Statistics · US Retail
US jewelry stores —
the federal numbers.
Employer jewelry stores sold $39.85 billion in 2023 at a 50.3% aggregate gross margin with only 3.1% of it online, and in 2024 the store count sat flat at 20,168 while employment and pay grew — all pulled directly from the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Integrated Economic Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics' employment census. Every figure was last verified against its source on July 4, 2026.
The Headline Numbers
Five figures that frame the American store.
U.S. jewelry-store sales (employer firms)
Figure
$39.85 billion
Period
2023
Source
U.S. Census Bureau
Jewelry-store gross margin
Figure
$20.06 billion — about 50.3% of sales (share computed from the two AIES figures)
Period
2023
Source
U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. jewelry-store establishments (private)
Figure
20,168 — up just 5 stores year on year
Period
2024
Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Jewelry-store employment (annual average)
Figure
113,841 (up 2.1%)
Period
2024
Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Average annual pay at jewelry stores
Figure
$55,285 (up 3.3%)
Period
2024
Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
| Metric | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. jewelry-store sales (employer firms) | $39.85 billion | 2023 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Jewelry-store gross margin | $20.06 billion — about 50.3% of sales (share computed from the two AIES figures) | 2023 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| U.S. jewelry-store establishments (private) | 20,168 — up just 5 stores year on year | 2024 | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Jewelry-store employment (annual average) | 113,841 (up 2.1%) | 2024 | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Average annual pay at jewelry stores | $55,285 (up 3.3%) | 2024 | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
The one-line read: the American jewelry store is a stable, high-margin, stubbornly in-person business — half of every sales dollar is margin, almost none of it moves online, and the store count barely moves year to year.
The Economics
Where the jewelry dollar actually goes.
Sales, value of shipments, or revenue
Figure
$39.85 billion
Period
2023
Source
U.S. Census Bureau
Gross margin
Figure
$20.06 billion (about 50.3% of sales — computed)
Period
2023
Source
U.S. Census Bureau
E-commerce sales
Figure
$1.23 billion (about 3.1% of sales — computed)
Period
2023
Source
U.S. Census Bureau
Annual payroll
Figure
$5.20 billion
Period
2023
Source
U.S. Census Bureau
Employees (pay period incl. March 12)
Figure
110,229
Period
2023
Source
U.S. Census Bureau
Jewelry stores' share of the clothing & accessories retail subsector
Figure
about 14.1% ($39.85B of $282.05B) (computed from the two AIES figures)
Period
2023
Source
U.S. Census Bureau
| Metric | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales, value of shipments, or revenue | $39.85 billion | 2023 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Gross margin | $20.06 billion (about 50.3% of sales — computed) | 2023 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| E-commerce sales | $1.23 billion (about 3.1% of sales — computed) | 2023 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Annual payroll | $5.20 billion | 2023 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Employees (pay period incl. March 12) | 110,229 | 2023 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Jewelry stores' share of the clothing & accessories retail subsector | about 14.1% ($39.85B of $282.05B) (computed from the two AIES figures) | 2023 | U.S. Census Bureau |
The number that matters most to a buyer is the second row: a 50.3% aggregate gross margin. The keystone habit survives because the economics allow it — and it means the profit in a jewelry store is decided at the purchase order, not at the register. A piece sourced 15% cheaper is worth more to the bottom line than a 15% busier December. The mechanics of buying at that level are worked through in our MOQ economics guide.
The 3.1% e-commerce share cuts the other way from most of retail: jewelry is still bought at a counter, from a person. That is a structural moat for the independent store — and it is why the demand statistics in our 25-stat industry report land at the case, not the cart.
The Footprint
Flat store count, growing stores.
Establishments (annual average, private)
Figure
20,168 (up 5 vs 2023 — a flat store count)
Period
2024
Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Employment (annual average)
Figure
113,841 (up 2,345, +2.1%)
Period
2024
Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Total annual wages
Figure
$6.29 billion (up 5.5%)
Period
2024
Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Average annual pay
Figure
$55,285 (up 3.3%)
Period
2024
Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
| Metric | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Establishments (annual average, private) | 20,168 (up 5 vs 2023 — a flat store count) | 2024 | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Employment (annual average) | 113,841 (up 2,345, +2.1%) | 2024 | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Total annual wages | $6.29 billion (up 5.5%) | 2024 | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Average annual pay | $55,285 (up 3.3%) | 2024 | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
The store count moved by exactly five establishments in a year — statistical zero — while employment rose 2.1% and total wages 5.5%. Read together: the industry is not adding doors, it is deepening the ones that exist. Bigger teams, better-paid staff, more revenue through the same storefronts. For a wholesaler's view of the same churn, the Jewelers Board of Trade counts in our 25-stat report show closures slowing and new listings rising through 2025.
