Low and Middle Income Market Participation Surges 167% As New Investors Flood Markets
The stock market once felt like a velvet-rope club, but many Americans have now made it past the bouncer. Since 2020, the number of low- and moderate-income investors has jumped 167% according to research from the BlackRock Foundation and Commonwealth. The shift comes from Covid-era stimulus cash, the rise of low-minimum trading apps, and a strong market that pushed more everyday Americans to start investing.
- Low- and moderate-income households invested about 30% more of their income from 2020 to 2024 compared with the 2015 to 2019 period.
- A January 2025 survey of 2.75K households found 54% of low- and moderate-income Americans already participating in retail markets.
The climb isn’t over: Despite the momentum, 57% of US adults still own no stocks, with limited funds and knowledge cited as the main barriers. Lower-income households also face the highest inflation rates, making it harder to build savings. Still, with President Trump’s proposed retirement plan offering up to a $1K annual government match for workers without employer plans, and the BlackRock Foundation eyeing ways to support this new investor class, the wealth gap may finally have a rival.