By Marcus Webb, Senior Editor, State Tax & Retirement Geography·Dane County/Dane County
Madison is the #2 city in Wisconsin by population (259,432
residents across 107,290 households; median household income $43,648). 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 Wisconsin. Below: the city snapshot our
desk compiles for Madison, the rated companies that serve it, and where its metals
would physically sit.
Madison snapshot
Madison, Wisconsin — city profile
Measure
Value
Population
259,432
Households
107,290
Median household income
$43,648
County
Dane County/Dane County
ZIP codes served
41
Land area
78.5 sq mi
Source: U.S. Census Bureau estimates (via our cities dataset) · checked October 24, 2026
Where Madison IRA metals would sit
Metals in your IRA can't sit in a Madison 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 Madison to the two reference vaults we
track nationally:
Straight-line distance from Madison to reference depositories
Facility
Distance
Delaware Depository (Wilmington, DE)
≈ 750 mi
Texas Bullion Depository (Leander, TX)
≈ 980 mi
Method: great-circle distance from city coordinates, rounded to 10 miles — an
indicator of logistics, not a quote. Wisconsin's full storage picture: state guide.
Gold IRA companies serving Madison — 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
Madison gold IRA questions
Do I pay sales tax on gold IRA purchases in Madison?
No sales tax on bullion — the rule is set at the state level. Wisconsin exempts precious metal bullion — coins, bars, rounds or sheets containing at least 35% gold, silver, platinum or palladium — from sales and use tax (2023 Act 149, effective March 2024; Wis. Stat. §77.54). Source: Wisconsin Statutes §77.54 (2023 Act 149), checked October 2026.
Where would metals from a Madison gold IRA be stored?
Not at home: IRS rules require an approved depository arranged by your custodian. Measured from Madison, the industry's reference vaults sit roughly 750 mi (Delaware Depository) and 980 mi (Texas Bullion Depository). The distance doesn't affect IRS approval — the vault your custodian uses decides fees and logistics.
Does Madison 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. Wisconsin taxes IRA distributions as ordinary income at progressive rates up to 7.65% — one of the states that taxes retirement income broadly, with no general exclusion.
City guides for 1 more Wisconsin cities are in
preparation.
Important
Educational information only — not investment, tax or legal advice. Verify current state and
local tax treatment with the Wisconsin revenue department before acting.
