Life of a U.S. Dollar Bill

The average lifespan of a $1 bill is 22 months, before it is destroyed and replaced. The average lifespan of a $5 bill is 16 months. A $100 bill lasts the longest at 89 months, or nearly 8 years.

About 45 percent of all the notes printed each year are $1 bills, totaling 2.64 billion in 2009. It cost approximately 4 cents to make a $1 bill.

The U.S dollar is printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in two facilities, one in Washington D.C. and the other in Fort Worth, Texas. It is made from a blend of 75 percent cotton and 25 percent linen.

The is approximately $860 billion worth of U.S. paper money circulating throughout the world.

Dollar bills are taken out of circulation by the Federal Reserve if they are determinate not to be in good condition. About 1/3 of the notes that the Federal Reserve receives are deemed unfit for re-circulation and are shredded and destroyed.