The US is among the world’s top silver producers, recording output of 1,100 metric tons in 2024.
While that’s far below first-place Mexico’s production of 6,300 metric tons of silver, the US is still a major producer of the precious metal, and is likely to remain a key source moving forward. However, few mines in the US are primary silver producers — much of the silver in the country is produced as a by-product of gold mining, and it can also be found with metals like copper and zinc.
So where exactly is silver produced in the US, and which companies are mining it? Alaska is the leading silver-producing state, followed by Nevada and Idaho. America’s three largest primary silver mines by production are the Greens Creek mine in Idaho, the Rochester mine in Nevada and the Lucky Friday mine in Alaska.
Read on for an overview of the three largest US silver producers by market cap.
Data for the stocks listed was current as of January 15, 2026.
1. Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL)
Market cap: US$16.91 billion
Hecla Mining operates the Greens Creek and Lucky Friday silver mines in Alaska and Idaho. Greens Creek is the United State’s largest silver mine. In addition to being a major silver miner in the US, Hecla also has mines in Canada, with the Keno Hill silver operation in the Yukon Territory and Casa Berardi gold-silver mine in Québec. Additionally, Hecla has a variety of exploration projects across North America.
In its 2024 results, Hecla reported silver reserves of 240 million ounces, silver production of 16.2 million ounces and a record US$929.9 million in total sales. The majority of Hecla’s 2024 silver production was derived from its Greens Creek and Lucky Friday mines, which produced 8.48 and 4.89 million ounces respectively.
Hecla’s 2025 production guidance stands at 16.2 million to 17 million ounces, with the vast majority expected to come from its US operations. In Q3 2025, the company produced 4.59 million ounces of silver, and 13.22 million ounces through the first nine months of the year.
‘Our third quarter results represent a defining moment for Hecla, with record-breaking performance across a number of key financial metrics,’ Rob Krcmarov, Hecla’s president and CEO, said in its Q3 results. ‘Greens Creek continues to exceed expectations, Keno Hill has delivered three consecutive quarters of profitability under our ownership, Lucky Friday maintained consistent production while advancing the surface cooling project, and Casa Berardi’s cost trajectory is improving.’
2. Coeur Mining (NYSE:CDE)
Market cap: US$13.58 billion
Coeur Mining describes itself as a growing precious metals producer with four producing mines in the Americas. Its major silver-producing operation in the US is the Rochester silver-gold mine in Nevada. Its other US mines are the Kensington gold mine in Alaska and Wharf gold mine in South Dakota, with Wharf also producing silver as a by-product.
In Mexico, Couer owns the Palmarejo silver-gold complex in Chihuahua and the Las Chispas silver-gold mine in Sonora. Coeur added Las Chispas to its portfolio when it acquired SilverCrest in early 2025. Coeur is also advancing work at its Silvertip silver-zinc-lead project in British Columbia, Canada.
For 2024, Rochester’s silver production totaled 4.38 million ounces, falling slightly shy of its 2024 guidance of 4.8 million to 6.6 million ounces, while Coeur’s full silver production across its operations totaled 11.4 million ounces.
As of Q3 2025, Coeur’s 2025 silver production guidance stood at 18.1 million ounces, with Rochester expected to produce 6 million to 6.7 million ounces of silver. In the first nine months of the year, Coeur produced 13.2 million ounces of silver across its operations, with Rochester accounting for 4.38 million ounces.
“Coeur delivered another quarter of record financial results, driven by higher prices, balanced contributions from all five of our North American gold and silver operations along with overall strong cost control,” President and CEO Mitchell J. Krebs said in the release. “Las Chispas experienced a particularly strong quarter, with the team continuing to exceed expectations in just its second full quarter of operations with the Company.”
3. Americas Gold and Silver (NYSEAMERICAN:USAS)
Market cap: C$1.69 billion
Americas Gold and Silver is mining for silver in the US and Mexico. The company has two producing assets: the Galena Complex in Idaho, which produces silver, copper and antimony, and the Cosalá operation in Mexico. It also owns the Relief Canyon mine in Nevada, currently on care and maintenance, and the newly acquired, past-producing Crescent silver mine, located 9 miles from Galena in Idaho.
In December 2024, the company consolidated full ownership of Galena when it acquired the outstanding 40 percent interest from an affiliate of Eric Sprott and Paul Andre Huet. As part of the deal, Sprott acquired a significant interest in the company, and Huet was appointed its CEO and Chairman. Americas stated that its benefits from 100 percent ownership in the property include streamlined decision making and a focused vision for Galena.
The company has been working on expansion efforts at Galena since early 2024. In its 2024 results, Americas Gold and Silver reported attributable silver production from Galena of approximately 1.5 million ounces compared to 1.6 million ounces the previous year.
In September 2025, Americas completed the first upgrade on Galena’s No 3 shaft ahead of schedule, improving productivity. In its Q3 results, the company reported 2025 year-to-date production of 1.9 million ounces of silver.
In December, the company completed the acquisition of the past-producing Crescent silver mine near Galena. The historic resource at the site demonstrates mineralization similar to that at Galena, with the potential to add 1.4 million to 1.6 million ounces of silver annually.
In an operational update in January 2026, the company said development of Crescent was progressing rapidly and it was aiming for a mid-2026 restart of operations.
“This rapid execution is an excellent start to our plan to establish best-in-class operations at Crescent. We’re poised to unlock multiple synergies with our neighbouring Galena Complex from procurement savings and equipment sharing to G&A efficiencies and spare processing capacity,’ Chairman and CEO Huet stated.
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, currently hold a small investment in Hecla Mining, but do not hold investments in any other company mentioned in this article.
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