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Sell gold in Tampa: local data, Florida tax rules and today's melt
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By GoldGuy. First published Oct 24, 2026; text updated Oct 25, 2026. Census data retrieved Oct 24, 2026; state tax rules checked Oct 24, 2026; melt values refresh with every price update.
Tampa is younger than the Florida stereotype. 13.8% of city residents are 65 or older, against 21.8% statewide (ACS 2024). Hillsborough County had 113 jewelry stores and 31 precious-metal wholesalers in 2023 (Census CBP). The wholesaler count is up +35% since 2019. Florida also widened its bullion tax exemption in August 2025. Today, 14k gold melts at $72.70 per gram as of Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET.
Key facts
- Jewelry stores, Hillsborough County: 113 (Census CBP 2023)
- Precious-metal wholesalers, Hillsborough County: 31 (CBP 2023)
- Tampa median household income: $84,114 (ACS 2024)
- Florida bullion sales tax: Bullion bars exempt at any price since Aug 1, 2025; most non-US coins still need a $500+ transaction (checked Oct 24, 2026)
- 14k gold melt: $72.70/g (Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET)
Tampa's residents compared with Florida (ACS 2024)
| Measure (ACS 2024) | Tampa | Florida | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 414,575 | 23,372,215 | 340,110,990 |
| Median household income | $84,114 | $77,735 | $81,604 |
| Residents age 65+ | 13.8% | 21.8% | 18.0% |
| Households with retirement income | 16.8% | 25.7% | 24.4% |
| Median home value | $494,400 | n/a | n/a |
Source: Census ACS 2024 1-year estimates (tables B01003, B19013, B19059, B25077, S0101), city limits of Tampa. Notes.
Why Tampa does not look like retirement Florida
Florida has one of the oldest populations in the country. 21.8% of residents are 65 or older, and 25.7% of households get retirement income. Tampa's figures are 13.8% and 16.8%. Its median household income, $84,114, is above Florida's $77,735. For a gold seller this is context, not a price signal. Tampa's buyers serve a working-age city inside a retiree-heavy state.
Jewelry stores in Hillsborough County
| Year | Jewelry stores, Hillsborough County | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 104 | 549 |
| 2022 | 104 | 476 |
| 2023 | 113 | 520 |
| Area | Jewelry stores (2023) | Per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| Hillsborough County | 113 | 7.1 |
| Florida | 1,868 | 8.0 |
| United States | 19,897 | 5.9 |
Source: Census CBP 2019, 2022 and 2023, NAICS 448310 (jewelry stores); per-100,000 rates use ACS 2024 population. Notes.
Precious-metal wholesalers in Hillsborough County are growing
| Area | Precious-metal wholesalers (2023) | Per 100,000 residents | Change since 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsborough County | 31 | 2.0 | +8 |
| Florida | 633 | 2.7 | +15 |
| United States | 6,949 | 2.0 | - |
Source: Census CBP 2019 and 2023, NAICS 423940 (jewelry, watch, precious stone and precious metal merchant wholesalers), 108 employees locally in 2023. These are business-to-business firms, not a count of shops that buy from the public. Notes.
Florida tax on gold: what changed on Aug 1, 2025
Bullion bars exempt at any price since Aug 1, 2025; most non-US coins still need a $500+ transaction. Since August 1, 2025, Florida does not tax gold, silver or platinum bullion at any price. Before that, the exemption needed one sale over $500. Florida's rule defines bullion as bars, ingots or plates sold by weight. It says coins and jewelry are not bullion. U.S. legal-tender coins are not taxed. Other coins (the rule's own example is a Krugerrand) are exempt only when the coins in one sale total more than $500.
Sources: Florida Dept. of Revenue, TIP 25A01-03 (July 1, 2025); Florida Dept. of Revenue, Rule 12A-1.0371 amendments. Checked Oct 24, 2026. These rules cover buying; they are general information, not tax advice. Selling gold can raise a federal capital-gains question instead: see how to sell silver and gold.
Melt values for Tampa sellers
Gold is worth the same in Tampa as anywhere else: weight times purity times the spot price. As of Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET, gold spot is $3,876.40/troy oz. Online dealers' published buy prices for bullion: 1 oz American Gold Eagle 98.9% of melt (Hero Bullion); 1 oz Gold Krugerrand 97.7% of melt (Hero Bullion); 1 oz gold bar (.9999) 97.9% of melt (Hero Bullion). Checked Oct 31, 2026 2:32 AM ET.
| Karat | Melt per gram | Melt per pennyweight |
|---|---|---|
| 24k | $124.50 | $193.63 |
| 22k | $114.24 | $177.67 |
| 21k | $109.05 | $169.59 |
| 18k | $93.47 | $145.36 |
| 14k | $72.70 | $113.06 |
| 10k | $51.93 | $80.76 |
Plug in your own weight with the pawn shop gold price calculator, which also shows what share of melt an offer is.
Melt = grams × purity × spot ÷ 31.1035 (spot: gold-api.com). Local offers for jewelry and scrap are below melt; the gap depends on the buyer.
What the Tampa numbers mean for a seller
Hillsborough County has fewer jewelry stores per person than Florida as a whole: 7.1 per 100,000 residents against 8.0 statewide. That is still above the national 5.9. The count rose from 104 in 2022 to 113 in 2023.
The wholesale side grew faster. Precious-metal wholesalers went from 23 in 2019 to 31 in 2023 (+35%). That is still a small base, and Census does not say why. But it is the direction in the official data.
Florida's August 2025 change matters mostly to buyers. Bars are now exempt at any price. Non-U.S. coins still need more than $500 in one sale. If you sell jewelry and buy bars or coins with the money, check which side of that line your purchase falls on.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I sell gold in Tampa?
Coin shops, jewelers that buy gold, pawn shops and online dealer buyback programs. We do not list or rank local businesses. Get written offers per gram and compare each with melt: 14k is $72.70 per gram as of Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET.
Are there coin shops in Tampa?
Yes, though no official statistic counts them. The closest Census measures are 113 jewelry stores and 31 precious-metal wholesalers in Hillsborough County (2023).
Tampa takeaways
- Weigh jewelry in grams and price it by karat: 20 g of 14k is $1,454.01 in melt as of Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET.
- Compare at least three written offers. The county has 113 jewelry stores, but no official count says which buy gold.
- Trading into bullion? Florida taxes some coin purchases of $500 or less, but not bars (since Aug 1, 2025).
More local gold-selling data
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All city pages · Pawn shop gold price calculator · Gold jewelry value by karat · 14k gold price per gram · How to sell gold step by step
Bullion Price Check publishes price data and does not buy, sell or lend on gold. No business on this page is listed, rated or endorsed. General information, not financial or tax advice.
Notes: establishment counts are from the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (the latest year published; NAICS 2017 codes 448310 jewelry stores and 423940 jewelry, watch, precious stone and precious metal merchant wholesalers), county level, retrieved Oct 24, 2026. Population, income, age and retirement-income figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, retrieved Oct 24, 2026. Per-100,000 rates divide 2023 business counts by 2024 population, so they mix years and are approximate. Census does not count pawnshops, coin shops or gold buyers as such: a jewelry-store count includes stores that never buy gold, and pawnshops are filed under a broader lending code that we do not use. ACS figures are survey estimates with margins of error.