US Investors Are Abandoning Crypto as Ownership Drops From 17% to 11% — Who's Still Holding On?

America's crypto boom has hit a striking reversal after years of rising adoption. The share of US investors who own cryptocurrency has fallen from 17% to 11% in just one year. While many investors are stepping back, younger men remain the investor group most likely to own cryptocurrencies.

The latest findings come from a Gallup survey conducted between 1st June and 15th June, which interviewed 2,043 US adults online. The nationally representative sample included over 1,000 investors, with Gallup defining an investor as someone with at least $10,000 in investable assets.

The results point to a sharp cooling in crypto ownership. Among US investors, 11% now say they own cryptocurrency, down from 17% in 2025. That decline reverses much of the growth recorded since 2021, when only 6% of investors reported owning crypto.

The reversal is also visible across the wider US population. Only 9% of American adults currently own cryptocurrency, compared with 14% last year, according to the survey.

Traditional assets such as stocks and real estate remain more widely viewed as better long-term investments. Yet crypto has not lost everyone.

Younger Men Are Still Holding On

Younger men aged 18 right up to 49 remain the most likely investor group to own cryptocurrency, although their ownership rate has also fallen sharply.

Gallup's survey found that 24% of younger male investors currently own crypto, down from 33% in 2025. Despite that decline, their ownership rate is still more than twice that of any other age-and-gender group.

Separate research from the Pew Research Center reinforces the gender and age divide. Its January 2026 survey found that 27% of US men had ever invested in, traded, or used cryptocurrency, compared with 11% of women. Among men aged 18 to 29, the figure reached 38%, while 40% of men aged 30 to 49 said they had used crypto.

Income levels also play a role in cryptocurrency investing. Gallup found that 15% of upper-income investors own cryptocurrency, compared with 7% of middle-income and 4% of lower-income investors. However, ownership among upper-income investors fell by four percentage points, versus eight points among both middle- and lower-income investors.

Why Investors Are Walking Away From Crypto

Cryptocurrency's perceived risk remains high among US investors. Gallup found that 63% describe cryptocurrency as a 'very risky' investment, while another 31% consider it 'somewhat risky'.

The survey also comes after a period of significant cryptocurrency price volatility. However, the findings do not establish that risk perceptions or falling prices were the direct or the only reasons individual investors stopped owning crypto.

In contrast, only 3% consider it 'not too risky'. Even among current crypto owners, 47% describe cryptocurrency as very risky, which is higher than the 37% of non-owners who are intrigued by digital assets.

That perception comes after a period of extreme price volatility. Gallup noted that Bitcoin climbed from roughly $6,000 in 2018 to above $100,000 in 2025, before subsequently losing nearly half its value over the following year.

Investor enthusiasm has weakened alongside ownership. Just 19% of investors are now intrigued by cryptocurrency or planning to buy it, while 66% say they are uninterested.

Gallup's survey also indicated that a mere 2% of US adults identified cryptocurrency as the best long-term investment in April, the lowest reading in its trend dating back to 2022.

The numbers, therefore, tell a more complicated story than a simple crypto exodus. US investors are clearly pulling back after a period of extraordinary enthusiasm, but cryptocurrency still has a particularly strong foothold among younger men and higher-income investors.

Disclaimer: Our digital media content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Please conduct your own analysis or seek professional advice before investing. Remember, investments are subject to market risks, and past performance does not guarantee future returns.