United States dollar
 Federal Reserve Notes (obverse) | |
| ISO 4217 | |
|---|---|
| Code | USD (numeric: 840) |
| Subunit | 0.01 |
| Units of account | |
| Base unit | dollar |
| Plural | dollars |
| Symbol | $ |
| Nickname | List
|
| Subunit | |
| 1⁄100 | cent |
| 1⁄10 | dime (not a unit in practice) |
| 1⁄1000 | mill (accounting only) |
| Plural | |
| cent | cents |
| mill | mills |
| Symbol | |
| cent | ¢ |
| mill | ₥ |
| Denominations | |
| Banknotes | |
| Freq. used | $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 |
| Rarely used | $2 Discontinued, but still legal tender: $500, $1,000, $5,000, $10,000 |
| Coins | |
| Freq. used | 1¢ (penny); 5¢ (nickel), 10¢ (dime), 25¢ (quarter) |
| Rarely used | 50¢ (half dollar), $1 Discontinued, but still legal tender: 1⁄2¢, 2¢, 3¢, 20¢, $2.50, $3, $5, $10, $20 |
| Demographics | |
| Date of introduction | April 2, 1792 |
| Replaced | Continental currency Various foreign currencies, including: British sterling Spanish dollar |
| User(s) | See § Official users (19), § Unofficial users (8) |
| Issuance | |
| Central bank | Federal Reserve |
| Website | federalreserve.gov |
| Printer | Bureau of Engraving and Printing |
| Website | bep.gov |
| Mint | United States Mint |
| Website | usmint.gov |
| Valuation | |
| Inflation | 3.4% or 3.7% |
| Source | BLS (August 2026) or BEA (July 2026) |
| Method | CPI or PCE |
| Pegged by | See § Pegged currencies |
The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States (U.S.) and several other countries. The U.S. Coinage Act of 1792 established the dollar as the base unit, with each dollar divided into 100 cents (symbol: ¢). U.S. banknotes are issued in the form of Federal Reserve Notes, popularly called greenbacks due to their predominantly green color.
The U.S. dollar was originally defined under a bimetallic standard of 371.25 grains (24.057 g) (0.7734375 troy ounces) fine silver or, from 1834, 23.22 grains (1.505 g) fine gold, or $20.67 per troy ounce. The Gold Standard Act of 1900 linked the dollar solely to gold. From 1934, its equivalence to gold was revised to $35 per troy ounce. In 1971 all links to gold were repealed. The U.S. dollar became an important international reserve currency after the First World War, and displaced British sterling as the world's primary reserve currency by the Bretton Woods Agreement towards the end of the Second World War. The dollar is the most widely used currency in international transactions, and a free-floating currency. It is also the official currency in several countries and the de facto currency in many others, with Federal Reserve Notes (and, in a few cases, U.S. coins) used in circulation.
The monetary policy of the United States is conducted by the Federal Reserve System, which acts as the nation's central bank. As of February 10, 2021, physical currency in circulation amounted to US$2.10 trillion, $2.05 trillion of which is in Federal Reserve Notes (the remaining $50 billion is in the form of coins and older-style United States Notes). As of January 1, 2025, the Federal Reserve estimated that the total amount of currency in circulation was approximately US$2.37 trillion.
- Currencies with ISO 4217 code