As a blockchain enthusiast and long term crypto investor, I am always fascinated by how fast the market cap of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has grown over the last decade. According to Prnewswire.com, in 2019 6% of the American population was invested in Bitcoin. And by 2020 a new survey published by Harris Poll in early 2020 estimated that the percentage had increased significantly to 11% of Americans. To give some perspective I wanted to compare this ratio to other assets such as gold, silver, stocks, 401k, and real state to understand what Americans are heavily investing in. Over time the trends change, and I plan to check if there are any major fluctuations to this number in the next few years. If all goes well this will be an interesting experiment for me and for those who follow my blog. So let's get to the numbers!
Bitcoin
Bitcoin may be the under-dog and is hardly mentioned by the media outlets. But contrary to skepticism beliefs, the percentage of Americans who are invested in Bitcoin continues to grow exponentially since its inception a decade ago. According to a 2020 survey conducted by Harris Pool and recently published by cointelegraph.com it is estimated that 11 percent of Americans own Bitcoin. That is quite a large percentage, especially when comparing with the number of American people invested in precious metals.
Gold
Research conducted by Gold IRA guide concluded that 12% of the American Population is invested in Gold. The research was published in October 2019 and received 1,500 US responses about precious metals ownership. The research used google surveys and targeted males and females between the ages of 18 to 65+ from coast to coast. The data also included results for silver ownership, which is provided below.
Silver
According to the same survey conducted by the Gold IRA Guide, and published in October 2019. Silver ownership percentage in America is above the Gold rate ownership with 14.7% of interviewed Americans claiming to own Silver.
Stocks
According to Forbes.com stock ownership was at its peak in 2002 when 67% of Americans claimed they were invested. But, the figure mentioned above has dropped drastically. In 2020 that number dropped to 55%, according to a recent survey conducted by Gallup
401K
Forbes recently published a report by statista.com in 2020, claiming that 50 million Americans participate in a 401K program. Out of 328 million people in the USA, only 15% percent of Americans have invested in a 401K
Real State
Homeownership is the pride investment of Americans and most of the population strives to own real state. Some simply to spend a lifetime on, and others as a form of income. According to the report provided by statista.com, 65.1% of Americans have reached their homeownership dream. More than half of the population is invested in the real state market. Also note that, according to the statista.com report, the current percentage of 65.1% has only started to increase in the past few years, after a steady decrease since its peak in 2004 of 69.4%.
In Conclusion,
Currently, in the US real state is the class in which Americans are most invested in with a little over 65 percent of the American population owning real state. Stocks are next with a fairly large percentage of the population heavily invested in corporate assets. All the other asset classes mentioned in this article, Bitcoin, Gold, Silver, and 401k retirement plan fall on or below the 15% margin of the population. The difference between the percentage of people invested in gold and bitcoin is only 1% with Bitcoin being the least invested on an asset at an 11% margin. However, Bitcoin in the last year alone has had a hefty increase close to doubling its investor population from 6% to 11% in one year. That is something to watch for as the underdog continues to trend.
All my best,
Michelle M.
www.mammycrypto.com
Link List: https://cointr.ee/mammycrypto
Article Resources:
1. 11% of Americans Own Bitcoin, Major Awareness Increased Since 2017
https://cointelegraph.com/news/11-of-americans-own-bitcoin-major-awareness-increased-since-2017
2. Homeownership rate in the United States from 1990 to 2019
https://www.statista.com/statistics/184902/homeownership-rate-in-the-us-since-2003/
3. 12% of The American Population Owns Gold, While 14.7% Owns Silver, According to A New Survey
https://goldiraguide.org/12-of-the-american-population-owns-gold-while-14-7-owns-silver-according-to-a-new-survey/
4. Most Americans Don’t Have A Real Stake In The Stock Market
https://www.forbes.com/sites/teresaghilarducci/2020/08/31/most-americans-dont-have-a-real-stake-in-the-stock-market/?sh=46dcd25c1154
5. Report: A Quarter Of Americans Have No Retirement Savings -
https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2019/06/03/report-a-quarter-of-americans-have-no-retirement-savings-infographic/?sh=45a15ea83ebf
