
Full Answer
How much of your family owns stock?
According to the Federal Reserve, of the 10 percent of families with the highest income, 92 percent owned stock as of 2020, just above where it had been in 2007. But ownership slipped for people in the bottom half of the income distribution.
How many Americans own stock?
Those avenues result in indirect ownership. Only 15% of US families directly owned stock in 2019; most families who owned stock in 2019 did so indirectly. Fewer Americans purchase stock directly anymore, even as total stock ownership has risen. Between 1989 and 2019, the share of families with direct stock holdings actually fell from 17% to 15%.
What is the average stock ownership rate by age?
That said, the difference in ownership rates between age groups is not large. People 75 or older had the lowest ownership rate in 2019, at 47%, followed by those under 35, at 48%. The value of stock owned, however, is much higher for older Americans, who have had more time to accumulate their investments.
How much of the stock market does the bottom 25% own?
But for families in the bottom 25% of net worth, 4% directly held stocks, and a total of 21% percent held stocks in some way. The top 10% of income earners own 70% of the stock market.

What percent of the population owns stock in 1929?
The crash affected many more than the relatively few Americans who invested in the stock market. While only 10 percent of households had investments, over 90 percent of all banks had invested in the stock market.
Who owns 90% of the stock market?
U.S. stock market ownership distribution Ownership peaked at 65% in 2007 and fell significantly due to the Great Recession. As of 2013, the top 1% of households owned 38% of stock market wealth. As of 2013, the top 10% own 81% of stock wealth, the next 10% (80th to 90th percentile) own 11% and the bottom 80% own 8%.
How much does the average person have in the stock market?
The amount of assets families hold in stocks also varies considerably by income. Among those with incomes less than $35,000, the median amount held is less than $10,000. For those at the higher end of the income scale, the median amount is more than $130,000.
How much of the stock market is owned by pension funds?
All told, institutional investors—that is, primarily pension funds—control close to 40% of the common stock of the country's large (and many midsize) businesses. The largest and fastest growing funds, those of public employees, are no longer content to be passive investors.
How many millionaires has the stock market created?
The roaring stock market and crypto gains created more than a million new millionaires in the U.S. last year, according to a new report. The number of Americans with $1 million or more in investible assets surged to a record 14.6 million in 2021, according to a report from wealth research firm the Spectrem Group.
What percentage of millionaires invest in stocks?
30%80-85% of millionaires are first-generation rich, which is motivating for anyone wanting to reach this elite status. More than 30% of their wealth is invested in publicly traded stocks.
How much money does the average 30 year old have in their 401K?
Ages 20-29 Median 401(k) balance: $4,300. Many of the participants in this age group are new to working and new to saving for retirement. Yet even at this young age, it's important to prioritize contributing to your workplace retirement plan, especially if your employer matches a portion of your contributions.
What is the average 401K by age?
The Average 401k Balance by AgeAGEAVERAGE 401K BALANCEMEDIAN 401K BALANCE25-34$33,272$13,26535-44$86,582$32,66445-54$161,079$56,72255-64$232,379$84,7142 more rows•Feb 25, 2022
What is a good net worth by age?
The average net worth for U.S. families is $748,800. The median — a more representative measure — is $121,700....Average net worth by age.Age of head of familyMedian net worthAverage net worth35-44$91,300$436,20045-54$168,600$833,20055-64$212,500$1,175,90065-74$266,400$1,217,7002 more rows
Who owns most of the value of the stock market?
The wealthiest 10% of American households now own 89% of all U.S. stocks, a record high that highlights the stock market's role in increasing wealth inequality. The top 1% gained over $6.5 trillion in corporate equities and mutual fund wealth during the pandemic, according to the latest data from the Federal Reserve.
Is stock market only for the rich?
2. The Stock Market Is an Exclusive Club for Brokers and Rich People. Many market advisors claim to be able to call the markets' every turn. However, almost every study done on this topic has proven that these claims are false.
Who actually controls the stock market?
The securities industry is one of the most highly regulated industries in the United States. The U.S. Congress is at the top of the list of security industry regulators. It created most of the structure and passes legislation that affects how the industry operates.
What percentage of the stock market was held by middle-aged families in 1989?
In 1989, 74 percent of the stock market wealth held by middle-aged families belonged to the wealthiest 10 percent of those families. While this figure proceeded to decline steadily, falling to 69 percent in 2001, it has trended upward ever since, reaching a record-high of 78 percent in 2016.
What does SCF show about stock market?
Even though these statistics provide some indication that stock market gains and losses are becoming increasingly shared throughout the population, the SCF also provides evidence that stock holdings have become more heavily concentrated among high net worth households.
What age group has the highest stock ownership?
Families with a head of household aged 45 to 54 had the highest rate of stock ownership in 2019, with 58% of families in the stock market in some form. That said, the difference in ownership rates between age groups is not large.
