With the stock market dipping and inflation biting, 46.5 million Americans who have never purchased cryptocurrency before say they are likely to invest in crypto for the first time next year, according to a survey from The Ascent, a Motley Fool service.

Those Americans will join the 145 million American adults — about 56% of the U.S. adult population — who say they own cryptocurrency or have invested in crypto in the past.

In May 2022, The Ascent surveyed 2,000 American adults to get a better understanding of why they are interested in becoming cryptocurrency investors or why they shy away from the cryptocurrency market. We asked whether they understand blockchain, where they get information about cryptocurrency, what tools they use to invest in crypto, and more.

We found that interest in becoming a crypto investor for the first time continues to grow, although an increasing number of Americans believe that cryptocurrency is a bad investment.

Read on for cryptocurrency statistics, including how many people own cryptocurrency, what Americans think about governmental regulations, what’s led them into the crypto market, and what’s keeping them out.

Key findings

• Interest in cryptocurrency continues to grow: 56% of American adults, roughly 145 million people, say they own or have previously owned cryptocurrency. Seventy-four percent of that group, roughly 107 million Americans, invested in crypto for the first time in the last two years. Forty-one percent of Americans who have never owned crypto, about 46.5 million Americans, say they are likely to buy crypto in the next year.
• Skepticism towards crypto’s value is on the rise: 24% of American adults who don’t own crypto haven’t bought it because they think it’s a bad investment, up from 9% in 2021.
• Financial integration is in demand: 52% of American adults would consider investing in cryptocurrency in their retirement accounts, 62% would consider buying more crypto if they could store it in a bank account, and 61% would consider a credit card with crypto rewards.

How many people own cryptocurrency? 145 million Americans

Fifty-six percent of American adults, about 145 million people, say they own or have previously owned cryptocurrency.

The number of Americans that own crypto is now on par with the number of Americans who own stocks.

Since Bitcoin’s creation in 2009, interest in investing in virtual currency has exploded. There are countless cryptocurrencies, different types of cryptocurrencies, and more ways to invest in cryptocurrency than ever before.

74% of Americans who own cryptocurrency bought for the first time within the last 2 years

Seventy-four percent of cryptocurrency investors, roughly 107 million Americans, bought for the first time in the last two years.

Impressive returns from crypto markets in 2020 and much of 2021 likely brought in a new wave of cryptocurrency ownership.