US Budget Deficit Widens Slightly
2025-11-25 20:39
By
Felipe Alarcon
1 min. read
The US government recorded a $284.4 billion budget deficit in October 2025, compared with a $257.5 billion deficit in the same month a year earlier.
Receipts rose 23.8% year-on-year to $404.4 billion, driven by individual income taxes ($216.95 billion), social insurance and retirement receipts ($123.85 billion), and customs duties ($31.35 billion).
The increase reflected seasonal and collection timing effects that lifted tax and customs receipts in the month.
Meanwhile, outlays rose 17.9% to $688.7 billion, with Medicare ($150.56 billion), Social Security ($134.14 billion), and national defense ($99.94 billion) the largest spending categories; several payments (including Medicare and veterans’ benefits) accelerated into October because the normal November payment date fell on a non-business day.