in FY 2022.
22
Federal unemployment insurance taxes: $45 billion in FY 2023.
23
Local income taxes rare but totaled $30 billion where applicable in 2022.
24
U.S. federal refundable tax credits issued $300 billion in FY 2023.
25
State lottery revenue: $30 billion in FY 2022.
26
Federal spectrum auctions generated $85 billion since 1994, $2B in recent years.
Interpretation
Government Revenue Interpretation
In FY 2023, U.S. federal government revenue was dominated by payroll taxes and individual income taxes, with $1.6 trillion from Social Security and Medicare plus $2.2 trillion from individual income tax, underscoring that everyday earnings-related taxes are the backbone of Government Revenue.
05 · Category
Government Spending30 stats
01
In FY 2023, U.S. federal government discretionary spending totaled $1.7 trillion, representing 25% of total federal outlays.
02
Mandatory spending in the U.S. federal budget for FY 2023 reached $3.8 trillion, primarily on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
03
U.S. federal defense spending in FY 2023 was $877 billion, accounting for 13% of the total budget.
04
Non-defense discretionary spending by the U.S. federal government in FY 2023 amounted to $910 billion.
05
U.S. federal spending on interest payments on the debt in FY 2023 was $659 billion.
06
In FY 2022, U.S. federal grants to state and local governments totaled $721 billion.
07
U.S. federal spending on education in FY 2023 was approximately $80 billion.
08
Transportation and infrastructure federal spending in FY 2023 reached $108 billion.
09
U.S. federal health spending excluding Medicare and Medicaid in FY 2023 was $79 billion.
10
Veterans benefits spending by the U.S. federal government in FY 2023 totaled $301 billion.
11
U.S. federal agriculture spending in FY 2023 was $28 billion.
12
Energy and environment federal spending in FY 2023 amounted to $46 billion.
13
U.S. federal international affairs spending in FY 2023 was $60 billion.
14
General government operations spending in FY 2023 was $40 billion at the federal level.
15
U.S. federal net interest spending as a share of GDP in FY 2023 was 2.4%.
16
Social Security spending in FY 2023 totaled $1.3 trillion for the U.S. federal government.
17
Medicare spending in FY 2023 reached $839 billion federally.
18
Medicaid federal spending in FY 2023 was $584 billion.
19
U.S. federal unemployment insurance spending in FY 2023 was $32 billion.
20
Housing assistance federal spending in FY 2023 totaled $62 billion.
21
Food and nutrition assistance spending in FY 2023 was $182 billion federally.
22
Federal law enforcement and justice spending in FY 2023 was $57 billion.
23
Science and technology federal R&D spending in FY 2023 reached $201 billion.
24
U.S. federal community and regional development spending in FY 2023 was $55 billion.
25
Federal natural resources and environment spending in FY 2023 totaled $42 billion.
26
U.S. federal spending on income security programs in FY 2023 was $538 billion excluding Social Security.
27
Federal administration of justice spending in FY 2023 was $68 billion.
28
U.S. federal general science, space, and technology spending in FY 2023 was $40 billion.
29
Federal energy spending in FY 2023 amounted to $13 billion.
30
U.S. federal spending on deposit insurance in FY 2023 was minimal at under $1 billion.
Interpretation
Government Spending Interpretation
In the Government Spending landscape, the U.S. federal budget in FY 2023 was dominated by mandatory outlays of $3.8 trillion compared with $1.7 trillion in discretionary spending, showing how large Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid commitments are driving spending far beyond what yearly budget choices can control.
report visual · Key figures
How U.S. public debt is held
Public, intragovernmental, and foreign holders provide a clear snapshot of where U.S. debt is concentrated.
$26.3
U.S. public debt held by the public reached $26.3 trillion in FY 2023.
$7.0
Intragovernmental holdings of U.S. debt were $7.0 trillion in 2023.
$7.6
Foreign holders of U.S. debt: $7.6 trillion in Dec 2023.
$5.2
U.S. debt held by Federal Reserve: $5.2 trillion in 2023.
$33.2
U.S. gross federal debt: $33.2 trillion as of Oct 2023.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Henrik Dahl. (2026, February 13). Government Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/government-industry-statistics
MLA
Henrik Dahl. "Government Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/government-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Henrik Dahl. 2026. "Government Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/government-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
67 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level