The Historical Text Archive: Electronic History Resources, online since 1990 Bringing you digitized history, primary and secondary sources
 
HTA Home Page | Articles | United States | National Debt, 1800-1925


Email to a friend
Printer friendly

National Debt, 1800-1925


YEAR TOTAL PER CAPITA YEAR TOTAL PER CAPITA YEAR TOTAL PER CAPITA
1800 *82,976,294 15.63 1889 975,939,750 15.92 1913 927,068,121 9.52
1810 *53,173,218 7.34 1890 890,784,371 14.13 1914 950,593,142 9.60
1820 *91,015,566 9.44 1891 851,912,752 13.24 1915 1,027,379,778 10.14
1830 *48,565,407 3.77 1892 841,526,464 12.82 1916 1,006,281,572 9.82
1840 *3,573,344 .21 1893 838,969,476 12.53 1917 1,908,635,224 18.33
1850 *63,452,774 2.74 1894 899,313,381 13.17 1918 10,924,281,355 103.19
1855 *35,586,957 1.31 1895 901,672,967 12.96 1919 24,479,302,376 230.64
1860 59,964,402 1.91 1896 955,297,254 13.48 1920 24,330,889,731 228.64
1865 2,674,815,857 76.98 1897 961,730,960 13.43 1921 23,813,547,431 220.32
1870 2,331,169,956 60.46 1898 983,443,661 13.48 1922 22,996,416,115 209.55
1875 2,090,041,179 47.53 1899 1,105,188,679 14.87 1923 22,155,886,403 191.81
1876 2,060,925,340 45.66 1900 1,060,421,186 13.90 1924 21,178,045,271 188.14
1877 2,019,275,431 43.56 1901 995,067,645 12.86 1925 20,439,234,256 170.37
1878 1,999,382,280 42.01 1902 820,944,348 11.64
1879 1,996,414,905 40.85 1903 871,570,845 10.83
1880 1,919,326,748 38.27 1904 920,973,226 11.25
1881 1,819,650,154 35.46 1905 943,588,069 11.33
1882 1,675,023,474 31.91 1906 909,967,519 10.75
1883 1,538,781,825 28.66 1907 817,359,844 9.50
1884 1,438,542,995 26.20 1908 866,585,437 9.90
1885 1,375,352,444 24.50 1909 959,589,644 10.79
1886 1,282,145,840 22.34 1910 970,432,909 10.74
1887 1,175,168,675 20.03 1911 945,299,603 10.06
1888 1,063,004,895 17.72 1912 964,811,807 10.09

*Outstanding principal of the public debt on January 1st.

Includes matured interest obligations, etc., on July 1. Prior to 1897 figures include gold and silver certificates, treasury notes of 1890 and gold reserves against United States notes. This practice was discontinued in 1915 and revision has been carried back only as far as 1897.

Source: The Daily News Almanac and Year-Book 1926. Chicago: Chicago Daily News Company, 1925, p. 333.

81602