NCA Research Projects $55B US Economic Contribution from Cryptocurrency Sector by 2026
A study commissioned by the National Cryptocurrency Association reveals that the digital asset sector provides direct employment to 34,000 Americans, surpassing the workforce in coffee and tea production industries.
A comprehensive study conducted by the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA), a group supported by Ripple Labs, has analyzed the economic footprint of the cryptocurrency sector across the United States, projecting that combined salaries, consumer expenditures by workers, and overall industry output will reach a total economic contribution of $55 billion for this year.
The Pragmatic Policy Group released a report on Wednesday on behalf of the NCA, revealing that the cumulative economic impact stems from three employment categories: direct, indirect, and induced positions. According to the NCA's findings, investment activities in securities and commodity contracts ranked among the top beneficiaries of crypto's economic influence at $9.7 billion, whereas the combined contribution to housing and real estate sectors totaled $4.8 billion.
The study's findings indicated that cryptocurrency companies provide direct employment to approximately 34,000 individuals throughout the United States, representing only a small portion of the 232,000 jobs that the industry supports throughout the broader economy. When compared with US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, this employment figure means the crypto sector directly employs more American workers than both the coffee and tea manufacturing sector and the aerospace industries combined.
When examining employment distribution across individual states, Texas, Washington, North Carolina, California and New York led the nation in employing the highest number of industry workers, while Colorado emerged as a "growing blockchain hub" driven by regulatory policies favorable to the sector, the economic report stated. Additionally, the NCA noted that North Dakota is "becoming an energy-integrated digital infrastructure hub" thanks to state tax legislation that benefits cryptocurrency mining operations and policies supporting the use of flare gas.
Established in March 2025, the NCA operates as a non-profit entity dedicated to educating consumers about cryptocurrency, with Ripple providing $50 million in initial funding. The organization is led by Stuart Alderoty, who serves as Ripple's chief legal officer.
The industry experienced multiple shutdowns in 2026
Throughout this year, numerous digital asset-related projects announced their decisions to cease operations, citing a variety of challenges including scaling difficulties and unfavorable market conditions.
In January, Entropy, a New York-based cryptocurrency start-up, announced its closure after operating for four years. Dmail, a Singapore-based decentralized email platform, began winding down its operations in May, attributing the decision to mounting costs related to bandwidth, storage and computing resources. Additional closures in March included Tally, a platform for decentralized autonomous organization governance, and Balancer Labs.