Budget Deficits Since 2001

In inflation-adjusted dollars:

2001 - $168.16 Billion Surplus

2002 - $205.2 Billion

2003 - $479.8 Billion

2004 - $511.14 Billion

2005 - $380.84 Billion

2006 - $287.7 Billion

2007 - $181.51 Billion

2008 - $498.37 Billion

2009 - $1539.22 Billion

2010 - $1386.92 Billion

2011 - $1350.31 Billion

2012 - $1120.16 Billion

2013 - $759 Billion

(See A History of Surpluses and Deficits in the United States, which goes back to 1940. Also see the Office of Management and Budget’s Historical Tables. Spreadsheets.)

The obvious thing to note is that the deficit tripled after the 2008 financial meltdown.

The second obvious thing to note is that deficits have fallen every year since. The 2013 deficit is half that of the 2009 deficit.