U.S. Worker Needs About 12 Months of Wages to Buy One Bitcoin
A September 2026 estimate puts the total at 2,127 full-time work hours, before taxes and living expenses.
An average U.S. private-sector employee would need about 12 months of full-time wages to buy one Bitcoin (BTC), based on a September 2026 estimate that excludes taxes and living expenses.
The calculation puts the required work at 2,127 hours. It assumes the employee spends all pretax wages on BTC, leaving nothing for other costs.
The estimate has eased from its peak in July 2025, when buying one BTC required 394 full-time workdays, or about 1.6 years. By October 2025, the total stood at 3,100 hours, equivalent to 18 months.
The series began on Oct. 12, 2009, when New Liberty Standard paid Martti Malmi for BTC. At that point, the estimate put the work needed to buy one BTC at less than a second.
The required hours later rose to 1,860 in October 2021, then fell to 601 in October 2022.
Enna Lee
ReporterEnna Lee reports on investing and digital-asset markets for TokenPost. Send corrections or tips to info@tokenpost.com.