From a record-breaking 120 guns for every 100 people in the U.S. to a deep divide along political and regional lines, the landscape of American gun ownership is more complex and widespread than ever, as revealed by a closer look at the latest statistics.
Key Takeaways
- Approximately 32% of U.S. adults report personally owning a firearm as of 2023, up from 30% in 2021
- 44% of U.S. adults live in a household with a gun, according to the 2023 Pew Research Center survey of 10,013 adults
- Gun ownership is highest among White adults at 39%, compared to 24% for Black adults and 20% for Hispanic adults in 2023 Pew data
- Gallup poll from 2020 shows 44% of Americans saying they or someone in their household owns a gun
- RAND Corporation estimates 120.5 firearms per 100 residents in the U.S. civilian ownership as of 2019
- 40% of U.S. households owned guns in 2017 per Pew Research Center survey of 1,993 adults
- Montana has the highest gun ownership rate at 66.3% of households per 2020 RAND analysis
- Wyoming follows with 60.8% household gun ownership, 2020 RAND data
- Alaska at 57.2%, New Mexico 53.8%, Idaho 55.5% per RAND 2020 state estimates
- U.S. civilian firearms ownership 120 guns per 100 people, highest globally per Small Arms Survey 2018
- Yemen has 52.8 guns per 100 civilians, second to U.S., Small Arms Survey 2018
- Switzerland 27.6 guns per 100, Serbia 39.1, Finland 32.4 per Small Arms Survey
- U.S. gun ownership rose from 32% in 2010 to 44% in 2020 household rate per Gallup trend
- Pew data shows personal ownership from 30% in 2016 to 32% in 2023
- Post-2020 election, gun sales surged 64% in March 2021 vs prior, FBI NICS data
Gun ownership in America is rising and varies significantly by demographics and region.
Demographic Gun Ownership
- Approximately 32% of U.S. adults report personally owning a firearm as of 2023, up from 30% in 2021
- 44% of U.S. adults live in a household with a gun, according to the 2023 Pew Research Center survey of 10,013 adults
- Gun ownership is highest among White adults at 39%, compared to 24% for Black adults and 20% for Hispanic adults in 2023 Pew data
- 39% of men personally own guns versus 24% of women, based on 2023 Pew Research survey
- Rural Americans are twice as likely as urban dwellers to own guns personally (47% vs 19%) per 2023 Pew survey
- Republicans and Republican-leaners have a 44% personal gun ownership rate vs 20% for Democrats in 2023 Pew data
- College graduates have 19% personal gun ownership compared to 37% for those with some college or less, 2023 Pew
- Veterans have a 58% personal gun ownership rate vs 27% for non-veterans, according to 2023 Pew Research
- Among adults under 30, 20% personally own guns, rising to 34% for ages 30-49, per 2023 Pew survey
- 45% of White evangelicals live in gun-owning households vs 28% overall average, 2023 Pew data
- 27% of U.S. adults aged 18-29 own guns personally in 2023, up from prior years, Pew
- Among lower-income adults (<$30k), 35% own guns vs 28% higher income, 2023 Pew
- Protestants have 41% personal ownership rate, Catholics 27%, 2023 Pew data
- Married adults 38% ownership vs 24% unmarried, 2023 Pew Research
- Southern region 40% personal ownership, Midwest 32%, 2023 Pew
- 2022 Gallup: Men 40%, women 25% personal gun owners
- White non-Hispanics 42% household ownership, Blacks 21%, Asians 11%, 2021 Pew
- Ages 50+ have 36% ownership vs younger cohorts lower, 2021 data
- Independents 32% ownership, similar to GOP, 2023 Pew
- High school or less education 41% ownership, 2023 Pew survey
Demographic Gun Ownership Interpretation
While America's gun ownership map is increasingly painted in shades of political, geographic, and cultural identity—with rural Republicans and veterans packing nearly twice the heat of urban Democrats and college grads—the rising national tide suggests the right to bear arms is becoming as much a personal statement as a Constitutional one.
