Overview
Clark County is home to 2,293,764 people (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), making it one of the largest counties in the United States by population, ranking higher than nearly all U.S. counties. The county, which includes Las Vegas and its surrounding metro area, accounts for the vast majority of Nevada's population.
Median household income sits at $73,845 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), above roughly 75% of U.S. counties. Home values and rents run well above national norms, with a median home value of $400,800 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023) and median gross rent of $1,518 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). The median age is 38.3 years (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), younger than about 78% of U.S. counties.
The county's labor force tops 1.26 million workers (BLS LAUS, 2025). Its economy generates over $100 billion in total adjusted gross income (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021). These are big numbers for a desert county that barely existed a century ago.
Demographics
Clark County skews young. At a median age of 38.3 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), it's younger than roughly 78% of all U.S. counties. That tracks with a metro area built on service industries that draw working-age adults.
The population is notably diverse. White residents make up 39.4%, Hispanic residents 31.4%, Black residents 11.7%, and Asian residents 10.2% (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). The Asian population share ranks higher than 98% of U.S. counties. The Hispanic share ranks higher than 93%.
Educational attainment lags. Only 27.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). That's above the national median for counties but still well below many large metro areas. The county ranks at the 72nd national mark and 76th within Nevada.
Education
Clark County's school district enrolled 315,646 students (Education Data Portal, 2020), one of the largest enrollments in the country. Per-pupil spending was $12,103 (Education Data Portal, 2020), roughly 19% below the national average of about $15,000. That ranks lower than 81% of U.S. counties.
The graduation rate was 81.3% (Education Data Portal, 2019), below the national average of approximately 87%. Within Nevada, the rate sits near the middle of the pack. For a county this size, even small percentage-point changes in graduation rate represent thousands of students.
Low spending and below-average completion rates in a fast-growing district suggest the school system is stretched. Whether funding catches up to enrollment growth will shape the county's workforce pipeline for years.
Economy & Employment
The labor force reached 1,264,516 in early 2025, with 1,198,399 employed and 66,117 unemployed (BLS LAUS, 2025). The unemployment rate of 5.2% sits higher than 84% of U.S. counties, a persistent pattern for a hospitality-dependent economy where seasonal and cyclical swings hit harder.
Median household income of $73,845 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023) places the county above about 75% of U.S. counties. Per capita income is $38,654 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). Average adjusted gross income per return was $88,493 (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021), which ranks higher than 89% of counties nationally.
The poverty rate is 13.1% (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), near the national midpoint. That's a number that can hide wide variation in a county this large. Some zip codes are among the wealthiest in the West. Others aren't close.
Mean commute time is 22.5 minutes (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), roughly average for U.S. counties. For a metro of this size, that's relatively short, reflecting the Las Vegas Valley's compact geography and grid layout.
Housing & Cost of Living
Housing costs in Clark County run high by national standards and keep climbing. Median home value reached $400,800 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), higher than 93% of U.S. counties. Median gross rent was $1,518 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), above 94% of counties.
Fair market rents paint a similar picture. A studio apartment runs $1,333, a one-bedroom $1,478, a two-bedroom $1,735, a three-bedroom $2,413, and a four-bedroom $2,764 (HUD Fair Market Rents, 2026). Two-bedroom fair market rent ranks higher than 96% of all U.S. counties. Within Nevada, Clark County's rents are among the highest.
Of the county's 935,960 total housing units, 88,582 sit vacant (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). The 9.5% vacancy rate is lower than 75% of U.S. counties. That relatively tight market puts upward pressure on rents, particularly for lower-income renters.
A household earning the median income of $73,845 would spend roughly 28% of gross income on a two-bedroom at fair market rent. That's close to the 30% threshold that housing researchers use to define cost burden. For households earning below the median, the math gets harder fast.
Health & Wellness
Clark County has a mixed health profile. Obesity rates are low compared to most of the country: 31.2% of adults are obese (CDC PLACES, 2023), lower than about 91% of U.S. counties. Depression prevalence is also comparatively low at 20.6% (CDC PLACES, 2023), lower than 86% of counties.
Other metrics are less favorable. An estimated 15.7% of residents lack health insurance (CDC PLACES, 2023), higher than 85% of U.S. counties. That's a significant coverage gap. Hypertension affects 32.0% of adults (CDC PLACES, 2023). Diabetes prevalence is 11.1% (CDC PLACES, 2023).
