Bitcoin's mining difficulty increased 7.15% on June 26, 2026, at block height 955,584, while hashprice dropped 18.34% over 30 days to $28.68 per petahash per second (PH/s). The difficulty adjustment followed the prior epoch's 10.09% decline and lifted the difficulty rating to 133.87 trillion. The hashprice decline occurred as bitcoin's value fell 43% over the past 12 months and now sits 51% below its all-time high above $126,000, squeezing miner revenue network-wide while hashrate holds near 984 exahashes per second (EH/s).
Bitcoin Difficulty Adjustment Raises Mining Target to 133.87 Trillion
The June 26 adjustment means discovering a block is now 7.15% more difficult than it was before block 955,584 and the 2,016 blocks that preceded it. When Satoshi mined the genesis block, the network required a guess beginning with roughly eight leading zeros in hexadecimal to qualify as valid. At a difficulty of 133.87 trillion, a valid hash needs about 22 leading zeros. Each additional leading zero makes the odds exponentially tougher because the target shrinks by a factor of 16 every time.
Hashprice Declines 18.34% as Bitcoin Price Remains 51% Below Peak
Hashprice, or the expected value of one petahash per second (PH/s), sits at $28.68. That figure is 18.34% lower than it was 30 days earlier on May 27, when hashprice stood at $35.12. The decline has weighed on miner revenue as bitcoin's value has fallen 43% over the past 12 months.
![Hashprice chart showing decline over the last month]()
Network Hashrate Maintains 984 EH/s Despite Margin Pressure
Hashrate remains elevated near the 1,000 EH/s range, sitting at 984 EH/s at press time. Despite several meaningful drawdowns, Bitcoin's hashrate has held firm near that level. New hardware keeps the most efficient operators profitable, while low-cost or flexible power now defines much of the hashrate still standing.
Bitcoin Miners Absorb Losses While Betting on Cyclical Recovery
Many miners operate on thin margins, or even brief losses, while betting on cyclical recovery. Deployed mining machines are sunk capital. Shutting down entirely means surrendering future upside, possible difficulty relief and the chance to accumulate BTC. The hashrate has largely moved sideways since last year's all-time highs, which arrived alongside bitcoin's price peaks.
2026 Difficulty Epochs Show 7 Reductions vs 6 Increases
All 13 epochs that took place in 2026 show difficulty reductions happened more frequently than increases (7 reductions vs. 6 increases). The cumulative sum of the reductions (-38.22%) outweighed the cumulative sum of the increases (+31.04%).
![Difficulty epochs chart for 2026 showing all 13 adjustments]()
The 7.15% difficulty jump shows a mining network doing exactly what it was built to do: ignore price, margins, and miner pain. The protocol counts blocks and tightens the target as necessary. The miners left standing are the efficient, the committed or both, keeping the target 133.87 trillion times smaller than Satoshi's in 2009.
FAQ
What did Bitcoin's difficulty do on June 26, 2026?
Bitcoin's difficulty rose 7.15% at block height 955,584 on June 26, 2026, lifting the difficulty rating to 133.87 trillion after the prior epoch's 10.09% decline.
Why did hashprice drop 18.34% in 30 days?
Hashprice dropped 18.34% over 30 days to $28.68 per PH/s as bitcoin's value fell 43% over the past 12 months and now sits 51% below its all-time high above $126,000, squeezing miner revenue network-wide.
How does Bitcoin's hashrate remain at 984 EH/s despite margin pressure?
Hashrate holds near 984 EH/s because many miners operate on thin margins or brief losses while betting on cyclical recovery, as deployed mining machines are sunk capital and shutting down means surrendering future upside and the chance to accumulate BTC.
