Statistics · 2026 · Stocks
Stock Ownership Statistics (2026)
No single number says how many Americans own stocks, because each survey counts a different group. The Federal Reserve’s 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances found 58% of families held stock directly or indirectly. Gallup’s April 2025 poll found 62% of adults say they own stock. ICI found 56.4% of households owned funds in 2025. This page keeps each survey separate.
Key takeaways
- The Federal Reserve’s 2022 survey found 58% of families held stock directly or indirectly, up from 53% in 2019, and 21% held stock directly.
- Gallup found 62% of adults owned stock in April 2025, a question that includes funds and retirement accounts.
- ICI found 56.4% of U.S. households owned registered funds in 2025, and 53.9% owned mutual funds.
- The top 1% of households held 50.9% of corporate equities and mutual fund shares in the second quarter of 2026, and the bottom 50% held 0.6%.
- The 497 S&P 500 constituents with SEC fundamentals had a combined market value of $70.01T on October 2, 2026.
What share of Americans own stocks?
It depends on the survey. The Federal Reserve’s 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances found 58% of families held stock directly or indirectly. Gallup’s April 2025 poll found 62% of adults own stock. ICI found 56.4% of households owned registered funds in 2025. Each figure answers a different question about a different group.
1. Federal Reserve SCF: 58% of families held stock directly or indirectly in 2022
The Fed’s 2022 bulletin says “the 2022 survey showed a step-up in stock ownership to 58 percent, compared with 53 percent in 2019 and 52 percent in 2016.” The SCF counts families and interviewed 4,602 in 2022. Published in October 2023, it is the latest SCF: the Fed calls 2022 “the most recent survey conducted.”
2. Federal Reserve SCF: 21% of families held stock directly, up from 15%
The bulletin says: “Direct ownership of stocks increased markedly between 2019 and 2022—from 15 percent of families to 21 percent—the largest change on record.” The median direct holding among owners fell from $29,000 to $15,000, which the Fed says suggests new owners “held smaller portfolios.”
3. Gallup: 62% of adults owned stock in April 2025
Gallup reports: “Sixty-two percent of Americans in 2025 report owning stock, matching the 2024 reading and similar to the 61% recorded in 2023.” The question covers “any individual stocks they may own, as well as stocks included in a mutual fund or retirement savings account.” This was the latest reading on Gallup’s page on October 2, 2026.
4. ICI: 56.4% of U.S. households owned funds in 2025
ICI found “56.4 percent of US households owned shares of mutual funds or other US-registered investment companies” in 2025. Mutual funds alone reached 53.9%. The online survey covered 9,021 households (±1.0 point). ICI says a 2022 method change raised its counts.
5. Federal Reserve SHED: 37% of adults held stocks, bonds, ETFs or mutual funds outside a retirement account
Table 28 of the Fed’s Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025 (May 2026) lists “stocks, bonds, ETFs, or mutual funds held outside a retirement account” at 37% of all adults. The line includes bonds, so it is not a stock-only share.
How does stock ownership vary by income?
In the Fed’s 2022 survey, 96.4% of families in the top income group held stock, against 17.2% of the lowest group. Gallup’s combined 2024–25 sample found 87% of adults in households earning $100,000 or more owned stock, against 28% below $50,000. Each survey uses its own income groups.
6. Federal Reserve SCF: 96.4% of the top income group held stock, against 17.2% of the lowest
Historical Table 7 of the SCF tables lists six income groups, and ownership rises with each step. Two of the six groups were below 50%. Every group’s share was higher than in 2019. The bulletin uses “usual income” groups, so its figures differ.
| Percentile of income | Share of families | 2019 share |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 20 | 17.2% | 14.5% |
| 20–39.9 | 39.9% | 34.0% |
| 40–59.9 | 60.1% | 55.7% |
| 60–79.9 | 78.7% | 71.1% |
| 80–89.9 | 91.5% | 83.6% |
| 90–100 | 96.4% | 92.2% |
7. Federal Reserve SCF: 34% of the bottom half held stock, against 78% of the upper-middle group and 95% of the top decile
These groups use usual income. Among owners, the median holding was $12,600 in the bottom half, $53,200 in the upper-middle group and $608,000 in the top decile.
8. Gallup: 87% of upper-income adults owned stock, 71% of middle-income and 28% of lower-income
Gallup’s combined 2024 and 2025 samples cover 2,007 adults (±4 points overall). Gallup does not publish the larger subgroup margins.
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How does stock ownership vary by age?
In the Fed’s 2022 survey, ownership was highest among families headed by people ages 35–44 and 45–54 and lowest at ages 75 or more (49.4%). Gallup found the highest adult share at ages 50–64 (72%). Age bands differ by survey, so this page does not combine them.
