The Debt, To The Penny Screensaver
The The Debt, To The Penny screensaver shows the US public debt exactly as the Bureau of the Fiscal Service reports it, key-less. Not an extrapolating counter: a daily published figure, with the intragovernmental share most debt clocks leave out shown separately. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
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Press ESC to leave fullscreen. Settings are saved in your browser only.
How the The Debt, To The Penny screensaver works
The saver reads the source described above and draws it on a canvas — no account, no tracking.
The US public debt exactly as the Bureau of the Fiscal Service reports it, key-less. Not an extrapolating counter: a daily published figure, with the intragovernmental share most debt clocks leave out shown separately.
It refreshes on a schedule, so what you see stays current.
Colours and any options can be changed in settings; nothing is stored beyond your own browser.
What the Debt to the Penny figure is
Debt to the Penny is a dataset on the Treasury's Fiscal Data site, with the debt data managed by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service. It reports total public debt outstanding for each business day, going back to 1993. The figures are posted at the end of each business day and reflect the previous business day, so there is always a short lag.
The headline total is the sum of two parts. Debt held by the public is federal debt owned by entities outside the US government, such as individuals, corporations, state and local governments, Federal Reserve Banks and foreign governments. Intragovernmental holdings are Government Account Series securities held by government trust, revolving and special funds, plus Federal Financing Bank securities. Total public debt outstanding is the two together, and it is the number most often quoted.
These are reported balances for a date, not a running estimate. Debt clocks extrapolate between figures, whereas this screensaver shows what was published, so it moves in daily steps.
A worked example
The US public debt exactly as the Bureau of the Fiscal Service reports it, key-less. Not an extrapolating counter: a daily published figure, with the intragovernmental share most debt clocks leave out shown separately.
Settings & tips
- Accent and Background recolour the display.
- Every value on screen comes from the live source — nothing is simulated.
- Press ESC to leave fullscreen.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this real data?
- Yes — it comes from the source named on this page and is refreshed on a schedule.
- Is a key needed?
- No. This source is fully key-less.
- Is it free?
- Yes, and it runs entirely in your browser.
- What is intragovernmental debt?
- Securities held by government accounts, such as trust, revolving and special funds, so it is money one part of government owes another.
- Why does it update only once a day?
- The dataset is updated daily, posted at the end of each business day and reflecting the previous business day. It is an official balance, not a live estimate.
- Who is counted in debt held by the public?
- Holders outside the US government, including individuals, corporations, state and local governments, Federal Reserve Banks and foreign governments.