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Where the money actually goes

Three charts, one question. The government's $7.4 trillion, your tax dollar, and the average household's budget, every number straight from the official source.

Lessons that use these charts: The $40 trillion question. More as they come out.

1 · Federal spending · fiscal year 2026

Where federal spending actually goes

The bigger the box, the bigger the bill. One box is the one to watch, and it isn't the biggest.

Social Security $1.65T · 22.4% Medicare $1.07T · 14.5% Net interest $1.14T · 15.5% Up 11% in one year Military (DoD) $916B · 12.4% Everything else $1.48T · 19.9% Medicaid $723B · 9.8% Veterans Affairs $416B · 5.6% Social Security $1.65T · 22.4% Medicare $1.07T · 14.5% Net interest $1.14T · 15.5% Up 11% in one year Military (DoD) $916B · 12.4% Everything else $1.48T · 19.9% Medicaid 10% VA 6%
Federal outlays, fiscal year 2026 (preliminary), billions of U.S. dollars. Box area = share of $7.40 trillion. Medicare is net of premiums and other offsetting receipts. Military = Department of Defense military programs only. Source: CBO, Monthly Budget Review: September 2026, Table 3 (Oct. 8, 2026).
$1.14T Net interest on the debt More than the military ($916B) and more than Medicare ($1.07T). Only Social Security costs more. CBO, Monthly Budget Review, Oct. 8, 2026
+11% Interest, in one year The fastest-growing of the big bills. Social Security grew 5%, the military 5%, Medicare 8%. FY2025 to FY2026 · CBO, Table 3
$1.48T Everything else Food and nutrition programs ($137B), Education ($75B), housing (HUD, $68B) and every other agency and program ($1.20T). Sum of the remaining CBO Table 3 rows

2 · Follow one dollar

Where does your tax dollar actually go?

Plot twist first: 27 cents of every dollar the government spent wasn't tax money at all. It was borrowed.

Social Security 22¢ · $1.65T Net interest 15¢ · $1.14T Medicare 14¢ · $1.07T Military (DoD) 12¢ · $916B Medicaid 10¢ · $723B Veterans Affairs 6¢ · $416B Everything else 20¢ · $1.48T 73¢ Taxes & other receipts 27¢ Borrowed $1 spent Social Security 22¢ · $1.65T Net interest 15¢ · $1.14T Medicare 14¢ · $1.07T Military 12¢ · $916B Medicaid 10¢ · $723B Veterans 6¢ Everything else 20¢ · $1.48T 73¢ Taxes 27¢ Borrowed $1 spent
One dollar of federal spending, fiscal year 2026 (preliminary). Receipts $5.40T, outlays $7.40T, deficit $1.99T. Cents are rounded, so the pieces add to 99¢. Source: CBO, Monthly Budget Review: September 2026, Tables 1 and 3.
21¢ of every tax dollar went to interest $1.14 trillion in interest ÷ $5.40 trillion collected = 21.2%. Our math, from CBO Tables 1 and 3
$1.99T Borrowed in one year That's the deficit. It gets added to the $40 trillion debt, and next year we pay interest on it too. CBO, Table 1 · FY2026 deficit

3 · Your household · 2024

Where the average household's money actually goes

The average U.S. household spent $78,535 in 2024. A third of it went to keeping a roof overhead.

Housing 33.4% · $26,266 Transportation 17.0% · $13,318 Food 12.9% · $10,169 Insurance & pensions 12.5% · $9,797 Healthcare 7.9% · $6,197 Entertainment 4.6% · $3,609 Everything else 11.7% · $9,178 33% 17% 13% 12% 8% 5% 12%
  • Housing33.4% · $26,266
  • Transportation17.0% · $13,318
  • Food12.9% · $10,169
  • Insurance & pensions12.5% · $9,797
  • Healthcare7.9% · $6,197
  • Entertainment4.6% · $3,609
  • Everything else11.7% · $9,178
Average annual spending, all U.S. households ("consumer units"), 2024. Petal area shows each share of $78,535 (radius is the square root, so a petal twice the share has twice the area; faint rings mark 10%, 20% and 30%). Everything else = clothing, charitable giving, education and other. Source: BLS, Consumer Expenditures 2024 (Dec. 19, 2025).
$2,189 A month on housing $26,266 a year: rent or mortgage, utilities, furniture and upkeep. That's 33.4% of everything. BLS, Consumer Expenditures 2024 · ÷ 12 is our math
$9,797 Insurance & pensions Life insurance, Social Security payroll taxes and retirement contributions. Yes, the same Social Security at the top of the federal chart. BLS category definition · 2024
39% Of food money is eating out $3,945 away from home, $6,224 at the grocery store. BLS, Consumer Expenditures 2024 · share is our math

Don't trust, verify

Check the math yourself

Open CBO's report, find Table 3, and divide any line by total outlays ($7,396 billion). Net interest: 1,143 ÷ 7,396 = 15.5%. Military: 916 ÷ 7,396 = 12.4%. Households work the same way: housing $26,266 ÷ $78,535 = 33.4%.

FY2026 figures are CBO's preliminary estimates, published Oct. 8, 2026. Treasury's final Monthly Treasury Statement can differ slightly. Household figures are BLS's latest (2024); we'll update when 2025 is published.

Follow the moneyDeficitDebt (national)Net interestSocial SecurityFiscal policyBudgetLesson: the $40 trillion questionThe live debt clockSee the numbers