<P> The closure of gold mines during World War II by the War Production Board Limitation Order No. 208 in autumn 1942 was a major impact on the production until the end of the war . </P> <P> US gold production greatly increased during the 1980s, due to high gold prices and the use of heap leaching to recover gold from disseminated low - grade deposits in Nevada and other states . </P> <P> In 2016 the United States produced 209 tonnes of gold, worth about US $8.5 billion, and 6.7% of world production, making it the fourth - largest gold - producing nation, behind China, Australia and Russia . Most gold produced today in the US comes from large open - pit heap leach mines in the state of Nevada . The US is a net exporter of gold . </P> <P> Gold was discovered in Alabama about 1830, shortly following the Georgia Gold Rush . The principal districts were the Arbacoochee district in Cleburne County, mostly from placer deposits, and the Hog Mountain district in Tallapoosa County, which produced 24,000 troy ounces (750 kg) from veins in schist . </P>

Where is gold mined in the united states