9. Federal Reserve SCF: ownership was highest at ages 35–44 and 45–54, lowest at 75 or more
Families ages 35–44 and 45–54 had nearly the same share (63.6% and 63.4%); the lowest was 49.4% at ages 75 or more. The Fed does not say why shares differ.
| Age of reference person | Share of families | 2019 share |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 35 | 54.4% | 47.8% |
| 35–44 | 63.6% | 56.1% |
| 45–54 | 63.4% | 57.5% |
| 55–64 | 59.4% | 54.9% |
| 65–74 | 55.8% | 51.5% |
| 75 or more | 49.4% | 47.0% |
10. Gallup: 44% of ages 18–29, 65% of 30–49, 72% of 50–64 and 61% of 65+
In Gallup’s combined 2024 and 2025 sample, the lowest adult share was at ages 18–29 (44%) and the highest at 50–64 (72%). Subgroups had 212 to 793 adults, so close groups may not differ.
11. ICI: 42% of households younger than 35 owned mutual funds, against more than half of those 35 or older
ICI says about six in 10 households age 55 or older owned mutual funds, counting funds held in 401(k) plans and IRAs.
How concentrated is stock wealth?
In the second quarter of 2026, the Federal Reserve’s Distributional Financial Accounts put 50.9% of corporate equities and mutual fund shares in the hands of the top 1% of households by wealth and 0.6% in the bottom 50%. This counts dollars, not owners, and excludes shares held through defined contribution pensions.
12. Federal Reserve DFA: the top 1% held 50.9% of corporate equities and mutual fund shares; the top 10% held 88.0%
The DFA category “Corporate equities and mutual fund shares” covers “holdings of corporate equities and mutual fund shares excluding equities and mutual fund shares owned through DC pensions.” The Fed publishes 25.0% for the top 0.1% and 25.9% for the next 0.9%. WealthyBud summed the level series to get the top 1% and top 10%.
13. Federal Reserve DFA: the bottom 50% held 0.6% of these assets and 2.3% of net worth
For comparison, the top 1% held 32.5% of net worth (WealthyBud’s sum of the level series). This page does not test why the two shares differ.
| Wealth group | Share of corporate equities and mutual fund shares | Share of net worth |
|---|---|---|
| Top 0.1% | 25.0% | 15.0% |
| Next 0.9% | 25.9% | 17.5% |
| Next 9% | 37.2% | 36.4% |
| Next 40% | 11.4% | 28.8% |
| Bottom 50% | 0.6% | 2.3% |
14. Federal Reserve SCF: the mean direct stock holding was about $404,000, against a median of $15,000
Among families with direct holdings in 2022, the bulletin reports a conditional median of $15,000 and a conditional mean of about $404,000. The Fed says such gaps imply “a small number of households within each group hold most of the value of stock.”
How do Americans hold their stocks?
Most families hold stock indirectly. The Fed’s 2022 survey found 21.0% of families held stock directly, 11.5% held pooled investment funds and 54.3% held retirement accounts. Because the SCF counts retirement accounts and pooled funds as indirect holdings, those groups overlap and cannot be added together.
15. Federal Reserve SCF: direct 21.0%, pooled funds 11.5%, retirement accounts 54.3%, other managed assets 6.2%
The bulletin says families “may hold stocks through direct holdings and through indirect holdings, such as retirement accounts, which are usually less liquid than direct holdings.” Its footnote adds “other examples of indirect holdings are pooled investment funds and other managed assets.”
- Direct holdings are individual stocks, and 21.0% of families had them in 2022.
- Pooled investment funds were held by 11.5% of families and other managed assets by 6.2%.
- Retirement accounts were held by 54.3% of families, but these accounts can hold assets other than stock.
16. Federal Reserve SHED: 61% of adults had a tax-preferred retirement account
The SHED report says 67% of adults had assets “specifically designated for producing income in retirement,” including the 61% with an account such as a 401(k) or IRA. It does not say how much of those accounts is stock.
How big is the market they own?
The 497 S&P 500 constituents with SEC fundamentals and a market value had a combined value of $70.01T on October 2, 2026. ICI counted $41.5 trillion in U.S.-registered fund assets in mid-2025, with households holding about 77%. Those totals use different measures and dates, so this page does not combine them with ownership shares.
17. S&P 500 constituents: combined market value of $70.01T
497 of the 501 index records in WealthyBud’s file have SEC fundamentals and a market value; the other 4 are left out. See stock market statistics and the stocks hub (WealthyBud data · 497 S&P 500 constituents · October 2, 2026).
18. ICI: households held about 77%, or $32.2 trillion, of $41.5 trillion in registered fund assets
ICI says assets in U.S.-registered investment companies “totaled $41.5 trillion as of mid-2025.” It adds: “Households held about 77 percent, or $32.2 trillion, of all these fund assets”. Funds include bonds and cash, so this is not a stock total. For funds that track the market, see VTI and index fund statistics.
What this means for readers
For anyone quoting an ownership number, name the survey, the group and the year. 58% of families (Fed, 2022), 62% of adults (Gallup, 2025) and 56.4% of households (ICI, 2025) can all be true at once.
For new investors, the Fed notes that indirect holdings are much more common than direct ones. Compare funds on the ETF hub and in index fund statistics.
For comparing assets, crypto surveys work the same way: see crypto ownership statistics.
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