Many people might assume that only rich people own stocks, or that the stock market is only important for “big money” institutional investors like banks, endowments, and pension funds. That’s not true. More people own stock than you might expect.
How many Americans own stock? According to Motley Fool research and Gallup polls, 58% of American adults own stock as of April 2026. That’s a slight decline since 2025, when 62% of Americans held stock. But the long-term trend points to a larger numbers of Americans owning stocks. In 2013, only 52% of Americans owned stocks. That number has been consistently rising in the past 13 years and has nearly doubled since the 1980s.
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Let’s look at why it’s important to understand how many Americans own stocks, and why more everyday people might want to keep buying stocks as part of their long-term financial goals.
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Why it matters how many Americans own stocks
When more Americans own stocks, that’s ultimately a good sign for the long-term future of the stock market. I believe it’s a good thing for more Americans to buy stocks and build wealth from the growth of our economy and from future corporate earnings. When you buy stocks, you can benefit from the same “rising tide” of growth that powers the global economy. You can invest the same way rich people do.
It’s true that the wealthiest Americans own the largest amounts of stocks. Motley Fool research shows that the top 1% wealthiest Americans own about 50% of all stocks, and the top 10% of wealthiest Americans hold 87% of stock market wealth. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t own stocks, too. The easiest way to “invest like the rich” often might just mean “buying a stock exchange-traded fund (ETF).”
The best way for Americans to own stocks
One of the most common ways for how Americans own stocks is holding ETFs. These funds allow you to own dozens, hundreds, or thousands of stocks at once, often at a low cost. Low-cost index funds like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) are some of the most popular ways for people at all levels of income and wealth to invest in the stock market.
The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF lets you own all the stocks of the S&P 500 index, the 500 largest publicly traded companies in America. This index fund charges an ultra-low fee of 0.03%. In the past 16 years, it’s delivered average annual returns of about 15%. The past year return has been even better: 20.3%.
The top 10 stock holdings in VOO are major tech names like Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft. This S&P 500 ETF also holds stocks from all sectors of the economy, from consumer staples to utilities and real estate. By investing in VOO, you own small percentages of lots of different companies’ shares. Some of your favorite brands are likely part of the S&P 500 index.
When you own VOO or other S&P 500 ETFs, you don’t have to pick stocks — the index fund automatically adjusts and rebalances itself over time based on which companies are winning or losing. No matter what happens next in the economy, this ETF gives you a chance to make money from long-term growth and future corporate earnings.
Why it’s good that more Americans own stock
There are no guarantees for future returns in the stock market. No one knows what will happen next; stocks can go down as well as up. On any given day, we might be heading for a stock market crash or bear market. But in the long run, people who own stocks with low-cost index funds like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF tend to earn strong returns and build wealth for the future.
If more Americans own stocks, that means more Americans can benefit from the corporate earnings that we all help create every day with our work, shopping, spending, and saving. Owning stocks can help more Americans build wealth, have a more prosperous life, and retire in comfort. That is ultimately good news for all of us.
Should you buy stock in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF right now?
Before you buy stock in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, consider this:
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Ben Gran has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
