Report Highlights: The percentage of Americans owning guns varies depending on the state, age, and other factors.
- Over 60% of those living in Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska own guns.
- Nationwide, gun ownership has remained stable: between 30% and 32% since 2000.
- Americans aged 50 to 64 report the highest ownership rate at 37%, though rates vary by survey.
Written by Cassandra McBride
Methodology
The U.S. does not require firearm registration, and the government cannot legally track firearm ownership. Therefore, we must rely on self-reporting surveys and studies to understand the percentage of gun ownership in America.
The following sections include data gathered from self-reporting surveys and cross-referenced against various studies that include firearm sales records. Historical trends and sales data were also referenced to ensure accuracy.
Gun Ownership Percentage by State
Recent gun ownership estimates, using administrative reports and survey-data, suggest that 44% of American households have firearms. 1
Montana (66.30%), Wyoming (66.20%), and Alaska (64.50%) have the highest percentages of household ownership in the U.S., while New Jersey (14.70%), Massachusetts (14.70%), Rhode Island (14.80%), and Hawaii (14.90%) reported the lowest percentages of ownership. 10
Gun Ownership Percentage by Year
In 1980, 30% of Americans owned guns (50% of men; 10% of women). 2 In 2000, 27% of Americans owned guns. The percentage of gun owners increased by 3% in 2005. Between 2010 and 2015, 28% of Americans reportedly owned guns. 3
After the initial pandemic buying spree in 2020, 32% of Americans owned guns. The latest data available in 2026 suggest that 30% of Americans own guns. 3
Gun Ownership Percentage by Age
According to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, Americans aged 18 to 29 were the age group least likely to own guns (21%) in 2024. Those between the ages of 50 and 64 were most likely to own guns (37%).
The same Pew Research Center survey suggested that 33% of Americans between the ages of 30 and 49 own firearms, whereas 35% of those over 65 report owning firearms.
A 2025 YouGov survey used different methodologies to determine that only 11% of those between 18 and 29 reported owning guns. In the same survey, 12% between 30 and 44 reported owning guns; 28% of the 45 to 64 age group reported owning guns. The 65+ age group reported the highest percentage of gun ownership at 38%. 8
Gun Ownership Percentage by Gender
There are an estimated 165 million men and 168 million women in the U.S. A 2024 Pew Research survey that drew responses from a nationally representative sample of 5,115 Americans, suggested that 40% of men (~66 million) and 25% of women (~42 million) owned firearms.
Surveys in 1980 stated that 50% of men and 10% of women owned guns. Male ownership has apparently declined in following decades, although female ownership has increased across all surveys. A 2025 YouGov survey using different methodologies suggested that 28% of males and 17% of females owned firearms. 2, 4, 8, 9
Gun Ownership Percentage by Political Party
A nationally representative 2024 Pew Research survey suggested that 45% of Republicans and 20% of Democrats owned guns. These percentages differ from a 2025 YouGov survey that suggested only 15% of Democrat voters, 21% of independent voters, and 31% of Republican voters personally owned guns. 3, 4, 8
Republican women are more likely to own guns than Democrat women (33% vs. 12%). Republican men are also more likely to own guns than Democrat men (60% vs. 29%). 6
Percentage of Gun Owners Having More Than One Gun
Two-thirds of American gun owners surveyed in 2024 reported owning more than one firearm. Most gun owners in the U.S. report owning two to four firearms (37%); 33% report owning only one firearm, and 29% report owning more than five. 4
Wrap-Up
Gun ownership reporting isn’t mandatory. We must rely on voluntary surveys to better understand American gun ownership, although their various methodologies produce varying results. Despite this limitation, surveys make it apparent that American gun ownership has remained consistent over the past two decades, with male ownership decreasing and female ownership increasing.
Sources
- Gun Ownership by State 2026
- Gun Ownership in America 1973-2021
- Gallup Historical Trends: Guns
- Key Facts About Americans and Guns
- The Demographics of Gun Ownership
- Gun Ownership Rates Have Spiked Among Republican Women
- More Women Are Becoming Gun Owners
- YouGov Survey: Guns and Gun Ownership
- Trends in Gun Ownership in the United States, 1972-2014
- RAND: Gun Ownership in America
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Written byCassandra McBride