Firearm Ownership in America by Year: An Updated Analysis in 2025

Last Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Household firearm ownership decreased by 26.5% from 49% of households to 36% of households between 1959 and 2025.
Between 28-43% of men report owning guns, compared to 17-25% of females.
According to the latest surveys, Democrat gun ownership fell by 31.8% between 2007 and 2025, while Republican ownership fell by 18.4%.

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Methodology

The United States does not track or maintain official records of firearm ownership. As a result, understanding how many Americans own guns requires reliance on self-reported data, which can vary depending on the source, method, and willingness of individuals to disclose ownership.

To address these inconsistencies, we analyzed multiple self-reporting surveys and cross-referenced their findings with reputable studies and publicly available data. By combining insights from trusted sources and utilizing a comprehensive approach, we provided the most accurate information using the most up-to-date surveys.

Firearm Ownership in America by Year

Firearm ownership in America ranges from 23-31% according to 2025 survey data.^{10, 11}

Gallup surveys indicate that 30% of Americans personally owned a firearm in 2000. The number of individual gun owners increased to 33% in 2020, then again in 2024 (34%), and then declined in 2025 (31%). ^{1, 11}

In 2024, a Pew Research Center survey showed that 32% of Americans personally own firearms. ⁵

Firearm Ownership by Year - Image showing breakdown by year

Household Firearm Ownership by Year

Firearm ownership in America was between 36% and 42% of households in 2025. ^{10, 11}

According to Gallup, household ownership in 1949 was 49%. Ownership fell to an all-time low in 1999 at 34%, increased to 42% in 2024, and remained at 42% in 2025. ¹ This data aligns with a 2024 Pew poll indicating that 42% of Americans live in a household with a gun, and that 32% own one personally. ⁵

A report published by The Violence Prevention Project indicates that 50.9% of American adults lived in a household with a firearm in 1980. This number dropped to 35.2% in 2021. ¹²

Conversely, a 2025 YouGov survey showed that only 36% of Americans live in a household with a firearm, and only 23% personally own one. ¹¹

Firearm Ownership by Gender by Year

In 1980, 50% of American men and only 10% of American women owned guns. In the late 2010s, the number of men owning firearms decreased, while the number of women owning guns increased. ^{4, 9} For more insight into how the percentage of Americans owning guns has shifted across demographics, check out our comprehensive analysis.

In 2025, between 28% and 40% of men reported owning a firearm, while 17-25% of women reported owning one or more guns. ^{5, 10, 11}

Firearm Ownership by Gender and Year (1985-2025)

Number of First-Time Firearm Owners by Year

More than 21 million Americans bought their first gun between 2020 and 2023. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, only 2.4 million Americans purchased their first firearm (2019). ⁷

In 2020, 8.4 million Americans became first-time gun owners. This number decreased to 5.4 million in 2021, and 4.8 million in 2023. ⁶

Firearm Ownership by Political Party by Year

Republican voters (31%) were 107% more likely to own firearms than Democrat voters (15%) in 2025. ¹¹

According to a FiveThirtyEight report, 55% of Republican voters owned a gun in 1973, compared to 45% of Democrat voters. In 2008, Republican ownership increased to 56%, while Democrat ownership decreased to 31%. ¹³

In 2024, Pew reported that 45% of Republicans personally owned a firearm, and an additional 10% lived in a home with someone else who owned a gun. This report also shows that 20% of Democrats personally owned a gun, while an additional 10% lived in a home with someone who owned one. ⁵

Percentage of Gun Owners by Political Party

Urban vs. Rural Differences in Gun Ownership by Year

Gun ownership in rural areas versus urban areas remained consistent between 2017 and 2023. Nearly half (47%) of all Americans living in rural areas own at least one firearm. 19% of all Americans living in urban areas owned firearms in 2023. ^{5, 8}

The percentage of those owning firearms increases as populations become more rural. Between 2010 and 2014, only 14% of those in large metropolitan areas owned guns. On average, 19% of those living in suburban areas owned guns. 55% of those living in rural areas (towns with less than 10,000 people) owned firearms. ⁹

Discussion

Gun ownership in the U.S. declined in the early 2000s and increased again during the pandemic. Republicans and women have begun outpacing Democrats and men regarding gun ownership. Rural Americans are consistently more likely to own firearms than those who live closer to cities. For the full picture of how many guns are in the United States today, including national totals and civilian ownership estimates, see our dedicated analysis.

Sources

Written by

Cassandra McBride