By Marcus Webb, Senior Editor, State Tax & Retirement Geography·St. Louis city
St. Louis is the #2 city in Missouri by population (311,404
residents across 139,555 households; median household income $35,599). 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: no sales tax on bullion 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 Missouri. Below: the city snapshot our
desk compiles for St. Louis, the rated companies that serve it, and where its metals
would physically sit.
St. Louis snapshot
St. Louis, Missouri — city profile
Measure
Value
Population
311,404
Households
139,555
Median household income
$35,599
County
St. Louis city
ZIP codes served
70
Land area
62 sq mi
Source: U.S. Census Bureau estimates (via our cities dataset) · checked October 24, 2026
Where St. Louis IRA metals would sit
Metals in your IRA can't sit in a St. Louis 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 St. Louis to the two reference vaults we
track nationally:
Straight-line distance from St. Louis to reference depositories
Facility
Distance
Delaware Depository (Wilmington, DE)
≈ 790 mi
Texas Bullion Depository (Leander, TX)
≈ 710 mi
Method: great-circle distance from city coordinates, rounded to 10 miles — an
indicator of logistics, not a quote. Missouri's full storage picture: state guide.
Gold IRA companies serving St. Louis — 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
St. Louis gold IRA questions
Do I pay sales tax on gold IRA purchases in St. Louis?
No sales tax on bullion — the rule is set at the state level. Missouri exempts qualifying bullion (at least 900 parts per 1,000 purity) and investment coins (minted after 1800, traded primarily for metal value) from state and local sales tax (RSMo §144.815, enacted by SB 153 in 2023). Source: Missouri DOR — Sales & Use Tax Exemptions, checked October 2026.
Where would metals from a St. Louis gold IRA be stored?
Not at home: IRS rules require an approved depository arranged by your custodian. Measured from St. Louis, the industry's reference vaults sit roughly 790 mi (Delaware Depository) and 710 mi (Texas Bullion Depository). The distance doesn't affect IRS approval — the vault your custodian uses decides fees and logistics.
Does St. Louis 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. Missouri taxes IRA distributions as ordinary income at progressive rates up to 4.7% (2025).
City guides for 3 more Missouri cities are in
preparation.
Important
Educational information only — not investment, tax or legal advice. Verify current state and
local tax treatment with the Missouri revenue department before acting.
