10% of U.S. Adults Used Cryptocurrency in 2025, Fed Data Shows

About one in ten American adults used or held cryptocurrency in 2025, marking the highest level of participation in three years, according to new data from the Federal Reserve. The central bank's annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking found that 10% of U.S. adults reported engaging with digital assets last year, a rebound from 7% in 2024 but still below the peak of 12% recorded in 2021.

The survey indicates that investment remains the dominant use case for cryptocurrency. Approximately 9% of adults held crypto as an investment, while only 2% used it for payments and 1% for sending money to family or friends. This pattern suggests most consumers treat digital assets as speculative investments rather than as tools for everyday transactions.

Adoption is notably higher among certain demographic groups. Usage is concentrated among adults under 45 and households with incomes above the national median. The data also reveals a significant gap between banked and unbanked consumers. About 6% of unbanked adults used crypto for transactions, compared to just 2% of banked adults. Approximately 6% of Americans were unbanked in 2025.

For those who did use cryptocurrency for...