The pace of minting U.S. coins for circulation slowed for a second straight year, final 2022 production figures from the United States Mint show.
U.S. minting facilities shipped just over 13.6 billion coins to Federal Reserve Banks for circulation release during the calendar year, marking drops of 6% from the nearly 14.5 billion coins struck in 2021 and 7.8% from the more than 14.7 billion coins made in 2020 when production ramped up again to alleviate coin circulation issues brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here is a summary of U.S. coin production totals in 2022 compared to those from 2021:
US Mint Annual Coin Production (2022 vs 2021)
| Year 2021 | Year 2022 | 2022 Unit Gain / Loss | 2022 % Gain / Loss | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cents | 7,908,620,000 | 6,359,600,000 | -1,549,020,000 | -19.6% |
| Nickels | 1,570,780,000 | 1,547,520,000 | -23,260,000 | -1.5% |
| Dimes | 2,830,250,000 | 3,134,000,000 | 303,750,000 | 10.7% |
| Quarters | 2,168,200,000 | 2,567,600,000 | 399,400,000 | 18.4% |
| Half Dollars | 13,100,000 | 9,700,000 | -3,400,000 | -26.0% |
| Native American $1 | 2,520,000 | 1,960,000 | -560,000 | -22.2% |
| Total | 14,493,470,000 | 13,620,380,000 | -873,090,000 | -6.0% |
The U.S. Mint’s main mission is to manufacture coins based on the nation’s demand and then transport them to Federal Reserve Banks and their coin terminals for distribution into circulation.
Minting facilities in Philadelphia and Denver are tasked with manufacturing all U.S. coins for commerce. In 2022, the Philadelphia Mint produced 6,730,500,000 coins while the Denver Mint made 6,889,880,000 coins.
6.3 Billion Cents in 2022
Of note, the Federal Reserve orders more 1-cent coins from the U.S. Mint than any other denomination even as data shows that it costs 2.1 cents to make and distribute each one. The over 6.3 billion cents struck last year represents 46.7% of the combined production total for 2022. While a lot, this is well lower than in past years. For example, in 2021, the Mint manufactured over 7.9 billion cents for 54.6% of all coins minted for circulation.
Mintages of Native American $1 Coins & Kennedy Half Dollars
Attesting to their lower mintage totals as compared to other coins, Native American dollars are no longer ordered by the Federal Reserve for circulation, but they are still made in circulating quality for coin collector products. The same is true, or was until 2021 and 2022, for Kennedy half-dollars.
Typically, in January, the U.S. Mint strikes both denominations to the expected amounts needed for the entire year. That remained the case for Native American dollars but not for Kennedy halves, which saw their mintages increase in several months last year (January, May and June) and in 2021 (February, March, April, May and August).
Published mintages of 2022 Native American dollars show equal splits of 980,000 from Denver and 980,000 from Philadelphia for a combined 1.96 million coins. In contrast, the 2021 dollar logged splits of 1.26 million for Denver and 1.26 million for Philadelphia for 2.52 million coins.
In May, mintages for the 2022 Kennedy half-dollar increased for the second time last year, posting a combined increase of 3.6 million to more than double the 3.2 million made in January. They climbed again in June by 2.9 million. Unchanged since, 2022 half dollar mintages ended at 4.9 million from Denver and 4.8 million from Philadelphia for a total of 9.7 million. In 2021, the half dollar mintages closed with a mix of 7.7 million from Denver and 5.4 million from Philadelphia for a combined 13.1 million.
First America Women Quarter Mintages
2022 was the inaugural year for the U.S. Mint’s four-year series of quarters celebrating the contributions of notable women who have shaped American history.
Honorees for the year include Maya Angelou, Dr. Sally Ride, Wilma Mankiller, Nina Otero-Warren and Anna May Wong. Each features a unique design with:
- the 2022 Maya Angelou quarter which began circulating in early January. (The Mint started selling collectible Maya Angelou quarters in rolls and bags on Feb. 7.)
