The U.S. national debt has been a hot topic for decades, and despite much vitriol in the conversation and the introduction of the ‘debt ceiling’ in 1917, the overall burden has only been going up every year and under every administration since 2002.
As part of its efforts to reduce the total amount – an amount that, at press time on April 27, stands above $39 trillion – the Treasury has not only set up a website for public donations but also opened Venmo payments for it.
Still, while crowdfunding has become a popular way to raise cash for all sorts of purposes, from the original viral campaign to make a potato salad to covering medical costs in more recent years, the amount that would have to be raised to eliminate the debt is nothing short of staggering.
Here’s how much every American would have to give to eliminate U.S. debt
To begin with, the latest official data indicates that there are 349 million Americans in total, meaning that, to eliminate the entire U.S. national debt, every individual, including children, would have to give an average of $111,000.
If only adults are included, of which there are approximately 277 million, the figure rises to nearly $141,000. Additionally, even if every human on earth decided to help Uncle Sam, the average payment would still have to amount to $4,700.
Furthermore, even if such a figure could be raised, President Donald Trump’s administration has added more than $3 trillion to the overall burden since retaking the White House and is expected to add another $2.3 trillion in 2026.
Under the circumstances, even if the website was successful in eliminating the $39 trillion accumulated by press time, Americans would soon have to give another $6,590 in 12 months to offset deficit spending.
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