49.6M Americans Own Bitcoin, Outnumber Gold Holders

River’s July report found 49.6 million Americans, or 18.6% of adults, now own bitcoin, compared with 28.8 million, or 10.8%, who hold gold. The firm measured U.S. retail adoption and reported bitcoin ownership rose from 14.3% at the start of 2026 to 18.6% in roughly six months.

The report attributes the increase to easier access through exchanges and mobile apps, favorable regulation and a cultural preference for individual investing.

Americans hold about 42% of bitcoin in circulation, the report found. Public companies based in the U.S. hold roughly 1.24 million BTC, representing 92.7% of bitcoin held by publicly traded firms worldwide. Onchain data cited in the report show the U.S. government holds 328,372 BTC, accumulated mainly through seizures and valued at more than $23 billion at recent prices.

Lawmakers have introduced bills proposing a formal strategic bitcoin reserve with long-term holding requirements and a target to accumulate up to 1 million BTC. Those proposals have not become law.

The report noted the U.S. accounts for about 37.5% of Bitcoin’s global mining hashrate and that more than 150 bitcoin-related companies, including exchanges, custodians, miners and payment processors, are headquartered in the country. The report further noted several large U.S. asset managers opened bitcoin ETF distribution to their clients this year, putting bitcoin before financial advisors and retail investors through traditional investment channels.

River’s analysis focuses on ownership counts, corporate and government holdings, and infrastructure metrics. The report does not measure individual purchase motives or long-term holding behavior.