Percent Change Math Example 2

Follow the full solution, then compare it with the other examples linked below.

Example 2

medium
A town's population grew from 12,00012{,}000 to 15,00015{,}000. What is the percent increase?

Solution

  1. 1
    Find the change: 15,000−12,000=3,00015{,}000 - 12{,}000 = 3{,}000.
  2. 2
    Divide by the original: 3,00012,000=0.25\frac{3{,}000}{12{,}000} = 0.25.
  3. 3
    Convert: 0.25×100=25%0.25 \times 100 = 25\%.

Answer

25% increase25\% \text{ increase}
Percent increase uses the same formula as percent decrease. The key is always dividing by the original (starting) value, not the new value.

About Percent Change

Percent change measures how much a quantity has increased or decreased relative to its original value, calculated as new−originaloriginal×100%\frac{\text{new} - \text{original}}{\text{original}} \times 100\%.

Learn more about Percent Change →

More Percent Change Examples

Example 1 easy

A jacket originally costs [formula]60[formula][formula]. What is the percent decrease?

Example 3 hard

A stock price rises by [formula] one year and falls by [formula] the next year. If it started at [fo

Example 4 easy

A shirt's price increases from [formula]25[formula][formula]. What is the percent increase?

Example 5 medium

After a [formula] discount, a laptop costs [formula]680$. What was the original price?

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