How do you find the percentage of change?

Percentage of change is basically used to find an increase or a decrease in a percentage from an originating point. Let's look at an example:

On January 1st, 2012 our companies profit was $162,369. What is the percentage of increase or decrease if our companies profit was $126,639 on January 1st, 2011.

Our formula: Increased (or Decreased) Value ÷ Initial Value x 100

Let's go ahead and plug in our numbers.

• Initial Value: $126,639
• Increased Value: $162,369

(162,369 ÷ 126,639) x 100 =

1.282 x 100 = 128.21%

So our companies profit increased 128.21% over the course of one year.