The United States still has a creditworthy report card, just not a perfect one. On August 18, 2025, S&P Global Ratings affirmed its long-term sovereign credit rating for the US at ‘AA+’ and its short-term rating at ‘A-1+’, both carrying a stable outlook.
The stable designation signals that S&P sees a low probability of a downgrade in the near term.
What S&P actually said
The affirmation rests on a few pillars: the resilience of the US economy, what S&P views as effective monetary policy management, and the recent $5 trillion increase to the federal debt ceiling.
On the revenue side, S&P indicated it expects tariff income to help cushion the fiscal impact of recent legislative changes tied to tax and spending policy.
