Crypto employs 34,000 in the U.S. and adds $55 billion, NCA says

The U.S. crypto industry directly employs about 34,000 people and supports an estimated 232,000 jobs across the broader economy in 2026, according to a report commissioned by the National Cryptocurrency Association and prepared by Pragmatic Policy Group. The study says salaries, worker spending and output will contribute about $55 billion this year, with securities and commodity contracts among the largest beneficiary sectors at $9.7 billion and housing and real estate contributing a combined $4.8 billion. It distinguishes direct employment at crypto companies from indirect and induced effects across the economy, and says the industry's direct workforce is larger than U.S. coffee and tea manufacturing and aerospace based on Bureau of Labor Statistics comparisons. Texas, Washington, North Carolina, California and New York were cited as the states employing the most people involved in the industry, while Colorado was described as a growing blockchain hub and North Dakota as an energy-integrated digital infrastructure hub tied to crypto mining policy. The NCA launched in March 2025 as a nonprofit focused on consumer crypto education with $50 million in backing from Ripple, and Stuart Alderoty, Ripple's chief legal officer, heads the group. The report arrives as some digital-asset projects have closed this year, including Entropy in January, Dmail beginning in May, and Tally and Balancer Labs in March.