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Sell gold in Houston: what the local numbers show
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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.
Harris County had 321 jewelry stores and 123 precious-metal wholesalers in 2023, per the Census Bureau. That is about a fifth of all Texas jewelry stores. It works out to 6.4 jewelry stores per 100,000 residents, against 5.0 for Texas. So a Houston seller has more places to ask for a quote than most Texans. The yardstick is the same everywhere: 14k gold melts at $72.70 per gram as of Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET.
Key facts
- Jewelry stores, Harris County: 321 (Census CBP 2023)
- Precious-metal wholesalers, Harris County: 123 (CBP 2023)
- Houston median household income: $64,361 (ACS 2024)
- Texas bullion sales tax: Exempt: gold, silver and numismatic coins and gold, silver and platinum bullion (checked Oct 24, 2026)
- 14k gold melt: $72.70/g (Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET)
Jewelry stores in Harris County, 2019 to 2023
| Year | Jewelry stores, Harris County | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 261 | 1,623 |
| 2022 | 298 | 1,559 |
| 2023 | 321 | 2,317 |
| Area | Jewelry stores (2023) | Per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| Harris County | 321 | 6.4 |
| Texas | 1,575 | 5.0 |
| 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.
Staffing at Harris County jewelry stores jumped in 2023
Jewelry-store jobs in Harris County rose from 1,559 in 2022 to 2,317 in 2023. Stores went from 298 to 321. That is about 7.2 workers per store, up from 5.2. The Census counts do not say why. They only show the local jewelry trade growing through 2023.
Precious-metal wholesalers: Houston is Texas's trade hub
| Area | Precious-metal wholesalers (2023) | Per 100,000 residents | Change since 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris County | 123 | 2.5 | +17 |
| Texas | 450 | 1.4 | +49 |
| United States | 6,949 | 2.0 | - |
Source: Census CBP 2019 and 2023, NAICS 423940 (jewelry, watch, precious stone and precious metal merchant wholesalers), 574 employees locally in 2023. These are business-to-business firms, not a count of shops that buy from the public. Notes.
Today's melt value, the ceiling for any Houston offer
Gold is worth the same in Houston 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.
Who lives in Houston (ACS 2024)
| Measure (ACS 2024) | Houston | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,387,910 | 31,290,831 | 340,110,990 |
| Median household income | $64,361 | $79,721 | $81,604 |
| Residents age 65+ | 12.4% | 14.0% | 18.0% |
| Households with retirement income | 13.6% | 19.4% | 24.4% |
| Median home value | $301,200 | n/a | n/a |
Source: Census ACS 2024 1-year estimates (tables B01003, B19013, B19059, B25077, S0101), city limits of Houston. Notes.
Texas sales tax on gold coins and bullion
Exempt: gold, silver and numismatic coins and gold, silver and platinum bullion. Texas does not charge state or local sales tax on gold, silver or numismatic coins, or on gold, silver or platinum bullion (Tax Code §151.336, current wording since Oct 1, 2013). The Comptroller's rule says the exemption does not cover jewelry or other items worn as adornment.
Sources: Texas Bullion Depository (Texas Comptroller), Sales tax benefits; Texas Tax Code §151.336. 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.
What this means if you are selling gold in Houston
By the official counts, Houston is a deep market. Harris County has 16% of Texas's people but 20% of its jewelry stores and 27% of its precious-metal wholesalers. Wholesalers are the trade layer that buys from jewelers and dealers and sells to refiners. With 123 of them (2.5 per 100,000, against 2.0 nationally), local buyers have nearby places to sell what they take in.
Houston is younger and earns less than Texas overall. 12.4% of residents are 65 or older (Texas 14.0%). The median household income is $64,361 (Texas $79,721). Only 13.6% of households report retirement income, against 19.4% statewide. These figures describe the city. They do not tell you who sells gold or what anyone pays.
No count here tells you who pays most. Many jewelry stores never buy gold, and Census has no category for coin shops or pawnshops. Use the numbers to see how many doors you could knock on. Then compare each written offer with the melt figures below.
Houston seller checklist
- Sort pieces by stamp (10k, 14k, 18k) and weigh each group in grams.
- Work out melt for each group: 20 g of 14k is $1,454.01 as of Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET.
- Ask at least three Houston buyers for a written price per gram for each karat.
- For coins and bars, compare local bids with the online buy prices on our sell-gold page.
- Texas does not tax bullion coins or bars. If you plan to swap scrap for coins, compare the coin's premium instead.
Frequently asked questions
Are there coin shops in Houston?
Yes, but no official statistic counts them. Census groups coin dealers with other collectibles and used-goods stores. The closest official measures are the 321 jewelry stores and 123 precious-metal wholesalers in Harris County (2023).
Who buys gold in Houston?
Coin shops, jewelers that buy gold, pawn shops and online dealer buyback programs. No official source says which local stores buy. Harris County had 321 jewelry stores in 2023, up from 261 in 2019 (Census CBP), so ask each one if it buys and for its price per gram.
What is the best place to sell gold in Houston?
We do not rank local buyers, and no official data does either. The best offer is the highest written one once you compare it with melt. With 321 jewelry stores in the county, you can collect several quotes.
More local gold-selling data
Sell gold in San Antonio, TX · Sell gold in Tampa, FL · Sell gold in Tucson, AZ
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.