Real Estate Tops Americans' Favorite Long-Term Investment

Gallup's annual poll shows real estate as the top long-term investment (38%), ahead of stocks (20%), with gold and cash also prominent. Yet investing experts point to stocks as the true long-term winner: the S&P 500 has averaged roughly 11.5% per year over 40 years to 2025 (and about 10.4% from 1992–2024), far outpacing home-price gains around 5%. Real estate’s popularity is driven by widespread homeownership and a perceived safety net, while gold is viewed mainly as diversification and savings accounts/CDs as safety for risk-averse investors.