Bitcoin has overtaken gold as the preferred hard asset among American investors, according to bitcoin financial services firm River. The firm found that 49.6 million Americans, or 18.6% of the adult population, now own bitcoin, compared to 28.8 million, or 10.8%, who hold gold.
Key Takeaways
River’s July report found 49.6 million Americans hold bitcoin versus 28.8 million who own gold.US bitcoin ownership climbed from a 14.3% adoption rate to 18.6% in about six months.The US government holds 328,372 BTC as lawmakers weigh a formal strategic reserve.Gold has served as a store of value for roughly 5,000 years, while bitcoin has existed for only around 16 years since the Bitcoin network launched in January 2009. River’s findings indicate that an asset with a fraction of gold’s track record has already built a larger base of individual American owners than gold has after millennia.
River attributed the shift to two main forces, namely access and culture. The firm said favorable regulation, a low barrier to entry through exchanges and mobile apps, and an American cultural leaning toward individual investing and financial self-reliance have combined to accelerate adoption.
The report also found that Americans collectively hold approximately 42% of all bitcoin in global circulation, a concentration described as making the United States the “global bitcoin superpower.”
Government and Corporate Holdings Reinforce the ShiftPublic companies headquartered in the country hold roughly 1.24 million BTC, according to River, representing 92.7% of all bitcoin held by publicly traded companies worldwide, a concentration that reflects how dominant US-listed firms have become in corporate bitcoin treasury strategy.
Mining infrastructure tells a similar story, given that the U.S. accounts for 37.5% of Bitcoin’s global hashrate and that more than 150 bitcoin-related companies, spanning exchanges, custodians, miners, and payment processors, are now headquartered domestically.
A separate study found that the U.S. bitcoin ownership rate stood at 14.3% at the start of 2026, meaning the rate has climbed more than four percentage points in roughly six months under River’s latest measurement.
Wall Street’s posture toward bitcoin has shifted alongside retail adoption, with River’s report noting that several large U.S. asset managers have opened bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) distribution to their clients this year, putting bitcoin in front of financial advisors who previously had little reason to discuss the asset with retail clients. That distribution shift, combined with rising direct ownership, implies that bitcoin is moving from a niche holding to a more standard part of American household balance sheets.
