FAQs
What is the interest rate on the national debt?
The U.S. Treasury pays different interest rates across many types of debt, and those rates change as the government issues new debt and older debt matures. Investors often track the average interest rate across marketable federal debt because it gives a clearer view of the government’s overall borrowing cost. That average reached 3.39% as of June 8, 2026, which helps explain why interest costs now consume a larger share of federal spending than they did during the low-rate period earlier in the decade. 2
Who owns the U.S. national debt?
A wide range of buyers own U.S. Treasury securities, including foreign investors, U.S. households, mutual funds,…
