Rare earth minerals are mined in the United States mainly at Mountain Pass, California, and in southeastern Georgia as a byproduct of heavy mineral sand operations.

Where they’re mined

  • California: Mountain Pass is the best-known active rare earth mine in the U.S.
  • Georgia: Rare earths are recovered from heavy mineral sand deposits in southeastern Georgia.
  • Other likely areas: Exploration and assessment are ongoing in places such as Wyoming, Montana, Alaska, Colorado, Missouri, New York, Idaho, New Mexico, and Illinois, but these are not all active producing mines.

What that means

Most U.S. rare earth supply still comes from a very small number of sites, so domestic production is limited compared with overall demand.

Simple takeaway

If you want the shortest answer: California and Georgia are the main U.S. places where rare earth minerals are currently mined.

TL;DR: U.S. rare earth mining is concentrated mostly at Mountain Pass in California and heavy mineral sand operations in Georgia, with several other states hosting deposits or exploration projects.

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