The penny costs nearly 4 cents to make. Here’s how much the US spends on minting its other coins
May 23, 2025
The impending “death” of the U.S. penny has spotlighted the coin’s own price tag — nearly 4 cents to make and distribute each, or quadruple its value. Months after President Donald Trump called on his administration to cease penny production, the U.S. Mint announced this week that it had made its final order of penny blanks — and plans to stop making new 1-cent coins after those run out. Coin production costs vary thanks to different raw metals used, complexity of their designs, labor needed and more. Many of those expenses have been on the rise — and the penny isn’t the only coin entering our wallets today that costs more to make than it’s worth.
