NationalDebtFacts

By state

California and the national debt

California is home to 39.4 million people, 11.5% of the country. Divided by population, that is a $4.67 trillion share of the national debt — not a bill the state owes, but the scale of it.

Population share of the debt

$4.67 trillion

11.5% of US residents · $118,736 each

Federal tax collected / resident

$19,478

IRS, FY 2025 · US $15,547

Federal grants / resident

$862

USAspending, FY 2026 · US $974

Unemployment rate

5.1%

BLS, September 2026

What this shows

California collects more federal tax per resident than any of the ten states here, and its adults carry more household debt per head than anywhere else on this site. The first is largely a headquarters effect: corporate income tax is counted where the company files, and a state that hosts headquarters collects on profits made everywhere. That is a fact about the tax code, not about Californians paying more themselves.

The second figure is housing. Mortgages dominate the household total, and the gap over the national average is what expensive housing looks like once it has become borrowing. Grants per resident are above average too, though grants are only part of what comes back.

Written and reviewed by Roman & Team. Last reviewed October 22, 2026.

Federal money in and out of California

In fiscal year 2025 the IRS collected $766.55 billion in California — $19,478 per resident, 25% above the national average. That ranks 10th highest of the 50 states and DC.

Federal grants to California — Medicaid, highways, education and hundreds of smaller programs, mostly paid to the state and local governments — came to $33.94 billion in fiscal year 2026. That is $862 per resident, 11% below the national average — 34th highest of the 50 states and DC.

Total federal contract and payment obligations are not compared by state: USAspending records large Medicare payments where the claims contractor or insurer is based. In fiscal year 2025 that placed about $90 billion of health spending on North Dakota, home of a major Medicare contractor. Grants are recorded with the state and local bodies that receive them, so they are the comparable figure.

Taxes and grants are not subtracted here either: taxes are counted where they are filed, often at a company’s headquarters. For an adjusted state balance of payments, see the Rockefeller Institute of Government.

Largest sources of federal grants in California

Grant obligations by awarding agency, fiscal year 2026.

Department of Transportation$11.6 billion
Department of Agriculture$6.6 billion
Department of Health and Human Services$6.4 billion
Department of Education$5.6 billion
Department of Housing and Urban Development$850.2 million

Household debt in California

Per adult with a credit record, end of 2025. Private debt, separate from the national debt.

Mortgage$69,660
Auto loans$5,210
Student loans$4,650
Credit cards$5,000
Other, incl. home equity$3,330

In total that is $87,850 per adult with a credit record, 39% above the US figure of $63,200 — 3rd highest of the 50 states and DC. 13.2% of credit card balances were 90 or more days late, against 12.4% nationally.

California’s economy

California produced $4.30 trillion of goods and services in 2025, 13.9% of US GDP. Per resident that is $109,196, 6th highest of the 50 states and DC. Measured by economic weight rather than headcount, its share of the national debt would be $5.65 trillion.

Common questions

What is California's share of the national debt?

No state owes the federal debt, but divided by population California's share would be $4.67 trillion, because 11.5% of US residents live there. Divided by its share of the US economy instead (13.9% of GDP in 2025), it would be $5.65 trillion. Either way the national figure per resident is $118,736.

How much federal tax is collected in California?

The IRS collected $766.55 billion in federal taxes in California in fiscal year 2025, about $19,478 per resident — 10th highest of the 50 states and DC. Collections are counted where tax is filed, so states with many company headquarters appear higher than their residents' own tax bills.

How much federal grant money goes to California?

Federal grants to California came to $33.94 billion in fiscal year 2026, or $862 per resident — 34th highest of the 50 states and DC. The largest source was the Department of Transportation. Total federal spending including contracts and Medicare payments is not compared by state, because USAspending records much of it where contractors and insurers are based.

How much household debt do people in California have?

Adults with a credit record in California owed $87,850 each on average at the end of 2025, 39% above the US figure of $63,200. Mortgages make up the largest part, at $69,660.

Other states

Sources

Household debt data: New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax. © 2026 Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Content from the New York Fed subject to the Terms of Use at newyorkfed.org.

All figures are fetched from the publishers above, either when this site is built or by its own data function; your browser does not contact them. This site is independent and is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by the Federal Reserve System, any Federal Reserve Bank or any government agency. Nothing here is financial advice.