Mental health concerns affect 19.4% of adults reporting frequent poor mental health days (CDC PLACES, 2023), above the national median. Physical health follows a similar pattern at 14.3% (CDC PLACES, 2023).
Preventive care utilization tells its own story. Only 72.3% of adults had an annual checkup (CDC PLACES, 2023), lower than about 77% of counties. Cholesterol screening was higher at 83.5% (CDC PLACES, 2023). The gap between screening rates and insurance coverage suggests that for some residents, cost remains a barrier to routine care.
Climate & Natural Disasters
Clark County gets 8.7 inches of rain per year (NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025). That puts it in the bottom 1% of counties nationally. No snow falls in an average year.
Temperatures are warm and stable. The average high is 74.9°F and the average low is 51.6°F, for a mean of 63.3°F (NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025). Those numbers rank above 81% of U.S. counties, warmer than four out of five counties in the country.
The dryness is the defining feature. Las Vegas's climate means air conditioning runs for most of the year, water comes from the Colorado River system rather than local precipitation, and fire risk is persistent across the surrounding desert.
FEMA has recorded 13 federal disaster declarations in the county (FEMA OpenFEMA, 2026). Five were fire-related, making fire the most common declared disaster type. Two severe storm events, two floods, and two snowstorms round out the list. The most recent declaration came in March 2020, the COVID-19 national emergency. Clark County's disaster count falls below 83% of U.S. counties, lower than most large counties.
The low disaster count is partly a function of the climate. There are no hurricanes, no tornadoes, no ice storms. What the county does face is heat, drought, and the wildfire risk that comes with both. None of those have triggered major federal declarations recently, but the underlying conditions that produce them aren't going away.
Financial Profile
Clark County residents filed 1,137,430 tax returns reporting total adjusted gross income of $100.7 billion and total income of $101.4 billion (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021). Average AGI per return was $88,493, and average income per return was $89,134 (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021). Those averages rank higher than 89% of U.S. counties.
The gap between average AGI ($88,493) and median household income ($73,845) hints at income concentration at the top. High earners pull the average up while the median tells a more grounded story about typical households.
Banking access is solid. The county has 36 FDIC-insured bank branches holding $33.6 billion in total deposits (FDIC Summary of Deposits, 2023). Total deposits rank higher than 98% of U.S. counties.
Social Security benefits reach 415,005 beneficiaries (SSA OASDI, 2024). That's about 18% of the total population, a lower share than many counties, which lines up with the younger median age.
Key Comparisons
Clark County consistently ranks at or near the top of Nevada's 17 counties across most metrics, which is expected for a county holding the majority of the state's population. The more telling comparisons are national.
Where Clark County ranks high nationally: Population, housing units, labor force, and total enrollment all land at or near the 100th mark among U.S. counties. Home values (93rd), rents (94th and above), and deposits (98th) reflect a high-cost, high-activity economy. Average income per tax return (89th) shows strong earnings at the top.
Where it falls below national norms: Per-pupil spending (19th) and graduation rates (20th) stand out as weak points. The uninsured rate, higher than 85% of counties, represents a real access problem. Unemployment at the 84th mark signals an economy that's more volatile than most.
The tensions that define Clark County: High incomes coexist with above-average poverty. Expensive housing sits alongside below-average vacancy. A massive labor force produces relatively high unemployment. Strong tax revenue pairs with low education spending. These aren't contradictions. They're the predictable pressures of rapid growth in a tourism-driven economy.
Data Sources
- Census ACS 5-Year, 2023 (population, income, housing, demographics, commute, poverty, education attainment)
- BLS LAUS, 2025 (unemployment, employment, labor force)
- CDC PLACES, 2023 (health metrics, insurance coverage)
- HUD Fair Market Rents, 2026 (rental rates by bedroom count)
- FEMA OpenFEMA, 2026 (disaster declarations)
- IRS Statistics of Income, 2021 (tax returns, income)
- FDIC Summary of Deposits, 2023 (bank branches, deposits)
- NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025 (temperature, precipitation)
- SSA OASDI, 2024 (Social Security beneficiaries)
- Education Data Portal, 2020 (per-pupil spending, enrollment); 2019 (graduation rate)
- USDA Census of Agriculture, 2022 (no data available for Clark County)