River: 49.6 million adults in the United States own Bitcoin, compared with 28.8 million gold owners

River: 49.6 million U.S. adults hold Bitcoin, while 28.8 million gold holders

River said that 49.6 million adults in the United States hold Bitcoin, which has surpassed the 28.8 million Americans who hold gold, marking a shift in the two most prominent hard asset holding methods in the United States. The estimate comes from a study of U.S. Bitcoin holdings released by the exchange in July 2026, which shows that the digital asset has already surpassed gold, the one with which it is most commonly compared.

The data comes from Bitcoin financial services company River, which released a report titled "The United States is the Global Bitcoin Superpower" on July 7, 2026. River estimates that 18.6% of U.S. adults currently hold Bitcoin, compared with 10.8% holding gold.

What does River's Bitcoin and gold holdings data tell us?

What needs to know?

River estimates that 49.6 million U.S. adults hold Bitcoin, compared with 28.8 million people who hold gold, a difference of about 20.8 million.

The report attributed this shift to the expansion of retail channels and estimated that Americans hold about 42% of total bitcoin.

River's data shows that Bitcoin holdings lead gold holdings by approximately 20.8 million people, a gap due to the higher number of Americans holding this digital asset. The trend is clear: More American adults report owning Bitcoin than gold.

U.S. adult holdings

49.6 million vs 28.8 million

River estimates that 18.6% of U.S. adults own Bitcoin, compared with 10.8%.

River also estimates that Americans own about 42% of Bitcoin in circulation, further strengthening the report's positioning of the United States as the epicenter of the asset. River's data shows that U.S. Bitcoin holdings rose from 14.3% to 18.6% in about six months.

Why the comparison between Bitcoin and gold is so important

Bitcoin and gold are often compared to each other because both are promoted as scarce, non-sovereign stores of value outside the traditional banking system. Bitcoin's fixed supply cap of 21 million pieces and predictable issuance schedule give it a currency hardness that is often compared to gold.

The holder base exceeds gold, indicating that Bitcoin has reached broader retail familiarity among U.S. adults at least in terms of numbers. This framework echoes debate over asset allocation, including Ray Dario's view that investors should overallocate gold and hold small amounts of Bitcoin to hedge against currency devaluation.

However, holdings do not measure investment value or beliefs. The larger number of holders does not explain the size of the dollar holdings, and a large proportion of that exposure is increasingly intermediated through tools such as spot ETFs, which have attracted billions of dollars in weekly inflows during the recent rebound.

How to interpret River's survey framework

Every number here is an estimate of River, not an official census-style count. Survey-based holdings data rely on methodology and respondents 'definition of "assets owned" and should therefore be regarded as model-derived prevalence rather than as a verified number of holders.

The gold comparison itself has changed. River reported 28.8 million gold holders data, the result of a methodological recalculation relative to a previous comparison of 36.7 million, a correction that narrows the benchmark against which Bitcoin is measured. The Nakamoto Project methodology behind River's holding estimates is not publicly available and cannot be independently audited.

Popularization and market size are different measures. River's report talks about how many Americans hold each asset, rather than how much money is behind those holdings, and readers who focus on institutional needs may find custody flows (such as the Bitcoin purchases disclosed by Citi) to be a more direct signal of investment value.

As of press time, Bitcoin was trading at approximately US$77,568, up approximately 0.58% in 24 hours, and its market value was approximately US$1.56 trillion.

Bitcoin Market Background

US$77,568| 24-hour change: +0.58%| Market value: About US$1.56 trillion

At the time this set of holdings data was circulating, the fear and greed index of cryptocurrencies was 73, which was in the "greedy" range. In addition to sentiment and survey estimates, the network's basic money supply remains controlled by the agreement: issuance is tightening towards the next halving, and difficulty adjustments keep block output close to ten minutes, no matter how many Americans report owning the asset.