County facts · Population · October 25, 2026
Nevada Population by County, 2025 Census Estimates
Nevada population by county: July 2025 Census estimates for all 17 counties, change since 2020, density, and a link to each official parcel map.
Looking for Nevada population by county? The Census Bureau estimates that Nevada had 3,282,188 residents on July 1, 2025, spread across 16 counties and Carson City. Clark County is the most populous, with 2,407,226 people (73% of the state), and Esmeralda County is the least populous, with 729.
Carson City is an independent city that the Census Bureau counts as a county equivalent, so it is listed alongside the counties.
The table below lists every county with its 2025 estimate, its April 2020 starting point, the change, people per square mile, and a link to its official parcel viewer.
Nevada population at a glance
- Counties and county equivalents: 17
- Statewide, July 1, 2025: 3,282,188 (April 1, 2020 estimates base: 3,105,593; change +176,595, +5.7%)
- Most populous: Clark County (2,407,226); least populous: Esmeralda County (729)
- Median county: about 17,267 residents (half of the counties are smaller)
- The 5 largest counties hold 94% of all Nevada residents
- Counties with 1,000,000+ residents: 1 · 100,000+: 2 · under 10,000: 8
- Statewide density: about 30 people per square mile of land
Nevada population by county, July 2025 (all 17)
Percent change runs from the April 1, 2020 estimates base to July 1, 2025. People per square mile is the July 2025 estimate divided by the county's land area in the Census Bureau's 2020 Gazetteer file, so lakes and bays are left out.
How Nevada's population is spread out
Grouping the counties by size shows how concentrated the state is:
| Residents (July 2025) | Counties | Total residents | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000,000 or more | 1 | 2,407,226 | 73% |
| 250,000 to 999,999 | 1 | 509,386 | 16% |
| 25,000 to 99,999 | 6 | 311,772 | 9% |
| 10,000 to 24,999 | 1 | 17,267 | 1% |
| Under 10,000 | 8 | 36,537 | 1% |
2 counties with at least 250,000 residents hold 89% of the state's population.
Most and least densely populated
The most crowded counties by people per square mile of land:
- Carson City: 405 per sq mi (58,571 people on 145 sq mi)
- Clark County: 305 per sq mi (2,407,226 people on 7,892 sq mi)
- Washoe County: 81 per sq mi (509,386 people on 6,316 sq mi)
- Douglas County: 71 per sq mi (50,111 people on 710 sq mi)
- Lyon County: 32 per sq mi (65,088 people on 2,003 sq mi)
The most thinly settled:
- Esmeralda County: 0.2 per sq mi (729 people on 3,582 sq mi)
- Lincoln County: 0.4 per sq mi (4,320 people on 10,633 sq mi)
- Eureka County: 0.4 per sq mi (1,867 people on 4,176 sq mi)
- White Pine County: 1.0 per sq mi (8,661 people on 8,887 sq mi)
- Pershing County: 1.1 per sq mi (6,421 people on 6,037 sq mi)
About these numbers
- They are estimates. Between censuses the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program updates county totals each year from births, deaths and migration records. The next full count is the 2030 census.
- The base is April 1, 2020. The estimates start from an April 1, 2020 "estimates base" built from the 2020 census, which is why it is slightly different from the published census count.
- Each new release revises the past. A newer vintage can change earlier years as well, so compare numbers from the same release, as this page does.
- Statewide total. The counties add up exactly to the statewide figure of 3,282,188 in the same file.
Using population numbers in a land search
- Big counties, busy offices. In the most populous counties, parcel maps and deed records are usually online and searchable, but recording and permit offices are busier. Allow for that if you are on a deadline.
- Small counties, fewer sales. In counties with only a few thousand people, land changes hands less often, so there are fewer recent sales to compare a price with. Recorded deeds and the local assessor's sales records are the best source.
- Density hints at lot size. A low people-per-square-mile figure usually means farms, ranches and timber tracts; a high one means subdivided lots. The parcel viewer shows the actual parcel lines.
- Check the official map. Use the parcel viewer link in the table for boundaries, parcel numbers and owner names, then confirm anything important with the local assessor and the office that records deeds.
Related guides
- Fastest growing counties in Nevada
- Largest counties in Nevada
- Nevada county GIS websites by viewer
- Nevada plat maps
- Nevada landowner maps for hunting
- Most populous counties in the US
- Where people are moving in the US
More: All Nevada counties on Platbookmapper
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county totals, Vintage 2025 (April 1, 2020 estimates base and July 1, 2020–2025 estimates, with components of change). Statewide totals are the sum of the counties and match the file's state row.
- U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer files, 2020 county land and water area (for people per square mile).
- Platbookmapper county GIS directory (live data file behind our county pages, pulled October 25, 2026) for each official parcel viewer.