Cash facts & stats

Question 1

In a 2016 U.S. consumer survey, what share of respondents said they preferred paying with a credit or debit card, versus just 11% who preferred cash?

Accepted Answer

75%. Card payments had already become the clearly preferred method for most American consumers by the mid-2010s.

Question 2

In 2018, the average amount of U.S. currency in circulation per person was about $5,238, up from about how much in 2008?

Accepted Answer

about $2,927. The dollar value of cash in circulation per person roughly doubled over that decade, even as electronic payments grew.

Question 3

By 2016, about what share of individual RETAIL TRANSACTIONS in Sweden (not just value) were still paid in cash?

Accepted Answer

about 20%. Even in cash-averse Sweden, a meaningful minority of small purchases were still made with physical cash.

Question 4

In 2012, about what share of the U.S. population was estimated to lack the full range of basic financial services (fully banked or underbanked)?

Accepted Answer

about one-third. Being "underbanked" can mean relying on check-cashing services, payday loans, or other alternatives to full bank access.

Going deeper