The Gallup organization conducts an annual report entitled the Economy and Personal Finances Poll, which asks Americans to choose the best option for long-term investment.

It was no surprise that real estate returned to the top position over other investment categories (gold, stocks/mutual funds, savings accounts/CDs and bonds).

Back in 2011, gold was the most popular long-term investment among Americans. However, with the housing market improving across the U.S. and home prices rising, more Americans now consider real estate the best option for long-term investments.

The poll also revealed that real estate was considered to be the best long-term investment by all four subgroups by age and two out of three by income: