Americans who can afford stocks

The Gallup survey measures stock ownership based on individual stocks held, as well as shares included in mutual funds or retirement savings accounts. It suggests strong correlations between stock ownership and household income, education, age, and race.

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For example, the rate of stock ownership was 89% for survey respondents from households earning at least $100,000, versus 25% for those from households earning less than $40,000. People with a postgraduate education were also more likely than average to own stock (79%).

Age and race also are factors in the likelihood of stock ownership. While 64% of non-Hispanic white adults own stock, only 46% of all people of color own stocks, according to the survey.

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Americans who own stock also tend to be older. People ages 50 to 64 own the most stocks, at 67%, along with a significant 62% of people ages 30 to 49. Before the age of 30, a majority of Americans do not own stocks; the survey found that only 41% of Americans ages 18 to 29 were stock investors. The number of Americans owning stocks starts to dwindle again after age 65, with 59% of those Americans owning stocks.

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