International Gun Ownership
- U.S. civilian firearms ownership 120 guns per 100 people, highest globally per Small Arms Survey 2018
- Yemen has 52.8 guns per 100 civilians, second to U.S., Small Arms Survey 2018
- Switzerland 27.6 guns per 100, Serbia 39.1, Finland 32.4 per Small Arms Survey
- Canada 34.7 guns per 100 civilians, Australia 14.5, UK 4.6 per 2018 data
- Japan has 0.3 guns per 100, South Korea 0.2, lowest globally, Small Arms Survey
- Germany 19.6, France 19.6, Sweden 23.1 guns per 100 per Small Arms Survey 2018
- Brazil 8.3, Mexico 15.8, Russia 12.1 per 100 civilians, 2018 Small Arms
- Global average civilian gun ownership 10.2 per 100 people, vs U.S. 120, Small Arms Survey
- Cyprus highest in Europe at 34 guns per 100, per Small Arms Survey 2018
- Austria 30.3 guns per 100, Norway 28.8, Iceland 31.7 Europe highs, Small Arms 2018
- Turkey 15.6, Poland 2.5, Netherlands 2.6 low Europe, Small Arms Survey
- South Africa 12.7, India 5.3, China 3.6 per 100, 2018 data
- Argentina 9.3, Colombia 10.2, Chile 18.5 Latin America, Small Arms
- Pakistan 8.8, Afghanistan 4.6 despite conflict, per survey
- New Zealand 26.3 pre-2019, dropped post-Christchurch, estimates
- Israel 3.5 guns per 100 civilians, strict controls, Small Arms 2018
- Saudi Arabia 9.8, UAE 1.4, Middle East variance
- World total 857 million civilian firearms, 1/10 owned by Americans, Small Arms
International Gun Ownership Interpretation
America's relationship with firearms is so unique that we have nearly doubled the runner-up's guns per capita and single-handedly account for a tenth of the world's civilian arsenal, which suggests we are either the world's most ardent defenders of liberty or have a serious case of collective retail therapy.
State-Level Gun Ownership
- Montana has the highest gun ownership rate at 66.3% of households per 2020 RAND analysis
- Wyoming follows with 60.8% household gun ownership, 2020 RAND data
- Alaska at 57.2%, New Mexico 53.8%, Idaho 55.5% per RAND 2020 state estimates
- Mississippi 55.8%, West Virginia 52.8%, Arkansas 57.2% household gun rates, RAND 2020
- Lowest in New Jersey at 14.7%, Rhode Island 14.8%, Delaware 15.7% per 2020 RAND
- California state gun ownership 19.7% of households, RAND 2020 estimates
- Texas 45.7%, Florida 34.4%, New York 19.9% household rates, 2020 RAND data
- Gallup 2022 shows Southern states average 50%+ gun ownership
- Washington D.C. has lowest at under 10% per various surveys, 2021 Pew
- Nevada 46.1%, South Dakota 52.6% per RAND state-by-state modeling
- Alabama 57.4% household gun ownership, Louisiana 52.5%, Oklahoma 49.7%, RAND 2020
- Utah 47.5%, Arizona 44.3%, Colorado 42.9% per RAND estimates
- Illinois 21.1%, Connecticut 20.2%, Maryland 17.2% low rates, 2020 RAND
- Pennsylvania 34.7%, Ohio 37.3%, Michigan 32.8%, RAND data
- Oregon 39.2%, Washington 37.6%, per 2020 modeling
- Gallup regional: South 47%, Midwest 38%, West 34%, East 26% household, 2022
- Vermont 28.8%, Maine 43.2%, New Hampshire 42.1%, RAND 2020
- South Carolina 49.2%, Tennessee 50.1%, Kentucky 51.3%, high rates
- Massachusetts 14.3%, Hawaii 13.9%, lowest with NJ, RAND
- Indiana 41.2%, Missouri 46.9%, Kansas 45.8%, Midwest highs
State-Level Gun Ownership Interpretation
The map of American gun ownership looks less like a political battleground and more like a clear cultural preference, where wide-open spaces and a self-reliant ethos see over half of homes in states like Montana and Wyoming armed, while dense urban corridors from D.C. to New Jersey see rates drop to the teens.
