Fastest-growing counties in Nevada

Written by:
July 1, 2022
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Fastest-growing counties in Nevada

Why do people move from one county or region to another? The usual suspects are jobs, family, significant others, and overall cost of living, but there are other elements at play. For those with children, moving within close proximity of a highly rated school district is a key contributing factor. For younger adults just starting out, living someplace with a vibrant social scene might be a top priority. And for those whose careers have wound down after a lifetime of work, finding retirement-friendly communities is the goal—communities deemed to be safe, offer accessibility to medical resources and leisure activities in equal measure, and be affordable for those on a limited income.

This is, of course, by no means an exhaustive list. People's reasons for choosing to live where they do are as diverse as people themselves.

As far as why certain counties across the U.S. have experienced growth, relocation is not the sole, or even primary, reason why. While more than 1,800 counties saw population gains in 2021, approximately 73% of all U.S. counties saw what the U.S. Census Bureau characterizes as a natural decrease. This was a significant jump from 2020, when 55.5% of countries experienced such a decrease. According to the Bureau, natural decrease is the simple result of "when there are more deaths than births in a population over a given time period." In 2021, the conflation of fewer births with an aging population that was also absorbing a higher-than-usual mortality rate due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic led to this "increased decrease."

Nonetheless, as stated 1,800 counties nationwide have grown larger over the last year, and a sizable percentage of them are in Nevada. Stacker compiled a list of the fastest-growing counties in Nevada using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest population growth from 2010 to 2020, based on the U.S. Decennial Census.

#17. White Pine County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: -950
--- #2,469 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: -9.5%
--- #16 among counties in Nevada, #2,826 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 9,080
--- #10 largest county in Nevada, #2,484 largest county nationwide

#16. Lincoln County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: -846
--- #2,407 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: -15.8%
--- #17 among counties in Nevada, #3,063 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 4,499
--- #14 largest county in Nevada, #2,856 largest county nationwide

#15. Mineral County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: -218
--- #1,801 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: -4.6%
--- #13 among counties in Nevada, #2,255 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 4,554
--- #13 largest county in Nevada, #2,850 largest county nationwide

#14. Eureka County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: -132
--- #1,677 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: -6.6%
--- #14 among counties in Nevada, #2,568 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 1,855
--- #16 largest county in Nevada, #3,054 largest county nationwide

#13. Pershing County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: -103
--- #1,632 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: -1.5%
--- #12 among counties in Nevada, #1,748 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 6,650
--- #11 largest county in Nevada, #2,688 largest county nationwide

#12. Esmeralda County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: -54
--- #1,563 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: -6.9%
--- #15 among counties in Nevada, #2,597 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 729
--- #17 largest county in Nevada, #3,122 largest county nationwide

#11. Lander County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: -41
--- #1,544 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: -0.7%
--- #11 among counties in Nevada, #1,596 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 5,734
--- #12 largest county in Nevada, #2,757 largest county nationwide

#10. Storey County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +94
--- #1,400 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +2.3%
--- #10 among counties in Nevada, #1,136 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 4,104
--- #15 largest county in Nevada, #2,877 largest county nationwide

#9. Churchill County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +639
--- #1,107 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +2.6%
--- #9 among counties in Nevada, #1,107 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 25,516
--- #8 largest county in Nevada, #1,578 largest county nationwide

#8. Humboldt County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +757
--- #1,069 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +4.6%
--- #8 among counties in Nevada, #866 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 17,285
--- #9 largest county in Nevada, #1,950 largest county nationwide

#7. Douglas County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +2,491
--- #752 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +5.3%
--- #7 among counties in Nevada, #791 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 49,488
--- #7 largest county in Nevada, #1,001 largest county nationwide

#6. Carson City

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +3,365
--- #672 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +6.1%
--- #6 among counties in Nevada, #705 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 58,639
--- #4 largest county in Nevada, #890 largest county nationwide

#5. Elko County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +4,884
--- #573 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +10.0%
--- #5 among counties in Nevada, #418 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 53,702
--- #5 largest county in Nevada, #941 largest county nationwide

#4. Lyon County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +7,255
--- #507 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +14.0%
--- #4 among counties in Nevada, #255 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 59,235
--- #3 largest county in Nevada, #880 largest county nationwide

#3. Nye County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +7,645
--- #497 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +17.4%
--- #1 among counties in Nevada, #156 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 51,591
--- #6 largest county in Nevada, #973 largest county nationwide

#2. Washoe County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +65,085
--- #95 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +15.4%
--- #3 among counties in Nevada, #209 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 486,492
--- #2 largest county in Nevada, #148 largest county nationwide

#1. Clark County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +314,192
--- #4 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +16.1%
--- #2 among counties in Nevada, #189 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 2,265,461
--- #1 largest county in Nevada, #13 largest county nationwide

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