The U.S. government printed less money in September compared to August, according Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) figures released on Friday.
643,200,000 U.S. banknotes were manufactured last month worth $4,028,800,000. That compares to 667.5 million notes worth $10.5 billion in August.
While the production pace was just slightly down with some 24 million fewer notes (nearly negated when considering September had one less day than August), the total dollar value of money printed was substantially lower at less than half. The difference between months is mostly due to zero $100 bills produced in September.
The BEP did print 3.2 million $1 star notes, which are replacements for misprinted notes or certain serial numbers, like 000 000 000. Another 20,000 sheets of $5 star notes were also produced (total of these not in table below). Star notes are generally more desirable to collectors, as they are rarer.
Spread across the 30 days in September and counting weekends and holidays, the BEP averaged more than 21.4 million notes per day with a total daily face value worth about $134 million.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing indicates that 95% of the notes made each year are used to replace those already in, or taken out of circulation. If this percentage is run across September, then "new or extra" notes for circulation is slashed down to $6.7 million per day.
Printed Notes by Denomination: Volume and Face Value (September 2008)
| Denomination | Total Printed | Total Face Value |
| $1 | 316,800,000 | 316,800,000 |
| $5 | 140,800,000 | 704,000,000 |
| $10 | 70,400,000 | 704,000,000 |
| $20 | 115,200,000 | 2,304,000,000 |
| Total | 643,200,000 | 4,028,800,000 |
Aside from CoinNews reports, monthly banknote production totals may be found on the BEP page Monthly Production Figures.
