County facts · Land area · October 22, 2026

Largest Counties in Nevada by Area and Population

The largest Nevada counties by land area and by 2023 population, plus the smallest, county seats and a link to each official parcel map.

Looking for the largest counties in Nevada? Nevada has 16 counties plus 1 independent city, which sit outside any county and are counted by the Census Bureau as county equivalents. Together they cover about 109,860 square miles of land, based on the Census Bureau's 2020 Gazetteer. The largest by land area is Nye County, at about 18,182 square miles, roughly 69 times the size of the smallest, Storey County (264 sq mi). Measured by people instead, the largest is Clark County, with about 2,336,573 residents in the Census Bureau's July 1, 2023 estimate.

The rankings below compare counties with counties. The independent city is listed in its own section further down, but it is included in the statewide totals.

The tables below rank the counties both ways. Each row links to the county's Platbookmapper page and straight to its official parcel viewer.

Nevada counties at a glance

• Counties: 16, plus 1 independent city
• Land area: about 109,860 sq mi, plus about 710 sq mi of water inside county lines
• Residents, 2023 estimates: about 3,194,176, or about 29 people per square mile of land
• Median county land area: about 5,778 sq mi
• With a verified public parcel viewer in our directory: 17 of 17 (16 of them through a statewide viewer)

The 10 largest Nevada counties by land area

Together these 10 cover about 87% of Nevada's land area and hold about 94% of its residents.

The 10 most populous Nevada counties

These 10 hold about 98% of Nevada's residents in the 2023 estimates.

The smallest Nevada counties

With only 16 counties, the bottom of the list is short. The three smallest by land area are Storey County (about 264 sq mi, 4,177 residents), Douglas County (about 710 sq mi, 49,545 residents) and Lyon County (about 2,003 sq mi, 62,583 residents).

Nevada's independent city

Carson City is not part of any county. It covers about 145 square miles of land and had about 58,036 residents in the 2023 estimate, about 402 people per square mile. Its official parcel map: County Parcels in Nevada layer in ArcGIS Map Viewer. Its Platbookmapper page: Carson City.

Most and least crowded

• Most people per square mile: Clark County, about 296 (then Washoe County, 79, and Douglas County, 70)
• Fewest people per square mile: Esmeralda County, about 0.2 (then Lincoln County, 0.4, and Eureka County, 0.5)

Counties with the most water

The Census Bureau reports water separately from land. It counts lakes, reservoirs, rivers and, along a coast or a Great Lake, the water inside the boundary.

• Washoe County: about 225 sq mi of water, 3% of its total area
• Clark County: about 169 sq mi of water, 2% of its total area
• Churchill County: about 74 sq mi of water, 1% of its total area

Using these numbers in a land search

• Land area is not parcel count. A large rural county can hold fewer parcels than a small suburban one, so size alone says little about how busy its parcel map is.
• Search, don't scroll. In a big county, type an address, owner name or parcel number into the viewer's search box, where it has one, instead of panning across the map.
• Records follow the county line. Deeds, plats and tax bills are kept by the county where the parcel sits (or the independent city), so a tract that crosses a county line usually has a parcel number on each side.
• Rounded figures. Land and water areas are rounded to whole square miles (one decimal for very small places). People per square mile is the 2023 estimate divided by land area.

Related guides

• Nevada county GIS websites by viewer
• Nevada plat maps
• Nevada landowner maps for hunting
• California–Nevada border counties
• Largest county in each state
• Largest counties in the US by land area

More: All Nevada counties on Platbookmapper

Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer files, 2020 county land and water area.
• U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county totals, Vintage 2023 (July 1, 2023 estimates)
• Platbookmapper county GIS directory (live data file behind our county pages, pulled October 22, 2026) for each official parcel viewer.
• County seats: Wikidata (county seat property), cross-checked against Census place names.