U.S. Currency at Home and Abroad
Currency remains the most familiar medium for face-to-face transactions in the U.S. economy. In addition, U.S. currency, more than any other of the world’s currencies, is widely held as a store of value and used as a medium of exchange outside its home country. In 2005, approximately 50 percent of all U.S. currency in circulation, or about $350 billion, was held outside the United States.