Wyoming leads nation in gold-buying searches as prices surge past $4,800, study finds

New York [US], March 2026: As gold prices set historic records above $4,897 per ounce, new research reveals Wyoming has the highest concentration of “buy gold” searches in the United States, 8 percentage points higher than any other state.

A study by precious metals investment platform OWNx analyzed Google search behavior across all 50 U.S. states and Washington D.C. over the past 12 months, examining how searches for gold-related terms are distributed within each state.

At 61%, Wyoming’s share of “buy gold” searches far outpaces the rest of the country, followed by Washington state, New York, Washington D.C. and Georgia, all tied at 53%.

The findings challenge assumptions that gold-buying interest is primarily concentrated in rural America. Major metropolitan states including New York, New Jersey, Florida and Georgia all ranked in the top 10, suggesting that urban and suburban Americans are driving significant purchase intent.

“What we’re seeing isn’t speculative hype. It’s a defensive response,” said an OWNx spokesperson. “As gold hits record highs and geopolitical uncertainty persists, Americans from Wyoming to New York are actively searching how to protect their wealth.”

Gold has surged over 75% year-over-year, fueled by inflation concerns, trade policy uncertainty, global conflicts and continued central bank buying worldwide. The rally has pushed prices well above $4,800 per ounce, marking historic highs for the precious metal.

The study found that across most states, “buy gold” searches dominate over educational or informational terms like “gold coins,” “gold bars” or “how to buy gold.” Researchers say this signals direct purchase intent rather than passive curiosity.

Washington D.C. stood out with the highest share of “gold bars” searches at 18%, which researchers suggest may indicate institutional-level or larger-scale purchasing interest in the nation’s capital.

At the other end of the spectrum, states like Maine, Idaho and New Mexico showed comparatively lower “buy gold” shares in the low 40% range, with searches more evenly distributed across coins, bars and bullion categories.

The research also found that geopolitical flashpoints, Federal Reserve decisions and inflation data releases corresponded with elevated search activity throughout the 12-month period studied.

OWNx analyzed Google Trends data for five search terms, including “buy gold,” “gold bars,” “gold coins,” “gold bullion” and “how to buy gold,” across all 50 states and D.C. from January 2025 to January 2026. The percentages represent the share of gold-related searches devoted to each term within each state, with all five terms summing to 100% per state.

The full study with complete state-by-state rankings is available at ownx.com/research/gold-buying-study-january-2026.