The United States economy has the world's largest gross domestic product (GDP), $13.21 trillion in 2006. It is a mixed economy where corporations and other private firms make the majority of microeconomic decisions while being regulated by the government.

The US economy maintains a high per capita GDP, which although not the world's highest, compares favorably to that of all other major economies. The economy also has a reasonably high GDP growth rate, a low unemployment rate, and high levels of research and development investment. Economic concerns include national debt, external debt, entitlement liabilities, consumer debt, a low savings rate, and a large current account deficit.

As of 2006, the gross external debt was nearly USD $9 trillion or 64% of GDP,^[1] (see List of countries by external debt).^[2] The gross public debt is 65% of GDP (also known as national debt and refers to what is owned by the combined public sector to both domestic and foreign creditors; see List of countries by public debt and global debt). The national debt includes the amount of the cumulative government deficits and interest.