Arkansas Feels the Pinch: Penny Shortage Is Real, Businesses Being Affected

Talk about a penny for your thoughts. I thought I would never live to see the day that America would experience a penny shortage. Unfortunately, the shortage is all across the United States, including in the state of Arkansas.

Goodbye, Lincoln: America's Penny Era is Over

As a matter of fact, the other day I was in a store that had a sign on the front that said, If paying with cash, we have no pennies."  As the world heads toward digital currency, the penny will soon be obsolete, nothing more than a nostalgic reminder of our centuries past.

Penniless and Priceless: Why It Costs $0.034 to Make a Penny

According to THV11, the Director of the Arkansas Retail Association recalls the last time the penny went away in the United States was in the 1800s. Fast-forward to 2025, and America is about to be penniless again for good.

Production has already stopped, so any pennies you still have or find, you'd better hang on to them for good luck, I guess.

It costs about 3.4 cents to make a penny today, which turns out to be three and a half times worth, more than the penny is worth itself. It's not cost-effective to make anymore, which is why President Trump decided earlier this year to eliminate the penny. The final order for penny blanks was made in May.

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Last Change: The American Penny is Disappearing, Leaving Retailers to Round Up

Arkansas businesses are already feeling the penny pinch and telling their customers that the shortage is no joke. Receiving exact change may no longer be an option in some places. Some businesses are choosing to round down if the cents are a penny or two cents. In comparison, others may be rounding up to a nickel or dime.

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What Arkansans Can Do to Keep the American Penny in Circulation

Now, just because the penny won't be produced anymore doesn't mean it's going away completely. People are encouraged to clean out their penny cup holders, their coin jars, purses, couch cushions, and water bottles, and get those pennies back into circulation.

While we are headed toward a more digital age of money, it will take a while before the American penny disappears completely.

According to the U.S. Mint, the last production of pennies is not expected to take place until sometime next year. The Mint produced over 4.5 billion pennies in FY2023, which is around 40 percent of the 11.4 billion coins for circulation produced.