A percentage change measures the size of a change relative to the original amount rather than as a number. For example, for a decrease from 10 to six, instead of saying you lost four, the percentage change would be a decrease of 40 percent. By measuring as a percentage, you can get a better sense of the significance of the gain or loss. For example, a salary increase of $500 would mean next to nothing to a company president, but to someone making $20,000 a year, it would be much more significant.
Instructions
-
-
1
Subtract the beginning value from the ending value. For example, if tuition cost $20,000 last year and increased to $21,000 this year, subtract $20,000 from $21,000 to get an increase of $1,000.
-
2
Divide the increase or decrease by the beginning value to find the change expressed as a rate. In this example, divide $1,000 by $20,000 to get 0.05.
-
-
3
Multiply the rate by 100 to convert to a percentage. Completing this example, multiply 0.05 by 100 to get 5 percent.