US Nuclear Power Generation vs US Federal Debt Outstanding

US Nuclear Power Generation and US Federal Debt Outstanding correlate at r = +0.66 over 61 years (1965–2025), p < 0.0001. With the time trend removed, r = -0.90. Direction flips without the trend.

Verdict: Direction flips without the trend. The raw correlation is 0.66, but once each series' time trend is removed it becomes -0.90. The year-to-year movements run the opposite way to the long-run trends, so the headline number is misleading.

Pearson r: +0.66
p-value: < 0.0001
Years compared (n): 61 (1965–2025)
95% confidence interval: 0.49 to 0.78
Correlation with the time trend removed: -0.90

Sources

US Nuclear Power Generation (TWh): Our World in Data. US Nuclear Power Generation (Our World in Data: Nuclear).
US Federal Debt Outstanding (USD): U.S. Treasury. Total US federal debt outstanding at the end of each fiscal year (U.S. Treasury Fiscal Data).

Related pairs

US Renewable Energy Share vs US Federal Debt Outstanding (r = +0.99)
US Wind Power Generation vs US Federal Debt Outstanding (r = +0.99)
US Federal Debt Outstanding vs US GDP (current US$) (r = +0.97)
US Nuclear Power Generation vs US Infant Mortality (r = -0.97)
US Nuclear Power Generation vs US College Enrollment (r = +0.97)
US Median Age vs US Nuclear Power Generation (r = +0.97)

Correlation does not imply causation. How the verdict is worked out.