By Marcus Webb, Senior Editor, State Tax & Retirement Geography·Suffolk County
Boston is the #1 city in Massachusetts by population (673,184
residents across 256,294 households; median household income $55,777). Federal gold IRA
rules are identical here to anywhere else in the US — what changes at the state line
is the money around the metal: exempt over $1,000 at
purchase, and ordinary income rates when you take distributions.
The thresholds, sources and storage picture behind those two lines live in the gold IRA guide for Massachusetts. Below: the city snapshot our
desk compiles for Boston, the rated companies that serve it, and where its metals
would physically sit.
Boston snapshot
Boston, Massachusetts — city profile
Measure
Value
Population
673,184
Households
256,294
Median household income
$55,777
County
Suffolk County
ZIP codes served
58
Land area
48.3 sq mi
Source: U.S. Census Bureau estimates (via our cities dataset) · checked October 24, 2026
Where Boston IRA metals would sit
Metals in your IRA can't sit in a Boston safe-deposit box or home safe — an
IRS-approved depository arranged by the custodian holds them, and the vault your
custodian uses decides fees and logistics. To make the geography concrete, we
measure the straight-line distance from Boston to the two reference vaults we
track nationally:
Straight-line distance from Boston to reference depositories
Facility
Distance
Delaware Depository (Wilmington, DE)
≈ 300 mi
Texas Bullion Depository (Leander, TX)
≈ 1,690 mi
Method: great-circle distance from city coordinates, rounded to 10 miles — an
indicator of logistics, not a quote. Massachusetts's full storage picture: state guide.
Gold IRA companies serving Boston — network ratings
Company
Overall
Fees
Feedback
Min. investment
Noble Gold Investments
4.1
3.5
4.5
Varies — see review
GoldStar Trust
4.0
4.0
4.0
N/A (custodian)
Augusta Precious Metals
4.0
3.0
4.5
$50,000 for cash or IRA purchases
Advantage Gold
3.9
3.5
4.0
$10,000–$25,000
Birch Gold Group
3.9
3.5
3.5
$5,000 recommended minimum
Goldco
3.9
3.5
4.0
$25,000 generally required for gold IRA…
American Hartford Gold
3.8
3.5
4.0
$10,000 for a Gold IRA
Lear Capital
3.3
3.0
3.5
$10,000 for a Gold IRA
Preserve Gold
3.2
3.0
3.5
$10,000–$25,000
Regal Assets
1.3
2.0
1.0
$5,000
Boston gold IRA questions
Do I pay sales tax on gold IRA purchases in Boston?
Exempt over $1,000 — the rule is set at the state level. Massachusetts exempts sales of gold and silver bullion, coins and numismatic items valued at $1,000 or more per transaction; purchases under $1,000 — and platinum, palladium and copper products at any price — are taxable. Source: Mass. DOR — Sales Tax Exemption for Certain Precious Metals, checked October 2026.
Where would metals from a Boston gold IRA be stored?
Not at home: IRS rules require an approved depository arranged by your custodian. Measured from Boston, the industry's reference vaults sit roughly 300 mi (Delaware Depository) and 1,690 mi (Texas Bullion Depository). The distance doesn't affect IRS approval — the vault your custodian uses decides fees and logistics.
Does Boston add its own tax on IRA distributions?
Income tax is set at the state level, not by cities — with rare exceptions like New York City's resident tax, which none of our covered cities share. Massachusetts taxes IRA distributions as ordinary income at 5%, rising to 9% for income over $1 million under the fair-share surtax.
Other Massachusetts cities
No other Massachusetts city guides are published yet — the Massachusetts state guide covers the whole state.
Important
Educational information only — not investment, tax or legal advice. Verify current state and
local tax treatment with the Massachusetts revenue department before acting.
