One in Four U.S. Adults Now Use Cryptocurrency, Survey Finds
One in four U.S. adults now use cryptocurrency, according to the National Cryptocurrency Association’s 2026 State of Crypto Holders Report, published Wednesday through Business Wire. The report draws on a national survey and represents the broadest measure of retail cryptocurrency use the organization has released.
The findings arrive as Congress prepares a Thursday markup session on the CLARITY Act, a bill that would establish a comprehensive federal framework for digital asset regulation.
What the Survey Found
The 25% figure covers Americans who own, trade, or actively use cryptocurrency for payments or financial services. The National Cryptocurrency Association said the data shows adoption has extended beyond early technology adopters into mainstream income brackets.
The report highlighted a persistent knowledge gap as a barrier to broader participation.
The organization said it was working with Coinbase (COIN) and nonprofit Operation HOPE to close that gap through financial education programs targeting underserved communities.
The National Cryptocurrency Association is a U.S. nonprofit advocacy group focused on cryptocurrency education and policy. It conducts periodic surveys of American cryptocurrency behavior and uses the data to inform its engagement with lawmakers and regulators.
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Background
U.S. cryptocurrency adoption has climbed steadily since 2020, accelerating after the January 2024 approval of spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds.
Those approvals brought institutional capital into the market and raised public awareness of cryptocurrency as a mainstream financial product. Spot Ethereum (ETH) ETFs followed later in 2024.
The regulatory environment shifted visibly in 2026.
The incoming administration signaled a more permissive stance on digital assets, and congressional activity on both market structure and stablecoin legislation picked up through the first quarter of the year. The CLARITY Act, which nears a committee markup this week, would define when a digital asset is a commodity versus a security, a distinction that has created years of legal uncertainty for issuers and exchanges.
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Outlook
A 25% adult adoption rate places cryptocurrency alongside other mainstream financial products in terms of household penetration.
Whether the figure grows depends heavily on regulatory clarity and continued product accessibility. Passage of the CLARITY Act would remove one of the key legal uncertainties that has kept institutional and retail participants cautious.
The National Cryptocurrency Association’s survey will serve as a baseline against which future adoption cycles can be measured.
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