Last year, air travelers left $674,841 in loose change at airport security checkpoints across the U.S. That's up from $383,414 in 2008.
The Transportation Security Administration tallies the total amount of "unclaimed money" each fiscal year (from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30), and it shows pocket change really adds up.
“TSA makes every effort to reunite passengers with items left at the checkpoint," a spokesman told Mashable, "however there are instances where loose change or other items are left behind and unclaimed."
The unclaimed money -- usually coins -- is sent to the TSA financial office. Congress gave TSA the authority to use the money for its operations in 2005.
Most years since 2008, the amount of money recovered has increased steadily.
Unclaimed money recovered by the TSA, by fiscal year
2008 – $383,413.79
2009 – $432,790.62
2010 – $409,085.56
2011 – $487,869.50
2012 – $531,395.22
2013 – $638,142.64
2014 – $674,841.06
While that amounts to a lot of money for most people, it's a drop in the bucket when compared to TSA's annual budget. That was a requested $7.3 billion for the 2015 fiscal year.
The airports where travelers left the most money matched closely to those most trafficked, with the notable exception of Atlanta (the busiest airport in the country).
JFK (New York City) - $42,550.00
LAX (Los Angeles) - $41,506.64
SFO (San Francisco) - $34,889.63
MIA (Miami) - $32,590.43
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) - $29,684.03
LAS (Las Vegas) - $27,676.71
IAH (Houston) - $26,839.01
IAD (D.C.) - $22,037.55
ORD (Chicago) - $21,068.69
MCO (Orlando) - $20,757.81
LGA (New York City) - $16,786.05
EWR (Newark) - $16,669.72
BOS (Boston) - $13,513.50
FLL (Fort Lauderdale) - $12,341.20
SEA (Seattle-Tacoma) - $11,977.47