How many addresses do you think the average bitcoin user has?

[bander]

as the title states, whats the average number of wallet addresses per bitcoin user? With the ability to trace transactions and link people together based on publically posted keys, I know many people (including myself) have generated unique addresses for nearly all transactions just to be safe. My guess is somewhere around 40-50 addresses at this point in time.. what are your guy's thoughts?

[colinistheman]

I have about 20 that I am actually using. But I have probably had about 50 in all my bitcoin'ing.

It's hard to keep track because bitcoin addresses can be disposable and temporary. So no need in counting really.

[franky1]

i use only 6 private keys (my own wallet) but if you want to include public keys i used to receive funds (throw away addresses before sweeping to cold store) or deposit addresses on exchanges i have access to, well.. alot

i estimate more then 300 addresses have passed through my copy&paste usage or qr code maker to then pass out to people to pay me

[DannyHamilton]

Since Bitcoin Core (previously Bitcoin-Qt) pre-generates 100 addresses for each wallet, and since I've had a few Bitcoin-Qt (and Bitcoin Core) wallets since I started using bitcoin, I'm certain that I've generated several hundred addresses.

Of course, many of those addresses have never held a single satoshi (and probably never will).

If we are counting "generated" addresses (instead of addresses that have actually held value at some time), then we also need to consider the millions of addresses that are generated every day while people try to create vanity addresses.

Assuming that you are just talking about addresses that have actually held some value at some point in the past, the number is much smaller.  Every transaction I send uses a brand new address for the change, and I use a brand new address every time I receive bitcoins from anyone. I'd have a hard time guessing just how many I've used, but I feel like it's got to be more than 300 (just considering the escrows I've handled, if nothing else).

[justusranvier]

I know many people (including myself) have generated unique addresses for nearly all transactions just to be safe.

It's a travesty that creating unique addresses for each incoming transaction is considered special, instead of just assumed to be the right way to do things.

A handful of wallet developers have done an incalculable amount of harm to Bitcoin by pushing the address reuse paradigm, the ones at blockchain.info being at the very top of the list.

[dserrano5]

I have 24 UTXOs right now. Past address usage must be around ~200 I guess.

[Meuh6879]

17 adress ... increase every 7 days. 

[Lucky Cris]

Man... this is a tough one! lol  only counting those that's ever had a balance... prolly about 200

[niktitan132]

Well,i have now over 80 addresses most of them are change addresses which mixed my BTC in electrum wallet.

[goose20]

Anyone involved in btc, would and should have many addresses. There's so many to go around, why not make use of them.
Its the whole purpose.
20 addresses

[Pente]

I actually only use 5 for now. Two large ones for receive only, 3 for small stuff.

[Fiyasko]

I only USE about three, and dump&use a new one each new transaction, So I have about 70 addresses

[lemfuture]

everyday i use a new one

[alani123]

Through all the wallets I've used, I've surely created more than 200 addresses. Many of them I didn't even use. But I'd never like people to associate at how much I get paid and from by simply looking at a public address through the blockchain. And there would not be a problem if eveyone would do the same. Practically, there can be 2^160 adresses. Wonder how big this number is? Let's say there are 6b humans in this earth. If we divide the max possible number of addresses to this number, each human could have 243583610000000000000000000000000000000. Also recreating the same address would be nearly impossible.

[MineForeman.com]

as the title states, whats the average number of wallet addresses per bitcoin user? With the ability to trace transactions and link people together based on publically posted keys, I know many people (including myself) have generated unique addresses for nearly all transactions just to be safe. My guess is somewhere around 40-50 addresses at this point in time.. what are your guy's thoughts?

God only knows!  Thousands

I have a few cold storage keys, one for MinePeon donations, but the rest of them..... The idea is not to hold onto keys like that.  It actually decreases the security of you money and.... why?  It is not like it costs to make them.

It is kind of like keeping your old toilet paper .

Neil

[guitarplinker]

I use about 5 addresses at a time. In total I've probably uaes about 25 addresses or so.

[Possum577]

I have fewer than ten bitcoin addresses. Anyone think that leaves me exposed to unnecessary risk?

[bigasic]

I believe Satoshi stated that we should use a new address for each transaction for added security.

[Swordsoffreedom]

I believe Satoshi stated that we should use a new address for each transaction for added security.

Yes that is to ensure anonymity a one use address can't really be followed while a set of transactions to one address can

That said an average user has perhaps 10-15 active if you include single use addresses that number might be anywhere from 40 to a few hundred depending on how active they are in transferring and moving their bitcoins.

[Soros Shorts]

Define "average bitcoin user"?

I would guess the longer the user has been around and the more active they are then the more addresses they'd have.

It is a good habit to never use a receiving address more than once. For example, I mine and I change my withdrawal address at the pool after each withdrawal, which is a few times a week.