Census-designated place · Nye County, Nevada

Amargosa Valley, Nevada

Amargosa Valley is a census-designated place in Nye County, Nevada, part of the Pahrump, NV metro area. It has 1,445 residents. Amargosa Valley, Nevada has a quality-of-life score of 8 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,353 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Nevada it ranks #65 of 67 cities and towns. It ranks best on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low), median Air Quality Index (low) and job growth (high). It ranks worst on food environment index (low), suicide rate (high) and drug overdose deaths (high).

8Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,353 of 15,651 cities and towns
Nevada: #65 of 67 in NV
Population: 1,445 (2020-2024)
Land area: 99 mi²
Density: 14.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 3201000

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety20#12,514/15,637
Economy37#9,794/15,631
Housing57#6,398/14,977
Health3#15,206/15,609
Healthcare3#15,127/15,650
Environment87#1,946/15,453
Education2#15,359/15,649
Infrastructure6#14,639/15,650
Community1#15,463/15,651
Leisure & amenities9#14,319/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Amargosa Valley, Nevada ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Nye County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.7 µg/m³
98/100Nevada 6.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyNye County value
Median Air Quality Index · low26
96/100Nevada 572025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyNye County value
Job growth · high2.9%
93/100Nevada 2.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataNye County value
Unemployment rate · low1.2%
90/100Nevada 5.3%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Rent as share of income · low13.0%
85/100Nevada 33.1%United States 30.6%2019-2023U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Average commute time · low11.6 min
81/100Nevada 24.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013High uncertainty

Weaknesses

Food environment index · low4.2
0/100Nevada 7.3United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNye County value
Suicide rate · high41.3 /100k
1/100Nevada 20.5 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataNye County value
Drug overdose deaths · high43.1 /100k
2/100Nevada 32.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataNye County value
Firearm deaths · high30.5 /100k
2/100Nevada 16.8 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataNye County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low29.8%
2/100Nevada 91.4%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNye County value
Mammography screening · low30.0%
2/100Nevada 36.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNye County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
1,232 (2016-2020) → 1,445 (2020-2024)
+17%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
100.0% (2016-2020) → 55.6% (2020-2024)
−44 pts4 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.1% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
70.6% (2016-2020) → 43.7% (2020-2024)
−27 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 15.7% → 15.5%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
30.2% (2016-2020) → 13.8% (2020-2024)
−16 pts4 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.4% → 9.8%
Broadband subscriptionsWorsening
60.3% (2016-2020) → 49.3% (2020-2024)
−11 pts4 yearsCensus table B28002US 85.2% → 91.0%
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.344 (2016-2020) → 0.523 (2020-2024)
+52%4 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

There is not enough history to compare Amargosa Valley, Nevada over five years.

Cities and towns like Amargosa Valley, Nevada five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Amargosa Valley, Nevada in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

No place that looked like Amargosa Valley, Nevada five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,445 residents (±496)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,445 residents (±496)

Amargosa Valley, Nevada
Nevada share

White33%†479
Black1.2%†18
Hispanic or Latino46%†659

Education

801 residents (±363)

Amargosa Valley, Nevada
Nevada share

No high school diploma20%†157
High school or GED37%†300
Some college23%†181

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

475 households (±168)

Amargosa Valley, Nevada
Nevada share

Under $25k27%†130
$25k–50k20%†96
$50k–75k28%†135
$75k–100k5.3%†25
$100k–150k13%†64
$150k–200k1.9%†9
$200k or more3.4%†16

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

475 households (±168)

Amargosa Valley, Nevada
Nevada share

Own82%†389
Rent18%†86

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

18 households (±24)

Amargosa Valley, Nevada
Nevada share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,000100%†18
$1,000–1,5000.0%0

Home values

389 homes (±149)

Amargosa Valley, Nevada
Nevada share

Under $150k80%†312
$150k–250k11%†43
$250k–400k4.6%†18

Age of homes

604 homes (±193)

Amargosa Valley, Nevada
Nevada share

2010 or later10%†61
2000–200917%†102
1980–199923%†140

Size of homes

604 homes (±193)

Amargosa Valley, Nevada
Nevada share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom12%†70
2 bedrooms29%†173

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

310 workers (±159)

Amargosa Valley, Nevada
Nevada share

Drive alone100%†310
Carpool0.0%0
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home0.0%0
Other0.0%0

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

310 workers (±159)

Amargosa Valley, Nevada
Nevada share

Under 15 min77%†240
15–29 min17%†52
30–44 min2.9%†9

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Pahrump, NV

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Nye County, the county holding most of Amargosa Valley's residents.

Nye County has 862 employer establishments, 154 for every 10,000 residents (0.62× the US rate of 248; 0.64× Nevada's), with 10,673 paid employees at an average annual pay of $59,701. The Census Bureau also counts 3,300 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 862; 3,300 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 154; US 248 · Nevada 241
Paid employees: 10,673
Average annual pay: $59,701; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Nye County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	89	15.9	0.76×Fewer than typical	574	$77,373	137
Specialty trade contractors	68	12.2	0.79×Fewer than typical	407	$42,767	137
Restaurants and other eating places	64	11.4	0.62×Fewer than typical	791	$19,432	18
Lessors of real estate	54	9.7	0.78×Fewer than typical	80	$46,363	286
Limited-service restaurants	33	5.9	0.74×Fewer than typical	463	$19,283	6
Real estate agents and brokers	33	5.9	1.21×About typical	37	$49,973	115
Gasoline stations	32	5.7	1.77×More than typical	288	$29,892	—
Offices of other health practitioners	32	5.7	0.94×About typical	127	$35,016	49
Building equipment contractors	30	5.4	0.89×About typical	164	$49,860	25
Services to buildings and dwellings	30	5.4	0.80×Fewer than typical	98	$30,122	243
Offices of physicians	23	4.1	0.64×Fewer than typical	209	$120,675	11
Truck transportation	23	4.1	0.81×About typical	58	$39,379	101

Rank places for an industry Open Nye County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 55,914 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $4.3M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Amargosa Valley, Nevada: $2,976 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $4.3M; +8,546% vs FY2025
Per resident: $2,976; US $1,995
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$4.3M100%

Top recipients

DOFINE SPRINKLER REBUILDERS INC$4.2M99%
ALLIANCE NETWORK INTEGRATORS LLC$58.4K1.4%
PYRAMID BOTANICAL CONSULTANTS, INC.$00.0%
KWR CONSTRUCTION INC$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

392.6KFY2017
46.7KFY2018
39KFY2019
28.3KFY2020
229.3KFY2021
38.9KFY2022
166.4KFY2023
1.8MFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$4.2M99%
Architectural and structural metals manufacturing · 3323$58.4K1.4%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Amargosa Valley, Nevada, so they do not add up across cities.

Amargosa Valley, Nevada's figures are part of those of Nye County, NV ($43.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 9.8% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Amargosa Valley is mostly in Nye County.

See federal money in Nye County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Amargosa Valley, Nevada is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Steven HorsfordD-NV-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 92%Missed 1.5%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Nye County7100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Pahrump, NV6

Other cities and towns in Nye County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3201000

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Cities and towns like Amargosa Valley, Nevada five years ago that improved