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America’s Growing Financial Literacy Problem

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America's Growing Financial Literacy Problem

America’s Growing Financial Literacy Problem

Making major personal finance decisions can be daunting for anyone.

Whether the decision is related to paying back student debt or how to invest for the first time, the outcomes of these decisions have a long-term impact on the quality of our lives. Smart decisions can lead to achieving financial independence, while bad decisions can lead to years of being stuck in the “hole”.

Even though it’s clear that financial literacy is important, there’s a big problem: it’s actually been dropping for years in the United States.

Diagnosing the Problem

Today’s infographic was done in conjunction with Next Gen Personal Finance, a non-profit that provides a free online curriculum of personal finance courses geared to students.

The graphic paints a troubling picture of the current financial literacy situation in the country, while demonstrating why personal finance is a crucial area of study for our youth.

Here are some of the indicators that show literacy is dropping:

  • The U.S. ranks 14th globally in terms of financial literacy
  • With a 57% literacy, the U.S. beats Botswana (52%) but gets edged out by countries like Germany (66%) or Canada (68%)
  • Only 16.4% of U.S. students are required to take a personal finance class in schools
  • 76% of millennials lack basic financial knowledge
  • Between 2009-2015, Americans got worse at answering five key personal finance questions posed by FINRA – a major U.S. financial regulator

And worse, this lack of knowledge is translating into anxiety and even fear.

  • Four of five adults say they were never given the opportunity to learn about personal finance
  • 70% of millennials are stressed and anxious about saving for retirement
  • 22% of millennials feel overwhelmed about their finances
  • 13% of millennials feel scared

Meanwhile, student debt is soaring to new highs – how do we put our students in a better spot to succeed?

The Road Ahead

As financial products continue to increase in complexity, the road ahead is not an easy one.

However, there is still a great case for optimism: 60% of Americans say they know someday they will need to be more financially secure – they just don’t know how to get there. This number increases to 70% for those between the ages of 18-39 years old.

This means there is actually a great thirst for financial education out there – the question is just how to best deliver that information in a compelling way.

Another good sign? The youngest generation, Gen Z, is already starting to think about money differently:

Gen Z saw millennials struggle with wage stagnation and huge college debt, so they took note and are making a conscious effort to approach money and debt differently.

– Jason Dorsey, Center for Generational Kinetics

Real World Benefits

Increased financial literacy translates into real world benefits for individuals, and to the economy as a whole.

People with strong financial skills are better at job planning and saving for retirement. Meanwhile, financial savvy investors are more likely to diversify risk, and students that take a personal finance course see up to a 5.2% increase in credit scores within two years.

Lastly, consumers that understand compound interest:

  • Spend less on transaction fees
  • Accrue less debt
  • Incur lower interest rates on loans
  • Save more money

And this is just scratching the surface of what could be possible.

Making the right financial decisions can help people meet their own personal goals, live a life of abundance, get out of debt, and become financially independent.

This infographic was originally published on the Wealth 101: A Crash Course in Personal Finance minisite, a collaboration between NGPF and Visual Capitalist

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Visualizing All of the U.S. Currency in Circulation

This graphic illustrates the amount of U.S. currency in circulation globally, by denomination, based on data from the Federal Reserve.

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Visualizing All of the U.S. Currency in Circulation

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Have you ever wondered how much U.S. currency is in circulation?

Every year, the U.S. Federal Reserve submits a print order for U.S. currency to the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP). The BEP will then print billions of notes in various denominations, from $1 bills to $100 bills.

In this graphic, we’ve used the latest Federal Reserve data to visualize the approximate number of bills for each denomination globally, as of Dec. 31, 2022.

Breakdown of U.S. Currency in Circulation

The following table lists all of the data we used to create the visualization above. Note that value figures were rounded for simplicity.

Type of BillNumber of notes
in circulation (billions)
Value ($B)
$114.3$14B
$21.5$3B
$53.5$18B
$102.3$23B
$2011.5$230B
$502.5$125B
$10018.5$1,850B
$500-10,000*0.0004n/a

*$500-10,000 bills are listed as a range, and a total circulation of 0.0004 billion. Not included in graphic.

From these numbers, we can see that $100 bills are the most common bill in circulation, even ahead of $1 bills.

One reason for this is $100 bills have a longer lifespan than smaller denominations, due to people using $100 bills less often for transactions. Some businesses may also decline $100 bills as payment.

Based on 2018 estimates from the Federal Reserve, a $100 bill has a lifespan of over 20 years, which is significantly higher than $1 bills (7 years) and $5 bills (5 years).

If you’re interested in more visualizations on the U.S. dollar, consider this animated chart which shows how the dollar overtook the British pound as the world’s most prominent reserve currency.

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Voronoi, the app by Visual Capitalist. Where data tells the story. Download on App Store or Google Play

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