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Where to sell gold in NYC: the five boroughs by the numbers
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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.
New York City is the center of the US precious-metal trade. The five boroughs had 1,942 precious-metal wholesalers in 2023. That is 85% of New York State's total and more than a quarter of the nation's. They also had 1,130 jewelry stores (Census CBP 2023). Most of that is in Manhattan. As of Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET, 14k gold melts at $72.70 per gram and 22k at $114.24.
Key facts
- Jewelry stores, New York City (5 boroughs): 1,130 (Census CBP 2023)
- Precious-metal wholesalers, New York City (5 boroughs): 1,942 (CBP 2023)
- New York City median household income: $81,228 (ACS 2024)
- New York bullion sales tax: Exempt only when one invoice is over $1,000 and the price tracks metal value (checked Oct 24, 2026)
- 14k gold melt: $72.70/g (Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET)
Borough by borough (Census CBP 2023)
| Borough | Jewelry stores | Metal wholesalers | Wholesalers per 100k |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan | 668 | 1,705 | 102.7 |
| Queens | 161 | 111 | 4.8 |
| Brooklyn | 207 | 109 | 4.2 |
| The Bronx | 67 | 13 | 0.9 |
| Staten Island | 27 | 4 | 0.8 |
Source: Census CBP 2023 county level (each borough is a county), NAICS 448310 (jewelry stores) and 423940 (precious-metal wholesalers); per-100,000 uses ACS 2024 county population. Wholesaler employees: Manhattan 8,901, Queens 422, Brooklyn 425, The Bronx 21, Staten Island 7.
What the NYC numbers mean for a seller
No other city on this site comes close on wholesale density. NYC has 22.9 precious-metal wholesalers per 100,000 residents, against 2.0 nationally. Manhattan alone counts more than 1,700. Many are trade-only firms. So the count shows how deep the market is behind the retail counters, not how many places will see you.
Jewelry stores fell from 1208 in 2019 to 1130 in 2023 (-6%), mostly in Manhattan and Queens. Brooklyn gained stores. A dense market makes comparing easy in theory and tiring in practice. Written offers per gram make quotes easy to compare.
New York's bullion exemption starts only above $1,000 on one invoice, and only when the price tracks metal value. So small coin purchases are taxed. That is a rule for buyers. The value of the gold you sell is set by melt.
Precious-metal wholesalers: NYC vs the state and the US
| Area | Precious-metal wholesalers (2023) | Per 100,000 residents | Change since 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City (5 boroughs) | 1,942 | 22.9 | -68 |
| New York | 2,272 | 11.4 | -48 |
| United States | 6,949 | 2.0 | - |
Source: Census CBP 2019 and 2023, NAICS 423940 (jewelry, watch, precious stone and precious metal merchant wholesalers), 9,776 employees locally in 2023. These are business-to-business firms, not a count of shops that buy from the public. Notes.
NYC jewelry stores, 2019 to 2023
| Year | Jewelry stores, NYC | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1,208 | 5,064 |
| 2022 | 1,115 | 4,632 |
| 2023 | 1,130 | 5,052 |
| Area | Jewelry stores (2023) | Per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| New York City (5 boroughs) | 1,130 | 13.3 |
| New York | 1,947 | 9.8 |
| 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.
New York sales tax on bullion: the $1,000 rule
Exempt only when one invoice is over $1,000 and the price tracks metal value. New York does not charge state or local sales tax on bullion bought for investment when three things are true: one invoice totals more than $1,000, the price depends only on the metal, and the buyer keeps the bullion in its original form. Sales of $1,000 or less are taxed whatever the buyer plans. The Department's memo defines bullion as bars, ingots or coins of gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium or iridium. It also caps how far a coin's price can sit above metal value and still count.
Sources: NY Dept. of Taxation and Finance, TSB-M-89(20)S. 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 New York sellers
Gold is worth the same in New York City 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.
New York City residents (ACS 2024)
| Measure (ACS 2024) | New York City | New York | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,478,072 | 19,867,248 | 340,110,990 |
| Median household income | $81,228 | $85,820 | $81,604 |
| Residents age 65+ | 17.5% | 18.9% | 18.0% |
| Households with retirement income | 18.4% | 25.1% | 24.4% |
| Median home value | $778,600 | n/a | n/a |
Source: Census ACS 2024 1-year estimates (tables B01003, B19013, B19059, B25077, S0101), city limits of New York City. Notes.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I sell gold in NYC?
Coin shops, jewelers that buy gold, pawn shops and online dealer buyback programs. We do not list or rank local businesses. The trade is concentrated in Manhattan: 1,705 of the city's 1,942 precious-metal wholesalers and 668 of its 1,130 jewelry stores in 2023 (Census County Business Patterns).
Are there coin shops in New York City?
Yes, but there is no official count. Census files coin dealers with other collectibles stores. The nearest official measures are 1,130 jewelry stores and 1,942 precious-metal wholesalers across the five boroughs (2023).
What is the best place to sell gold in NYC?
We do not rank local buyers. The best offer is the highest written one once you compare it with melt. For 22k jewelry, that is $114.24 per gram as of Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET; for 14k, $72.70.
NYC takeaways
- Know your melt: 20 g of 14k is $1,454.01. 22k, common in South Asian jewelry, is $114.24 per gram as of Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET.
- Collect written offers per gram from several buyers. In a market this dense you can compare without going far.
- Buying bullion afterwards? New York taxes bullion invoices of $1,000 or less.
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.