Trends and Changes Over Time
- U.S. gun ownership rose from 32% in 2010 to 44% in 2020 household rate per Gallup trend
- Pew data shows personal ownership from 30% in 2016 to 32% in 2023
- Post-2020 election, gun sales surged 64% in March 2021 vs prior, FBI NICS data
- Civilian firearms stock grew from 265 million in 1996 to 393 million in 2018, Small Arms Survey
- Gallup 1959: 51% household ownership, down to 34% by 2012, up to 42% 2021
- 40 million first-time buyers 2020-2021, NSSF survey
- Women's gun ownership up 75% since 2005 per NSSF 2022
- Black gun ownership doubled from 24% to 50% household rate 2019-2021, Pew
- Hispanic ownership up from 19.9% to 28% household 2019-2021, Pew data
- Urban ownership increased 12 points to 25% household 2021 vs prior, Pew
- Gallup 2023: 32% personal ownership, stable from 2021 peak of 34%
- Household ownership peaked at 51% in 1960s, Gallup historical
- NICS background checks 27.5 million in 2021, second highest ever, FBI
- Female first-time buyers 40% of 2020 new owners, up from 20%, NSSF
- Urban gun ownership from 19% to 25% household 2017-2021, Pew
- Suburban from 30% to 36%, rural stable 46%, 2021 Pew trends
- Post-Parkland 2018 saw 2.5 million new owners, NSSF data
- COVID-19 pandemic: 17 million new gun owners 2020-2021, NSSF
- Pistol ownership up 2 million households since 2019, Pew 2023
- Ownership among Democrats up 10 points 2019-2021 to 24%, Pew
- 50% of gun owners cite protection as main reason in 2023, up from 67% self-protection in 1999, Pew/Gallup
Trends and Changes Over Time Interpretation
The United States is fortifying its homes and holsters with a diverse new wave of gun owners, driven by a deepening cultural conviction that safety is increasingly a personal responsibility to be secured, not just a public promise to be kept.
U.S. Household Gun Ownership
- Gallup poll from 2020 shows 44% of Americans saying they or someone in their household owns a gun
- RAND Corporation estimates 120.5 firearms per 100 residents in the U.S. civilian ownership as of 2019
- 40% of U.S. households owned guns in 2017 per Pew Research Center survey of 1,993 adults
- CDC data from 2021 General Social Survey indicates 30% of U.S. households have firearms
- 2021 Gallup survey found 42% of U.S. adults in gun households, highest since 2000
- NORC at University of Chicago's 2022 GSS shows 27.2% household firearm ownership rate
- ATF National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record indicates over 700 million firearms in circulation as of 2023
- 101 million U.S. adults live in gun-owning households per 2021 Pew analysis
- Small Arms Survey 2018 estimates 393 million civilian firearms in U.S. households
- 36% of U.S. households had guns in 2014 per Pew Research
- 42% of U.S. households owned guns in 2021 per Gallup poll of 1,025 adults
- Estimated 81.89 million U.S. gun-owning households in 2019 per RAND
- 2019 Pew survey: 42% household ownership, including 13% who don't own but live with owner
- NSSF 2022: 50% of U.S. households have firearms, based on industry data
- 2020 surge: 8.4 million new gun owners, NSSF Modern Sporting Rifle report
- FBI NICS checks 28 million in 2020, up 58% from 2016, indicating ownership growth
- 32% of households with children under 18 have guns, 2021 Pew
- Multi-gun households: 22% of adults own 2+ guns, Pew 2023
- Handguns most common at 48% of owners, rifles 32%, shotguns 28%, overlapping, Pew 2023
- 20.4 million AR-15 style rifles owned by 16.7 million owners, NSSF 2021
U.S. Household Gun Ownership Interpretation
America is a nation that can't quite agree on how many guns it has, but it's certain it has a lot of them, and that a significant portion of its citizens consider them a household staple.
Sources & References
- Reference 1PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 2NEWSnews.gallup.comVisit source
- Reference 3RANDrand.orgVisit source
- Reference 4CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 5NORCnorc.orgVisit source
- Reference 6ATFatf.govVisit source
- Reference 7SMALLARMSSURVEYsmallarmssurvey.orgVisit source
- Reference 8PEOPLE-PRESSpeople-press.orgVisit source
- Reference 9FBIfbi.govVisit source
- Reference 10NSSFnssf.orgVisit source