The holding of cryptocurrencies is declining among American investors. According to a Gallup survey published on September 21, 11% of them said they held cryptos in June, compared to 17% a year earlier. Despite this decline, bitcoin has rebounded strongly since the survey period.
In brief
- 11% of American investors hold cryptos, compared to 17% in 2025.
- Among men aged 18 to 49, the proportion increases from 33% to 24%.
- 63% of investors consider cryptos to be very risky.
Crypto holding declines among investors
Gallup surveyed 2,043 U.S. adults between June 1 and 15, including 1,048 investors with more than $10,000 in investable assets. Among them, 11% say they own cryptocurrencies, compared to 17% in 2025. The margin of error reaches four points.
Among American adults overall, the proportion also drops from 14% to 9%. However, it remains higher than the levels observed in 2021 and 2018, where ownership reached 6% and 2% respectively.
This decline is accompanied by lower interest. In June, 66% of investors said they were not interested in cryptocurrencies, compared to 63% a year earlier.
For its part, River estimated in July that the number of bitcoin holders in the United States was 49.6 million, or 18.6% of adults.
Young investors are dropping out more
The decline appears in several categories, but some are affected more than others. Among men aged 18 to 49, detention falls from 33% to 24%. 18-29 year olds also recorded a sharp drop, from 18% to 8%.
The differences are also visible according to income. Among households earning less than $48,000 per year, ownership falls from 12% to just 4%. It falls to 15% among households with the highest incomes.
The perceived level of risk also remains high. According to the Gallup survey published on September 2163% of investors consider cryptos to be “very risky” and 31% to “fairly risky”.
These perceptions do not only concern non-holders: 77% of investors who own cryptos also consider them very risky.
Figures that vary depending on the methods
Different studies on crypto do not always give the same results, in particular because they do not measure exactly the same thing.
There Fed indicates that 10% of American adults used cryptos in 2025, including 9% to invest and 2% to make payments.
The timing of these surveys can also explain part of the discrepancies. The Gallup study was conducted from June 1 to 15, when bitcoin was trading around $59,000. As of September 23, its price reached approximately $86,160, an increase of nearly 46% since the survey period.
The next measurement will therefore make it possible to see whether this rebound in bitcoin has been accompanied by a renewed interest from American investors.
For the moment, the Gallup figures above all show a decline in detention and a still high level of caution. For its part, Morgan Stanley identifies six signals that could indicate that the crypto bear market is approaching its end.
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