Crypto ownership drops to 9% as investors favor yield over speculation

For financial advisors and market strategists, the Gallup data signals a decisive shift in retail allocation: two-thirds of investors with $10,000 or more in assets now say they are not interested in buying crypto. With money market yields above 4% and crypto ownership concentrated in a shrinking demographic, the asset class is losing the war for investor attention against less risky, yield-producing alternatives.

Cryptocurrency ownership among U.S. adults has fallen sharply over the past year, according to a new Gallup survey, marking a decisive shift in retail investor sentiment toward the once-hyped asset class. The survey, published September 22, 2026, found that only 9% of U.S. adults currently own cryptocurrency, down from 14% a year earlier. Among investors—defined by Gallup as individuals with at least $10,000 in investable assets—ownership dropped from 17% to 11% over the same period. The decline is most pronounced among the demographic that once powered crypto adoption: young men aged 18–49, whose ownership rate fell from 33% to 24%. Two-thirds of investors now report they are not interested in buying crypto, up from the prior year, while the share of investors who are intrigued by or planning to purchase crypto has remained flat at just under 20%.

“

Bitcoin itself was trading around $86,000 per coin as of Tuesday afternoon, down from a peak of over $120,000 last fall—a drawdown of roughly 28%.

The data reflects a broader cooling of the speculative fervor that characterized the early 2020s, a period Stephen Kates, principal at Clocktower Financial Consulting, described as crypto's "honeymoon period." Kates noted that while bitcoin and Ethereum still account for the overwhelming majority of crypto market value, the broader ecosystem has struggled to maintain momentum. Bitcoin itself was trading around $86,000 per coin as of Tuesday afternoon, down from a peak of over $120,000 last fall—a drawdown of roughly 28%. Professor Jay Zagorsky of Boston University's Questrom School of Business attributed the decline in ownership to the price drop, explaining that "tenuous investors" have looked elsewhere to make their fortune.

The implications extend beyond headline ownership numbers. The end of the Federal Reserve's near-zero interest rate policy has fundamentally altered the opportunity cost of holding speculative assets. As Kates argued, "The end of cheap money means cryptocurrencies must compete with less risky, yield-producing assets for investor capital." With money market funds and short-term Treasuries offering yields above 4%, the risk-reward calculus for retail investors has shifted. Meanwhile, the rise of sports betting and prediction markets has created new, more accessible outlets for speculative activity, further thinning the pool of crypto-curious capital.