Breaking Down the Growth of the Gold IRA Industry: 2014 vs 2024 vs 2026

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Last Updated on: 16th October 2026, 08:13 am

When we launched this blog in 2012, the term “Gold IRA” was relatively unknown. After all, where does this term come from? There is no such thing as a “Gold IRA”. It's a catchy term that gold companies started using in the last decade to sell the idea of investing in gold through a self-directed IRA (SDIRA).

Although gold IRA accounts were officially born in 1997, when the IRS passed the Taxpayer Relief Act, this investment vehicle only started gaining steam ten years later during the Great Economic Crisis of 2008.

Investors, desperate to protect their savings from a historical crash in paper assets that saw 401k accounts lose about 40% of their value, were increasingly looking into gold as a way to hedge their savings.

Below is my updated breakdown of how this industry has grown, from the early days in 2014 to the record-setting market we are watching in 2026. I refreshed every figure in October 2026.

The Gold IRA Industry in 2014

• Gold Price: $1,266.06
• Less than 10 gold IRA companies were actively marketing this type of investment, as per our own research and review staff.
• Most companies had a minimum order size ranging between $10,000 and $20,000 for Gold IRA investments.
• The companies we interviewed for our reviews section had an average order size of $20,000 to $25,000 for Gold IRA accounts.
• No notable political figures, high-profile investors, or celebrities were involved in the industry.

The Gold IRA Industry in 2024

• Gold Price: $2,361.09 (at time of press)
• Over 100 companies are actively promoting Gold IRA accounts, a staggering increase in ten years. We have reviewed 116 gold IRA companies on our website.
• Most companies we reviewed have reported between $35,000 and $100,000 as their average order size in 2023 and early 2024.
• While most companies still enforce a minimum order of $20,000 for Gold IRA accounts, some companies, like Augusta Precious Metals started requiring a larger minimum investment size of $100,000.
• Many high-profile political figures and celebrities have gotten involved in this industry as either co-owners, partners, or ambassadors of gold IRA companies. Some examples include:
  • Joe Montana and Mark Levin with Augusta Precious Metals
  • Ben Shapiro and Ron Paul with Birch Gold Group
  • Chuck Norris and Sean Hannity with GoldCo
  • Glen Beck with Lear Capital
  • Bill O'Reilly with American Hartford Gold Group
  • The late Charlie Kirk with Noble Gold Investments
  • Mike Huckabee with Gold Alliance

The Gold IRA Industry in 2026

Two and a half years after I first published this piece, the numbers have moved again, and dramatically. Here is the October 2026 snapshot:

• Gold Price: $4,184.14 (at the time of this update), which works out to about $134.52 per gram of pure 24k gold. That is a 77% jump from the 2024 figure above and more than triple the 2014 price.
• Gold broke the $3,000 barrier in March 2025 and the $4,000 barrier in October 2025, both for the first time in history, and has held above $4,000 through most of 2026.
• 23% of Americans now rate gold the best long-term investment, second only to real estate (37%) and well ahead of stocks (16%), according to Gallup's April 2025 poll. That is gold's strongest showing since 2011.
• Central banks reported net purchases of 328 tonnes of gold in 2025, after 345 tonnes in 2024, with Poland the single biggest buyer at 102 tonnes, per World Gold Council data.
• Investors poured a record $89 billion into physically-backed gold ETFs in 2025, per World Gold Council Goldhub figures.
• The number of companies marketing gold IRAs remains above 100, and the higher gold price means the same retirement allocation now buys fewer ounces, which has pushed typical order sizes up again at the dealers we track.

The Appetite for Gold IRA Accounts is Increasing

Again, the staggering increase in the number of active gold IRA companies in the last ten years alone is a clear indicator of this industry's growth.

We are living through what retirement researchers call the Peak 65 zone: an average of 11,400 Americans turned 65 every day in 2025, the largest wave in US history, and it continues through 2027. Gold IRA companies want to capitalize on the baby boomers' love for gold, and the unstable geopolitical landscape plus years of sticky inflation keep pushing retirees toward the metal as a hedge.

12% of Americans own gold, according to a study we published in 2019. Today, one can argue that the percentage would be substantially higher. In fact, Gallup found in April 2025 that 23% of Americans now rate gold the best long-term investment, more than Americans who prefer stocks.

Gold IRA accounts, while being a relatively newer way to invest in physical gold, are growing in popularity due to being an easy way to own gold in a tax-advantaged manner. In fact, Gold Roth IRA accounts offer tax-free growth on qualified withdrawals, which is highly attractive to investors who would rather pay taxes now than worry about them in retirement.

It's not just retirees that are hoarding gold. Central banks reported another 328 tonnes of net gold purchases in 2025 on top of 345 tonnes in 2024, according to World Gold Council data, with Poland, Kazakhstan, Brazil, China and Turkey among the big buyers. The unstable economic and geopolitical landscapes caused by the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are making the shiny yellow metal more attractive than ever.

Gold IRA Industry FAQ

As always, this content isn't financial advice. Speak to your financial advisor before making any investment decision. All assets carry a certain level of risk, including precious metals. Also, past results aren't always indicative of future returns. Do your due diligence and invest wisely.