Americans Say Real Estate Is Still the Best Long-Term Investment in 2026
Every year, Gallup asks Americans the same question: what's the best long-term investment?
And every year, we get the same answer. Real estate won again in 2026. That's 14 years running.
We get why people ask if that's still true. Crypto has its true believers, and even with the stock market's rough stretch lately, plenty of folks are still all in. So let's look at what people actually said this year, and what a 14-year streak like this really tells you about where to put your money for the long haul.
What Americans Said in the 2026 Gallup Poll
Gallup asks the same question every year: which investment do you think is best over the long run? Here's how people answered in 2026
Real estate: 38%
Stocks/mutual funds: 20%
Gold: 18%
Savings accounts/CDs: 12%
Bonds: 4%
Cryptocurrency: 2%
Real estate's lead is nearly double the next closest answer. Stocks climbed a bit since last year, up from 16% to 20%, and gold cooled off from its 2023 peak of 25%. Crypto, for all the attention it gets on social media, still can't crack 3%.
A 14-Year Streak, With Two Exceptions
We'll say it plainly: 14 years is a long time for anything to stay in first place. Real estate has topped this poll every single year since 2013, through a pandemic and a wave of interest rate hikes.
The streak has broken exactly twice.
2008 to 2009: During the financial crisis, savings accounts and CDs edged out real estate, 31% to 26% in September 2008 and 34% to 33% in April 2009.
2011 to 2012: Gold took the top spot for two years running, 34% to 19% in 2011 and 28% to 20% in 2012, while people were still spooked from the crash.
Both times, real estate came right back. It reclaimed the lead in 2013 and hasn't let go since.
Why Real Estate Keeps Winning
Here's our take on why this keeps happening. A home is something you can actually touch and use. It's not a ticker symbol on an app. It's where someone raises kids, hosts Friendsgiving, and slowly builds equity while just living their life.
Now, it's true that stocks have historically offered higher returns. From 1990 to April 2024, the S&P 500 surged by 1,325%, while the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index rose by 308%.
But stocks also come with a lot more volatility, while real estate tends to grow more steadily. Even during rough economic stretches like the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, real estate has shown a strong track record of bouncing back.
You can see that when you look at U.S. home price growth by the decade:
Source: ResiClub
U.S. home price growth by decade:
1990s: +30.1%
2000s: +47.3%
2010s: +44.7%
2020-2024: +47.1%
Every single decade, even the rocky 2000s, home prices have grown by 30% or more.
Of course, buying a home only pays off as a long-term investment if you're actually staying long-term. If you're planning to move in a couple of years, it may not be the right fit for you right now, and that's okay.
The poll results show Americans still trust real estate more than any other option. But there's no one-size-fits-all answer here. Always talk with your financial advisor before making a move, since the right choice depends on your goals, your risk tolerance, and your timeline.
If you're weighing whether now's the time to buy in Nashville, we're always happy to talk it through with you, no pressure, just real answers.
