Average Bitcoin Transaction Fees Skyrocket to $19.20 per Transfer as Over 440,000 Transactions Remain Unconfirmed
Bitcoin transaction fees have surged significantly in the past 24 hours, with the average fee reaching $19.20 per transfer. The increase in fees can be linked to a backlog of transactions trapped in the mempool, as over 440,000 unconfirmed transactions are currently awaiting confirmation.
Block Reward Dethroned: Bitcoin Transaction Fees Surpass Mining Subsidy for the First Time Since 2017 On Sunday, May 7, 2023, bitcoin transaction fees exceeded the block reward for the first time since December 2017 at block height 788,695. Subsequent block heights 788,700 and 788,702 also witnessed fees surpassing the subsidy.
According to bitinfocharts.com data, the median-sized fee is 0.0004 BTC or $11.05 per transfer . High-priority transactions are paying upwards of $22.90 per transaction and individuals are paying $19.95 for medium-priority transactions.
Block intervals or mining times have been exceeding the ten-minute average lately. The most recent block time was approximately ten minutes and 34 seconds. Slower block times may result in another decline in difficulty — an estimated drop of around 5.3% is anticipated to occur on May 18, 2023.