A study commissioned by the National Cryptocurrency Association estimates the crypto industry will contribute $55 billion to the US economy in 2026 through wages, worker spending and output. It counts about 34,000 people directly employed by crypto companies and 232,000 jobs supported across the wider economy.
The crypto industry will contribute $55 billion to the US economy in 2026 through salaries, worker spending and output, according to research arranged by the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA), a group backed by Ripple Labs. The Pragmatic Policy Group prepared the report, which the NCA released Wednesday.
That estimate rests on direct, indirect and induced employment. Investments in securities and commodity contracts ranked among the highest-benefiting sectors at $9.7 billion, while housing and real estate together drew a combined $4.8 billion.
Where the jobs sit
The research counted about 34,000 people directly employed by crypto companies, a fraction of the 232,000 jobs the industry supports across the entire economy. That direct headcount would mean crypto companies employ more Americans than the coffee and tea manufacturing and aerospace industries, based on US Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Texas, Washington, North Carolina, California and New York employed the most industry workers, while the report singled out Colorado as a growing blockchain hub thanks to friendly regulatory policies. The NCA also described North Dakota as an emerging energy-integrated digital infrastructure hub, pointing to state tax laws that favor crypto mining and flare gas.
Who is behind the numbers
The NCA launched in March 2025 as a non-profit focused on consumer crypto education, with $50 million in backing from Ripple. Stuart Alderoty, Ripple's chief legal officer, heads the group.
Those figures land in a year that also saw several crypto projects close. Entropy, a New York start-up, said in January it would shut down after four years, and Singapore-based decentralized email platform Dmail began winding down in May over bandwidth, storage and computing costs. Governance platform Tally and Balancer Labs both shuttered in March.
Source: Cointelegraph
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