What is the lowest stock ownership rate in 2019?
People 75 or older had the lowest ownership rate in 2019, at 47%, followed by those under 35, at 48%. The value of stock owned, however, is much higher for older Americans, who have had more time to accumulate their investments.
Do wealthy people have more money in stock?
Wealthier Americans also tend to have more money in stock. Families in the top 10% of income earners accounted for 70% of the dollar value of all stock holdings in 2019, with a median of $432,000 worth of stock per invested household. Meanwhile, the bottom 60% of income earners owned only 7% of all stock that year.
Can you buy stock on your own?
People who buy stock on their own become direct owners. But people can invest in other ways, including actively managed mutual funds or passive versions like index funds, as well as through retirement plans that put their money in the stock market. Those avenues result in indirect ownership.
Do people with higher incomes own stock?
Investing requires money, so it follows that families with higher incomes and net worth own stock more often and purchase more of it. But there are also differences in how they own the stock, with wealthier families much more likely to have directly purchased stock as part of their portfolio compared to those with lower incomes.
How many households don't own stock in 2020?
For example, in 2020, 77% of households making less than $40,000 per year didn’t own stock. In contrast, only 15% of households earning $100,000+ per year weren’t invested in some form of stock: Yearly Household Income (USD) Yes, Owns Stock (2020) No, Does Not Own Stock (2020) $100,000+. 84%. 15%.
How many Americans own stock in 2020?
In 2020, approximately 55% of Americans owned some form of stock. That’s 5 percentage points lower than U.S. stock ownership in 2000. Stock ownership is strongly linked to household income. Last year, 84% of U.S. households earning $100,000+ owned stock, compared to just 22% of those making less than $40,000.
How much has the global GDP grown in the last four decades?
As global GDP has grown over the last four decades, from $23.6 trillion in 1990 to $84.5 trillion in 2020, the proportional share of the world’s top companies by market capitalization has grown over five-fold. Though the world’s top 50 companies change year-to-year, there’s also a lot of overlap.
Who spends the most money in politics?
In politics, the candidate who spends the most money usually wins. Because of this, donations are an important part of political campaigns, and the people behind those donations wield an intangible level of power and influence.
How many Americans have financial assets in 2019?
In 2019, the Americans had a median of $25,700 in financial assets and $194,300 in nonfinancial assets.
What is the most recent SCF data?
A great source of this information is the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). The most recent SCF dataset was released for 2019. We use this data when we looked at how millionaires made their money – it contains a lot of juicy information you can't find (reliably) anywhere else.
About the Author
Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!).
Tim Ranzetta
Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!).
What percentage of Americans own stocks in 2021?
As of 2021, the top 10 percent of Americans owned an average of $969,000 in stocks. The next 40 percent owned $132,000 on average. For the bottom half of families, it was just under $54,000.
How much stock have returned since 1926?
Stocks have returned roughly 10% a year since 1926. The question is: What percent of Americans own stocks? According to the Federal Reserve, of the 10 percent of families with the highest income, 92 percent owned stock as of 2020, just above where it had been in 2007. But ownership slipped for people in the bottom half of the income distribution.
Why is CrowdStreet so popular?
CrowdStreet is great because it allows you to invest surgically in 18-hour city real estate where valuations are much lower and growth rates are higher due to demographic shifts. With the work from home trend accelerating in 2020, telework has never been easier or more acceptable.
What is the wealth gap in the 90th percentile?
So what does this all mean? The wealth gap continues to increase. Those families in the 90th percentile have a net worth of almost $1,000,000. Meanwhile, those in the 50th percentile or below hardly have any net worth at all.
How to become financially independent?
The best way to become financially independent and protect yourself is to get a handle on your finance s by signing up with Personal Capital. They are a free online platform which aggregates all your financial accounts in one place so you can see where you can optimize.
Is real estate my favorite asset class?
This article has discussed a lot about the benefits of owning stocks. However, real estate is actually my favorite asset class to build wealth, and also America’s favorite asset class as well.
Is real estate an oligopoly?
The real estate industry is still an oligopoly which still fixes commissions at a ridiculously high level of 5-6%. You would think the invention of Zillow would lower transaction costs, but unfortunately they’ve done very little to help lower expenses.
Over half of Americans own stock, but it's not distributed equally
56% of American adults, or about 145 million people, own stock. That percentage hasn't moved much over the past decade, despite tremendous gains in the market and the recent meme stock craze.
Key findings
About 145 million Americans -- 56% of American adults -- own stock. Stock ownership hasn't fully risen to levels seen prior to the 2008 recession.
Buy and hold
It's encouraging that 56% of American adults own stock and we hope to see future growth in stock ownership, particularly among Hispanic and Black households.
Sources
Department of Labor (2021). " Private Pension Plan Bulletin Historical Tables and Graphs 1975-2019 ."