Federal Reserve District Seals
Learn the 12 districts and their seals, numbers, and letters.
The Federal Reserve district seal on the front of every Federal Reserve Note identifies which of the 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks distributed that currency. Understanding the seals helps you immediately know the note's origin.
The 12 Federal Reserve Districts
The United States is divided into 12 Federal Reserve districts, each with a Federal Reserve Bank:
District I: Boston (Letter: A)
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
- Region: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
- Seal: Roman numeral I with letter A
District II: New York (Letter: B)
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
- Region: New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands
- Seal: Roman numeral II with letter B
District III: Philadelphia (Letter: C)
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
- Region: Delaware, New Jersey (partial), Pennsylvania
- Seal: Roman numeral III with letter C
District IV: Cleveland (Letter: D)
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
- Region: Ohio, Pennsylvania (partial), West Virginia
- Seal: Roman numeral IV with letter D
District V: Richmond (Letter: E)
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
- Region: Delaware (partial), Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia (partial)
- Seal: Roman numeral V with letter E
District VI: Atlanta (Letter: F)
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
- Region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia
- Seal: Roman numeral VI with letter F
District VII: Chicago (Letter: G)
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
- Region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri (partial), Wisconsin
- Seal: Roman numeral VII with letter G
District VIII: St. Louis (Letter: H)
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
- Region: Arkansas, Illinois (partial), Indiana (partial), Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee
- Seal: Roman numeral VIII with letter H
District IX: Minneapolis (Letter: I)
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
- Region: Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin (partial)
- Seal: Roman numeral IX with letter I
District X: Kansas City (Letter: J)
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
- Region: Colorado, Kansas, Missouri (partial), Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Wyoming
- Seal: Roman numeral X with letter J
District XI: Dallas (Letter: K)
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
- Region: Louisiana, Texas
- Seal: Roman numeral XI with letter K
District XII: San Francisco (Letter: L)
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
- Region: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington
- Seal: Roman numeral XII with letter L
Reading the District Seal
The Federal Reserve district seal is the black circle on the front left of the note. It contains:
- A Roman numeral (I-XII) indicating the district number
- A letter (A-L) matching the serial number prefix
- The city name of the Federal Reserve Bank
Matching Seal to Serial Number
The letter in the Federal Reserve seal MUST match the prefix letter of the serial number. For example:
- If the seal shows "II / B / NEW YORK," the serial number must begin with B
- If you see a serial number starting with F, the seal must show "VI / F / ATLANTA"
If they don't match, the note has been artificially altered or is counterfeit.
District Distribution Patterns
Federal Reserve Notes from all districts circulate nationwide. You might find a note from the San Francisco Fed in New York, or a Boston Fed note in Texas. Distribution is not geographically limited to each district's region.
Collector Significance
Some collectors focus on collecting one note from each Federal Reserve district, creating a set of 12. Others might specialize in notes from a specific district. The district seal provides visual variety and helps organize systematic collections.
Ready to put this to use?
Bill Bounty hunts involve real circulating U.S. currency. Apply what you've learned to spot target bills in the wild.