About 10% of U.S. adults used or held cryptocurrency in 2025, according to a Federal Reserve survey on the economic well-being of American households released this month.
Key Takeaways
- A Federal Reserve survey found that 10% of U.S. adults used or held crypto in 2025.
- The figure covers both ownership and transactional use of cryptocurrency.
- The data comes from the Fed’s annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED).
What the Fed Survey Found About Crypto Use in 2025
The Federal Reserve’s annual household survey measured whether respondents held cryptocurrency as an investment or used it for purchases and payments. The resulting 10% figure captures both categories, meaning it includes people who bought crypto purely as a speculative asset and those who spent it on goods or services.
The survey covers U.S. adults broadly, not just active traders or tech-savvy demographics. That makes it one of the more representative snapshots of how ordinary Americans interact with digital assets, distinct from exchange-reported user counts or wallet-based estimates that can double-count activity.
The phrase “used or held” is notable because it groups two very different behaviors. Someone holding a small amount of Bitcoin in a brokerage account and someone paying for a VPN subscription with stablecoins both fall under the same 10%.
Why the 10% Figure Matters for U.S. Crypto Adoption
A double-digit share of the adult population represents a meaningful installed base for exchanges, wallet providers, and payment processors building crypto infrastructure in the United States. For context, that translates to roughly 26 million adults based on current census estimates.
The number also matters for policymakers. When one in ten adults has direct exposure to an asset class, regulatory decisions around prediction markets, stablecoin frameworks, and exchange licensing carry measurable constituent impact. Legislative inaction becomes harder to justify when adoption reaches this scale.
For market sentiment, a Fed-published adoption figure lends institutional credibility to what has often been dismissed as a niche phenomenon. Unlike industry-funded surveys, the SHED methodology is designed for population-level accuracy, making the 10% harder to wave away.
What to Watch After the Fed’s 2025 Crypto Survey
The most important question going forward is trajectory. If the Fed’s 2026 survey shows growth beyond 10%, it would signal that crypto adoption is still accelerating rather than plateauing at a fixed ceiling of early adopters.
Regulation will shape that trajectory. Stablecoin legislation and clearer rules for blockchain infrastructure could push the usage side of the “used or held” metric higher, particularly for payments. Conversely, enforcement-heavy approaches, like those seen in recent fraud prosecutions, could dampen speculative holding.
The Fed survey may also become a benchmark that other countries and institutions reference when sizing the U.S. crypto market. Future editions tracking demographic breakdowns, income levels, and regional differences would add even more value for investors and builders watching where adoption is concentrated.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency and digital asset markets carry significant risk. Always do your own research before making decisions.
