Total US public debt outstanding stood at $40.44 trillion on Oct. 22, with the balance covering publicly held debt and intragovernmental holdings, the Department of the Treasury said.
The total rose $346.5 billion, or 0.9%, from Sept. 22. It increased $2.45 trillion, or 6.5%, from Oct. 22, 2025, providing a separate comparison over the preceding year.
Debt held by the public accounted for $32.60 trillion of the outstanding balance. Intragovernmental holdings, debt held within the federal government, totaled $7.85 trillion on the same date.
The two categories divide the debt by who holds it. Both formed part of the total public debt outstanding recorded on Oct. 22, rather than separate amounts to be added to that total.
Accrued interest expense totaled $63.1 billion in September, while the fiscal year-to-date amount reached $800 billion for fiscal 2026, the department said. The interest figures were recorded for the month ended Sept. 30.
The debt balance and interest expense cover different periods. The outstanding debt figure is dated Oct. 22, while September is the latest supplied month for interest accrued on that debt.
Treasury notes accounted for the largest listed interest expense in both periods. Interest on notes totaled $43.5 billion in September and $498.3 billion for fiscal 2026 through the September record.
Treasury bonds followed notes among the listed categories, with interest expense of $15.3 billion for September. Their fiscal year-to-date expense totaled $178.2 billion, also placing them second among the categories supplied.
The inflation compensation category for Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, debt whose principal adjusts for inflation, recorded a negative $452 million in September. Its fiscal year-to-date interest expense was positive at $69.7 billion.
That category had the third-largest fiscal year-to-date expense among those listed, despite its negative September amount. It was reported separately from the interest expense category for inflation-protected securities themselves.
Treasury floating rate notes accounted for $2.3 billion in September interest expense and $26.7 billion for the fiscal year to date. Both amounts exceeded the corresponding expenses listed for inflation-protected securities.
The separate inflation-protected securities category recorded $2.1 billion in September interest expense. Its fiscal year-to-date total was $24.4 billion, below the inflation compensation category over that period.
State and local government certificates of indebtedness, notes and bonds accounted for $218.9 million in September interest expense. Their fiscal year-to-date expense totaled $2.7 billion, the smallest annual amount among the listed categories.
