For no particular reason, let’s calculate how many physical American dollar bills will be printed between today and January 20, 2029.

The print orders

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing publishes annual print orders for the Federal Reserve. Here’s what we know:

  • CY 2025: 4.1 to 5.9 billion notes
  • CY 2026: 3.8 to 5.1 billion notes

Orders for 2027 and 2028 haven’t been published yet. Using the 2026 range as a proxy is standard practice.

The math

From today (March 27, 2026) through January 20, 2029:

PeriodFraction of yearEstimated notes
Rest of 2026 (Mar 27 – Dec 31)~76%2.9B – 3.9B
All of 2027100%3.8B – 5.1B
All of 2028100%3.8B – 5.1B
Jan 1 – 20, 2029~5.5%0.2B – 0.3B
Total~10.7B – 14.4B

Roughly 11 to 14 billion physical dollar bills. Midpoint: about 12.5 billion notes.

Most of these aren’t “new money” — they’re replacements for worn-out bills destroyed during normal processing. The Fed and BEP adjust production throughout the year to match demand.

How long do they stick around?

These new bills enter circulation over the printing period, then slowly wear out and get pulled. The curve has two phases: a rise as these new bills enter circulation through January 2029, then a long gradual decline as they get destroyed.

The lifespan slider below matters more than you’d think. A $1 bill lasts about 6 years. A $100 bill can survive 23 years. The default of 8 years is a rough weighted average across the denomination mix.


4 yr ($1 bills) 24 yr ($100 bills)

Percentage of all U.S. bills in circulation that were printed between Mar 2026 and Jan 2029. Assumes total circulation stays near 50 billion notes and uniform printing rate within each year.

By 2036 or so, roughly 8–10% of all bills in your wallet will still be ones printed during this window. That share keeps declining but never drops to zero instantly. It’s an exponential decay. Crank the slider to 24 years (the $100 bill lifespan) and you’ll see those Benjamins hanging around deep into the second half of the century.

References