Nevada produces 72 percent of nation’s gold

Producing nearly three quarters of all gold mined in the U.S., Nevada remains the country’s top gold miner.

The total production in 2017 was 5.64 million ounces of the metal. That’s up 3.2 percent from the year before and accounts for 72 percent of total U.S. gold mined.

At the same time, the average annual price of gold rose to $1,257 per ounce. That, however, is only a $6 increase from the year before.

At the same time, the Nevada Division of Minerals reports silver production decreased 5.2 percent in 2017 to 8.48 million ounces. The average annual price of silver also decreased slightly from $17.13 in 2016 to $17.04 an ounce in 2017.

Copper production was also down in 2017. The total fell to 146 million pounds, a 9 percent decrease.

The average price for copper in 2017 was $2.79 a pound.