US government debt

This data was copied verbatim from the following US government web pages on 1 October 2011:

http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt_histo5.htm
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt_histo4.htm
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt_histo3.htm
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt_histo2.htm
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt_histo1.htm

Starred (*) values are rounded to millions. Years with budget surpluses, defined as a reduction in debt, are in red. Although surpluses used to be common, none occurred during 1957-2011, the post-World-war-II "income tax funded era." Several of those years were nevertheless advertised by politicians as "featuring surpluses." This was always accomplished by redefining the word "surplus" to mean something other than "a reduction in debt" (a similar convenient redefinition being made for "deficit").

Essentially every other major democracy, and all typical averages-of-groups of those countries exhibit similar behavior, e.g. the OECD average of countries has all deficit years for longer than my entire life. One of the very few fiscally responsible countries has been Switzerland (an "advanced democracy" set up in a very atypical manner).

2000-2050
Date Dollar Amount
09/30/2010 13,561,623,030,891.79
09/30/2009 11,909,829,003,511.75
09/30/2008 10,024,724,896,912.49
09/30/2007 9,007,653,372,262.48
09/30/2006 8,506,973,899,215.23
09/30/2005 7,932,709,661,723.50
09/30/2004 7,379,052,696,330.32
09/30/2003 6,783,231,062,743.62
09/30/2002 6,228,235,965,597.16
09/30/2001 5,807,463,412,200.06
09/30/2000 5,674,178,209,886.86

1950-1999
Date Dollar Amount
09/30/1999 5,656,270,901,615.43
09/30/1998 5,526,193,008,897.62
09/30/1997 5,413,146,011,397.34
09/30/1996 5,224,810,939,135.73
09/29/1995 4,973,982,900,709.39
09/30/1994 4,692,749,910,013.32
09/30/1993 4,411,488,883,139.38
09/30/1992 4,064,620,655,521.66
09/30/1991 3,665,303,351,697.03
09/28/1990 3,233,313,451,777.25
09/29/1989 2,857,430,960,187.32
09/30/1988 2,602,337,712,041.16
09/30/1987 2,350,276,890,953.00
09/30/1986 2,125,302,616,658.42
09/30/1985 * 1,823,103,000,000.00
09/30/1984 * 1,572,266,000,000.00
09/30/1983 * 1,377,210,000,000.00
09/30/1982 * 1,142,034,000,000.00
09/30/1981 * 997,855,000,000.00
09/30/1980 * 907,701,000,000.00
09/30/1979 * 826,519,000,000.00
09/30/1978 * 771,544,000,000.00
09/30/1977 * 698,840,000,000.00
06/30/1976 * 620,433,000,000.00
06/30/1975 * 533,189,000,000.00
06/30/1974 475,059,815,731.55
06/30/1973 458,141,605,312.09
06/30/1972 427,260,460,940.50
06/30/1971 398,129,744,455.54
06/30/1970 370,918,706,949.93
06/30/1969 353,720,253,841.41
06/30/1968 347,578,406,425.88
06/30/1967 326,220,937,794.54
06/30/1966 319,907,087,795.48
06/30/1965 317,273,898,983.64
06/30/1964 311,712,899,257.30
06/30/1963 305,859,632,996.41
06/30/1962 298,200,822,720.87
06/30/1961 288,970,938,610.05
06/30/1960 286,330,760,848.37
06/30/1959 284,705,907,078.22
06/30/1958 276,343,217,745.81
06/30/1957 270,527,171,896.43
06/30/1956 272,750,813,649.32
06/30/1955 274,374,222,802.62
06/30/1954 271,259,599,108.46
06/30/1953 266,071,061,638.57
06/30/1952 259,105,178,785.43
06/29/1951 255,221,976,814.93
06/30/1950 257,357,352,351.04

1900-1949
Date Dollar Amount
06/30/1949 252,770,359,860.33
06/30/1948 252,292,246,512.99
06/30/1947 258,286,383,108.67
06/28/1946 269,422,099,173.26
06/30/1945 258,682,187,409.93
06/30/1944 201,003,387,221.13
06/30/1943 136,696,090,329.90
06/30/1942  72,422,445,116.22
06/30/1941  48,961,443,535.71
06/29/1940  42,967,531,037.68
06/30/1939  40,439,532,411.11
06/30/1938  37,164,740,315.45
06/30/1937  36,424,613,732.29
06/30/1936  33,778,543,493.73
06/29/1935  28,700,892,624.53
06/30/1934  27,053,141,414.48
06/30/1933  22,538,672,560.15
06/30/1932  19,487,002,444.13
06/30/1931  16,801,281,491.71
06/30/1930  16,185,309,831.43
06/29/1929  16,931,088,484.10
06/30/1928  17,604,293,201.43
06/30/1927  18,511,906,931.85
06/30/1926  19,643,216,315.19
06/30/1925  20,516,193,887.90
06/30/1924  21,250,812,989.49
06/30/1923  22,349,707,365.36
06/30/1922  22,963,381,708.31
06/30/1921  23,977,450,552.54
07/01/1920  25,952,456,406.16
07/01/1919  27,390,970,113.12
07/01/1918  14,592,161,414.00
07/01/1917   5,717,770,279.52
07/01/1916   3,609,244,262.16
07/01/1915   3,058,136,873.16
07/01/1914   2,912,499,269.16
07/01/1913   2,916,204,913.66
07/01/1912   2,868,373,874.16
07/01/1911   2,765,600,606.69
07/01/1910   2,652,665,838.04
07/01/1909   2,639,546,241.04
07/01/1908   2,626,806,271.54
07/01/1907   2,457,188,061.54
07/01/1906   2,337,161,839.04
07/01/1905   2,274,615,063.84
07/01/1904   2,264,003,585.14
07/01/1903   2,202,464,781.89
07/01/1902   2,158,610,445.89
07/01/1901   2,143,326,933.89
07/01/1900   2,136,961,091.67

