# Quantity of U.S. currency ($100 bills)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quantity-of-u-s-currency-100-bills/170230>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 22, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quantity-of-u-s-currency-100-bills/170230 "2003-04-22T03:31:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Stormfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@Stormfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stormfield)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quantity-of-u-s-currency-100-bills/170230/1 "2003-04-22T03:31:33Z")

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I came across [this article](http://www.ctnow.com/templates/misc/printstory.jsp?slug=chi%2D0304200306apr20) the other day.

A couple of questions occurred to me. How many $100 bills are printed by the U.S. mint each day, and, how much U.S. currency(in $100 bills) is in circulation at any one time?

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**Author:** ![Azael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a8b319/32.png) [@Azael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azael)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quantity-of-u-s-currency-100-bills/170230/2 "2003-04-22T04:05:09Z")

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The Federal Reserve would be the place to look.

[lo and behold](http://www.federalreserve.gov/paymentsystems/coin/default.htm#data)

4.21 billion $100 notes as of 2001

The site also has data about how many of each denomination has been printed over a series of years.

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quantity-of-u-s-currency-100-bills/170230/3 "2003-04-22T04:09:20Z")

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The [US Mint](http://www.usmint.gov/index.cfm?flash=no) makes coins. Bills are made by the [Bureau of Engraving and Printing](http://www.bep.treas.gov/).

According to BEP:

> [@](#):
>
> The Bureau of Engraving and Printing produces 37 million notes a day with a face value of approximately $696 million.  
> …  
> 95% of the notes printed each year are used to replace notes already in circulation. 45% of the notes printed are $1 notes.  
> …

From [and

> [@](#):
>
> As of July 31, 2000, of the $539,890,223,079 in total currency in worldwide circulation, $364,724,397,100 is in the $100 denomination.

From [url=“[http://www.bep.treas.gov/document.cfm/18/94](http://www.bep.treas.gov/document.cfm/18/94)”]here]([http://www.bep.treas.gov/document.cfm/18/106](http://www.bep.treas.gov/document.cfm/18/106)).

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**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quantity-of-u-s-currency-100-bills/170230/4 "2003-04-22T06:35:50Z")

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I’ve read that $100 bills are freely counterfeited in Russia among other places. Can anyone verify? [/hijack]