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Overview of State Characteristics
Population
The population of Nevada grew by 66 percent during the 1990's, indicating many people find the Silver State to be a desirable place to live, work, and enjoy vast open spaces. In 2000, the state's population surpassed the two million mark (See Table 1-1 below).
Migration contributed to about 81 percent of the growth. The rate of growth in Nevada (51%) was the highest among all states (Nevada State Demographer's Office, 2000).
The state's population rank rose from 39 in 1990 to 35 in 2000. Neighboring states are growing rapidly also. By comparison, during the 1990's, the population of Arizona increased by 40 percent, Utah by 30, Idaho by 28 and Oregon by 20 percent. The population of California increased 14 percent, approaching 34 million in 2000 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000a). By 2015, the population of Nevada and neighboring states is projected to increase from 48 million to 55 million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000b).
Nevada has become highly urbanized, meaning most people live within a few metropolitan areas. The average population density of the entire state is 18 persons per square mile, but nearly 86 percent reside in major population centers within Clark (69%) and Washoe (17%) counties. Of the five largest cities, three are located in Clark County (i.e., Las Vegas, Henderson, and North Las Vegas) and the others are in Washoe County (i.e., >Reno and Sparks).
Urbanization is no longer confined just to these cities. In western and southern Nevada, regional-scale urbanization has emerged. The urbanizing western region encompasses southern Washoe, Carson City, Douglas, Lyon, and Storey counties, with a combined population of about 470,000 in 1999.
In the south, the regional scope of urbanization encompasses Clark County and southern Nye and Lincoln counties. Population exceeds 1.4  million in the southern region. In the urban regions, and some rural areas, more residential, commercial, industrial, and public service developments are being built outside "urban" boundaries. Urban sprawl expands the "urban/wildland interface," adding to environmental pressures and placing more demands on state resource agencies.
Urban (or suburban) sprawl is difficult to quantify. It can be described as a development cycle that starts with subdivisions built outside urban boundaries and ends with a blanket of residential and commercial buildings. In fast growing areas, consideration of systematically conserving open space for important ecological functions and socioeconomic values may be an afterthought. Eventually floodplain, wildlife habitat, or forest patches may be retained, often as parks, but a piecemeal approach relinquishes many of the natural values.
From a long-run socioeconomic viewpoint, sprawl is an inefficient consumption of land and raises costs of municipal and utility services. Negative consequences of sprawl place greater demand on state and local agencies to mitigate additional issues, such as air and water quality deterioration; wildfire threats at the urban/wildland interface; fragmentation of wildlife habitat; threats to vulnerable plant and animal species; over-development of floodplains; loss of wetlands and riparian resources; and loss of public land access. More urban and suburban communities in are taking interest in retaining and improving management of open space and prime agricultural land, indicating the importance of this issue in our own state.
A large number of rural communities are spread throughout the state's valleys and mountains. Even the state's four "urban" counties (i.e., Carson City, Clark, Douglas, and Washoe) contain large rural areas. The population density of rural Nevada is about 1.4 persons per square mile. Towns are widely spaced, connected to land and water resources suitable for farming, ranching, mining, and military installations.
Rural county growth rates fluctuate, often a response to national or global economic factors that depress precious metals production. Rural communities with a strong agricultural base are more resilient. Seven rural counties grew 25 percent or more and the population in four counties declined during the 1990's (Figure 1-1). Two counties, Esmeralda and Mineral, experienced population losses greater than 20 percent (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000c). Supplies of high quality water are limited and mining has been the leading employer in both. Increasingly, rural area resources will be sought to meet urban area needs for water supply, waste disposal sites, and industries with large pollutant discharges, and outdoor recreation.
The Nevada State Demographer's Office projects the statewide annual growth rate will average 2.6 percent from 2002 to 2010, essentially adding another city each year the size of Carson City. By 2010, the state's population is anticipated to increase by another 644,000. Counties projected to grow an average of three percent or more each year are Douglas, Nye, Lyon, Churchill, and Pershing. Clark County is expected to add about 484,000 more residents by 2010, and Washoe County about 67,000. Combined, these two counties account for 86 percent of the projected growth over the first decade of the new millennium (Nevada State Demographer's Office, 2000). The projections suggest the factors that made Nevada the most urbanized state will continue to strongly influence where people and businesses move here. Region-wide urbanization will challenge local governments and resource management agencies to coordinate their individual efforts to assess and mitigate the variety of ways growth can impact limited and valuable resources.
Additional Resources:
 Maps of Nevada
Urban Area Photos
Census QuickFacts
Bureau of Labor Statistics - Nevada Labor Force Data
County Profiles -- Population, Income, Employment, Wages
 Next Page -- Nevada's Economy
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