1850-1899
Date Dollar Amount
07/01/1899 1,991,927,306.92
07/01/1898 1,796,531,995.90
07/01/1897 1,817,672,665.90
07/01/1896 1,769,840,323.40
07/01/1895 1,676,120,983.25
07/01/1894 1,632,253,636.68
07/01/1893 1,545,985,686.13
07/01/1892 1,588,464,144.63
07/01/1891 1,545,996,591.61
07/01/1890 1,552,140,204.73
07/01/1889 1,619,052,922.23
07/01/1888 1,692,858,984.58
07/01/1887 1,657,602,592.63
07/01/1886 1,775,063,013.78
07/01/1885 1,863,964,873.14
07/01/1884 1,830,528,923.57
07/01/1883 1,884,171,728.07
07/01/1882 1,918,312,994.03
07/01/1881 2,069,013,569.58
07/01/1880 2,120,415,370.63
07/01/1879 2,349,567,482.04
07/01/1878 2,256,205,892.53
07/01/1877 2,205,301,392.10
07/01/1876 2,180,395,067.15
07/01/1875 2,232,284,531.95
07/01/1874 2,251,690,468.43
07/01/1873 2,234,482,993.20
07/01/1872 2,253,251,328.78
07/01/1871 2,353,211,332.32
07/01/1870 2,480,672,427.81
07/01/1869 2,588,452,213.94
07/01/1868 2,611,687,851.19
07/01/1867 2,678,126,103.87
07/01/1866 2,773,236,173.69
07/01/1865 2,680,647,869.74
07/01/1864 1,815,784,370.57
07/01/1863 1,119,772,138.63
07/01/1862    524,176,412.13
07/01/1861      90,580,873.72
07/01/1860      64,842,287.88
07/01/1859      58,496,837.88
07/01/1858      44,911,881.03
07/01/1857      28,699,831.85
07/01/1856      31,972,537.90
07/01/1855      35,586,956.56
07/01/1854      42,242,222.42
07/01/1853      59,803,117.70
07/01/1852      66,199,341.71
07/01/1851      68,304,796.02
07/01/1850      63,452,773.55

1849 & before
Date Dollar Amount
07/01/1849   63,061,858.69
07/01/1848   47,044,862.23
07/01/1847   38,826,534.77
07/01/1846   15,550,202.97
07/01/1845   15,925,303.01
07/01/1844   23,461,652.50
07/01/1843   32,742,922.00
01/01/1843   20,201,226.27
01/01/1842   13,594,480.73
01/01/1841     5,250,875.54
01/01/1840     3,573,343.82
01/01/1839   10,434,221.14
01/01/1838     3,308,124.07
01/01/1837       336,957.83
01/01/1836         37,513.05
01/01/1835         33,733.05
01/01/1834    4,760,082.08
01/01/1833    7,001,698.83
01/01/1832  24,322,235.18
01/01/1831  39,123,191.68
01/01/1830  48,565,406.50
01/01/1829  58,421,413.67
01/01/1828  67,475,043.87
01/01/1827  73,987,357.20
01/01/1826  81,054,059.99
01/01/1825  83,788,432.71
01/01/1824  90,269,777.77
01/01/1823  90,875,877.28
01/01/1822  93,546,676.98
01/01/1821  89,987,427.66
01/01/1820  91,015,566.15
01/01/1819  95,529,648.28
01/01/1818 103,466,633.83
01/01/1817 123,491,965.16
01/01/1816 127,334,933.74
01/01/1815   99,833,660.15
01/01/1814   81,487,846.24
01/01/1813   55,962,827.57
01/01/1812   45,209,737.90
01/01/1811   48,005,587.76
01/01/1810   53,173,217.52
01/01/1809   57,023,192.09
01/01/1808   65,196,317.97
01/01/1807   69,218,398.64
01/01/1806   75,723,270.66 
01/01/1805   82,312,150.50
01/01/1804   86,427,120.88
01/01/1803   77,054,686.40
01/01/1802   80,712,632.25
01/01/1801   83,038,050.80
01/01/1800   82,976,294.35
01/01/1799   78,408,669.77
01/01/1798   79,228,529.12
01/01/1797   82,064,479.33
01/01/1796   83,762,172.07
01/01/1795   80,747,587.39
01/01/1794   78,427,404.77
01/01/1793   80,358,634.04
01/01/1792   77,227,924.66
01/01/1791   75,463,476.52

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