Top States Where You're Most Likely to Find Gold in the Ground

The real gold rush: These are the states where you’re most likely to strike lucky 

• California takes the top spot, with 66.59 gold locations per 1,000 square miles. 

• Washington and Oregon rank second and third with 34.17 and 31.41 gold locations per 1,000 square miles, respectively. 

• Analysis of U.S. Geological Survey data reveals the gold hotspots throughout the country. 

A new study has revealed where you’re most likely to strike rich and find gold. 

Bullion dealer SD Bullion analyzed data from the United States Geological Survey, looking at all the locations throughout America where gold ore has been found or produced as a commodity. 

In first place, perhaps unsurprisingly given its nickname of “The Golden State”, is California, where there were recorded to be 66.59 gold locations per 1,000 square miles. In total, there are currently 10,373 locations where gold has been found or is being produced, more than quadruple that of Washington in second place on the list, at 2,271 current locations. 

Washington takes the second spot on the list, with the state recording 34.17 gold locations per 1,000 square miles. Despite only having 2,271 locations where gold has been found or is currently being produced, Washington is the smallest state in terms of land area of any state in the top ten at 66,455 square miles, resulting in such a high ranking and securing second place. 

In third place is Oregon, where there were found to be 31.41 gold locations per 1,000 square miles. The state has 3,015 locations where gold has been found or is currently being produced, recorded across its 95,988 square miles, the fourth highest of any state in the top ten. 

Close behind is Nevada in fourth place, with 30.91 gold locations per 1,000 square miles. In its 109,781 square miles, Nevada has a total of 3,393 locations where gold has been found or is currently being produced. Known for its desert landscapes, Nevada's gold mining activities are a major part of its economy, making it a key player in the United States gold production and discovery. 

Idaho ranks fifth, recording 28.44 gold locations per 1,000 square miles. With 2,350 locations where gold has been found or is currently being produced within an area of 82,643 square miles, Idaho is the third smallest state in terms of land area behind Washington (66,455 square miles) and marginally behind Utah (82,168 square miles). The state's mountainous terrain has historically been rich in minerals, attracting prospectors for centuries. 

Arizona takes sixth place with 17.40 gold locations per 1,000 square miles. Over its 113,594 square miles, the state has 1,977 locations where gold has been found or is currently being produced. 

In seventh place is Colorado, with 14.89 gold locations per 1,000 square miles. Within the state's 103,642 square miles, 1,543 locations where gold has been found or is currently produced exist. Colorado’s Rocky Mountains have been a hotspot for gold mining since the mid-1800s. 

Montana ranks eighth with 13.21 gold locations per 1,000 square miles. The state has 1,923 locations where gold has been found or is currently produced across 145,546 square miles. 

Alaska ranks ninth, with 9.22 gold locations per 1,000 square miles. Despite Alaska having the second-highest number of locations where gold has been found or is being produced at 5,264, its sheer size in terms of land area at 570,641 square miles means Alaska places ninth. 

Rounding out the top ten is Utah, with 7.46 gold locations per 1,000 square miles. Utah has 613 locations where gold has been found or produced within 82,169 square miles. 

Interestingly, just 32 states were found to have gold ore present or were currently producing gold. Oklahoma had the lowest count of any state on the list, with just one gold location - working out to 0.01 locations per 1,000 square miles. 

The 18 states that didn’t feature on the list are Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Delaware, and Florida. 

The top ten states to find gold: 

Chase Turner, CEO of SD Bullion, commented on the findings, saying: 

“The findings reveal promising areas in the United States where the likelihood of finding gold is notably higher. These regions, known for their favorable geological conditions and historical mining success, stand out as prime locations for gold exploration. The data offers valuable insights into the distribution of gold deposits, highlighting key areas for amateur prospectors and professionals.” 

ENDS 

If using this story, please credit and link to: https://sdbullion.com/ 

Sources: United States Geological Survey 

Methodology: 

Data was first collected from the US Geological Survey’s Mineral Resources Data System. The data was then filtered to exclude non-US locations and US territories such as the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The data was further filtered only to include locations where gold ore was reported or where gold is produced as a commodity. Then, the number of gold occurrences, prospect, and producer locations was totaled for each state, giving the total number of gold-containing locations. Finally, this number of locations was compared to the state's land area to get the total number of gold locations per 1000 square miles, upon which the final ranking is based.  

Below is a table of extended results: