Here’s What the Death of the Penny Means for Arizona

A penny for your thoughts?

Do you think ending the one-cent coin is good for Arizona? The death of the penny has been in the works for a while, and lawmakers have given lip service to retiring it for years. With production costs outstripping its worth, the penny has been on borrowed time for a while.

Retailers love to price everything to .99 cents, and even with tax, prices rarely come out to even numbers. So what will the end of the penny mean for Arizona?

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Why did the government stop making pennies?

Inflation has touched everything, it seems, and the penny is no different. The biggest problem comes down to economics.

Producing the one-cent coin costs taxpayers almost four cents each. In 2024 alone, the Mint lost more than $85 million making pennies. President Trump ordered the Treasury to stop minting them, calling the practice “wasteful.”

Even if it makes things a little wonky at the beginning, this might make good economic sense. Ending production is expected to save about $56 million annually.

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When was the last penny minted?

The final batch of pennies rolled off presses in Philadelphia on November 12, 2025.  The penny press just ended a 232‑year tradition. Special “Omega” pennies were struck to mark the occasion, but those are headed to auction, and they won't end up in your pocket change.

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How many pennies are still out there?

Just because the government isn't minting new pennies doesn't mean you can continue to use them. If you've got an overflowing coin jar or have a bunch floating around in your couch cushions, you can still gather them up and turn them in for larger sums of cash.

Arizona wallets and the floor boards of your car won’t have to be penny‑free overnight. Estimates range from 200 to 250 billion pennies in circulation. They’ll stay legal tender, so you can still spend them until they naturally fade out of use.

What happens when you pay cash?

Retailers and banks have anticipated this for a while. You may have already seen signs telling customers there's a penny shortage. It's going to take some time for restaurants to print new menus and for stores to adapt their pricing so everything doesn't end with .99.

Without pennies, stores will round totals to the nearest nickel when you pay cash. If you pay with a credit or debit card, nothing will change.