US Interest · % of Federal Outlays

## What this measures

Of every dollar the federal government spends, the share that goes to interest. Palanor divides FRED FYOINT (net interest) by FYONET (net outlays), fiscal year by fiscal year, back to 1940.

## Why it matters

The US equivalent of the OECD's interest-as-a-share-of-spending ranking, with eighty years of history behind it.

## How to read it

The post-war high sat near 15% around 1990. Above 10% interest outweighs most discretionary programs.

## What it does not say

Budget basis, not national-accounts basis; it differs slightly from `country.usa.net_interest_pct_spending`.

## Source

Derived by Palanor from OMB / Treasury data via FRED.