- the 2022 Dr. Sally Ride quarter which started circulating toward the end of March. (The Mint started selling collectible Dr. Ride Sally Angelou quarters in rolls and bags on March 22.)
- the 2022 Wilma Mankiller quarter which began circulating in early June. (The Mint started selling collectible Mankiller quarters in rolls and bags on June 14.)
- the 2022 Nina Otero-Warren quarter which started circulating mid-August. (The Mint started selling collectible Nina Otero-Warren quarters in rolls and bags on Aug 16.)
- the 2022 Anna May Wong quarter which started circulating Oct. 24. (The Mint started selling collectible Anna May Wong quarters in rolls and bags on Oct. 25.)
For the first time, Mint data revealed mintages for the Anna May Wong quarter. They are the second lowest in the series to date.
This next table shows 2022 circulating coin mintages by production facility, denomination, and design.
2022 Circulating Coin Production by Design
| Denver | Philadelphia | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Cent | 3,230,400,000 | 3,129,200,000 | 6,359,600,000 |
| Jefferson Nickel | 777,600,000 | 769,920,000 | 1,547,520,000 |
| Roosevelt Dime | 1,583,000,000 | 1,551,000,000 | 3,134,000,000 |
| Maya Angelou Quarter | 258,200,000 | 237,600,000 | 495,800,000 |
| Dr. Sally Ride Quarter | 278,000,000 | 275,200,000 | 553,200,000 |
| Wilma Mankiller Quarter | 296,800,000 | 310,000,000 | 606,800,000 |
| Nina Otero-Warren Quarter | 219,200,000 | 225,000,000 | 444,200,000 |
| Anna May Wong Quarter | 240,800,000 | 226,800,000 | 467,600,000 |
| Kennedy Half-Dollar | 4,900,000 | 4,800,000 | 9,700,000 |
| Native American $1 Coin | 980,000 | 980,000 | 1,960,000 |
| Total | 6,889,880,000 | 6,730,500,000 | 13,620,380,000 |
Coin Production in December 2022
Normally, December is a slower production month as the U.S. Mint adjusts their tooling for the upcoming year’s coins. That has not really been the case in the last three Decembers with amounts of 846.5 million coins most recently, 953.37 million coins in December 2021, and 903.50 million coins in December 2020.
More typical Decembers are represented in years 2011 to 2019, for example, with their totals of 431.78 million, 245.34 million, 285.96 million, 878.84 million, 707.79 million, 696.68 million, 762.86 million, 560.64 million, and 400.88 million.
Here’s how last month compares against others in the past year:
December 2021 to December 2022 Circulating Coin Production
| Month | Mintages | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| December 2022 | 846.50 M | 13 |
| November 2022 | 906.00 M | 12 |
| October 2022 | 1,177.14 M | 6 |
| September 2022 | 1,003.72 M | 9 |
| August 2022 | 948.06 M | 11 |
| July 2022 | 1,100.62 M | 8 |
| June 2022 | 1,141.60 M | 7 |
| May 2022 | 1,255.32 M | 4 |
| April 2022 | 1,278.88 M | 2 |
| March 2022 | 1,452.58 M | 1 |
| February 2022 | 1,260.12 M | 3 |
| January 2022 | 1,249.84 M | 5 |
| December 2021 | 953.37 M | 10 |
This last table shows productions totals by denomination for December:
US Mint Circulating Coin Production in December 2022
| Denomination | Denver | Philadelphia | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Cents | 182,000,000 | 114,000,000 | 296,000,000 |
| Jefferson Nickels | 45,360,000 | 55,440,000 | 100,800,000 |
| Roosevelt Dimes | 123,500,000 | 139,000,000 | 262,500,000 |
| Quarters | 100,200,000 | 87,000,000 | 187,200,000 |
| Kennedy Half Dollars | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Native American $1s | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 451,060,000 | 395,440,000 | 846,500,000 |