Where Clazoire fits
Our stake, stated plainly.
Clazoire supplies the stores these statistics describe — factory-direct from Surat to North American independents, GIA certificates on natural stones and IGI on lab-grown, minimums from 1 unit on most styles. The 50% gross-margin economics above are exactly why we publish a dated wholesale gold price index a store can check quotes against: the margin is made at the buy. Open a wholesale account if the numbers make the case; cite the page either way.
Sources & Methodology
Check every number yourself.
- Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES): Retail Trade — Summary Statistics for Employer Firms, 2023 (NAICS 448310, Jewelry Stores) — U.S. Census Bureau, 2025.
- Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages: 2024 Annual Averages (NAICS 458310, Jewelry Retailers, private) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025.
Each figure states the period it covers and was last verified against its primary source on July 4, 2026. Figures that could not be traced to a primary source were dropped rather than estimated. Prices move; treat these as dated benchmarks, not quotes. Spot an error or hold newer primary data? Send a correction via our contact page and we'll update the page and credit the fix. This page is free to cite with attribution. AIES covers employer firms under 2017-NAICS 448310; QCEW covers private establishments under 2022-NAICS 458310 — the same industry, renumbered. Computed ratios stay within one survey and are labeled as computed; the two surveys are never blended.
To cite this page
Clazoire Wholesale, "US Jewelry Store Statistics: Sales, Margins, Stores, and Pay", https://wholesale.clazoire.com/stats/us-jewelry-store-statistics — figures verified against primary sources on July 4, 2026.
Embed this chart (free, attribution link required)
<a href="https://wholesale.clazoire.com/stats/us-jewelry-store-statistics"><img src="https://wholesale.clazoire.com/stats/us-jewelry-store-statistics/og" alt="US Jewelry Store Statistics: Sales, Margins, Stores, and Pay — Clazoire Wholesale" width="600" style="max-width:100%;height:auto;border:0"/></a> <p style="font-size:12px">Chart: <a href="https://wholesale.clazoire.com/stats/us-jewelry-store-statistics">Clazoire Wholesale</a>, verified July 4, 2026.</p>
The Specifics
The numbers, answered straight.
$39.85 billion in sales at employer jewelry stores in 2023, per the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Integrated Economic Survey — about 14.1% of the whole clothing-and-accessories retail subsector. That is the brick-and-mortar store channel specifically; jewelry sold through department stores, online-only sellers, and non-employer shops sits outside it.
About 50.3% in aggregate: $20.06 billion of gross margin on $39.85 billion of sales in 2023, per the Census AIES. Half of every jewelry-store dollar is margin over the cost of goods — which is why sourcing cost, not sticker price, decides an independent store's profitability.
20,168 private jewelry-store establishments on annual average in 2024, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages — up exactly 5 stores from 2023. The store count is flat while employment grew 2.1%, meaning the average store is getting bigger, not more numerous.
113,841 people on annual average in 2024, up 2.1% year on year, earning an average of $55,285 — up 3.3% — with total wages of $6.29 billion, up 5.5%, per the BLS QCEW. Payroll is growing faster than headcount: stores are paying more per person, not just hiring.
Very little, relative to the counter: $1.23 billion of e-commerce sales against $39.85 billion total in 2023 — about 3.1% — per the Census AIES. Jewelry remains an in-person category, which is a structural advantage for the independent store with a case and a jeweler behind it.
Directly from two federal datasets: the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Integrated Economic Survey (2023, NAICS 448310 jewelry stores, employer firms) and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2024 annual averages, NAICS 458310 — the same industry under the 2022 NAICS renumbering). Computed ratios stay within one survey and are labeled as computed.
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Factory-direct · MOQ from 1 · most styles