Census-designated place · Washoe County, Nevada

Sun Valley, Nevada

Sun Valley is a census-designated place in Washoe County, Nevada, part of the Reno, NV metro area. It has 22,228 residents. Sun Valley, Nevada has a quality-of-life score of 18 out of 100 (very low), ranking #12,855 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Nevada it ranks #53 of 67 cities and towns. It ranks best on distance to an airport (low), distance to an Amtrak station (low) and effective property tax rate (low). It ranks worst on high school diploma or higher (low), loneliness (high) and drug overdose deaths (high).

18Very low

Quality-of-life score: #12,855 of 15,651 cities and towns
Nevada: #53 of 67 in NV
Population: 22,228 (2020-2024)
Land area: 15 mi²
Density: 1,525.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 3271600

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.

Safety14#13,400/15,637
Economy46#8,501/15,631
Housing21#11,814/14,977
Health26#11,607/15,609
Healthcare60#6,282/15,650
Environment23#11,872/15,453
Education3#15,128/15,649
Infrastructure31#10,754/15,650
Community24#11,911/15,651
Leisure & amenities71#4,556/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Sun Valley, Nevada ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Washoe 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

Distance to an airport · low7 mi
99/100Nevada 17 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauWashoe County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low6 mi
93/100Nevada 72 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauWashoe County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.45%
91/100Nevada 0.50%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high6.5 /10k
85/100Nevada 7.4 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWashoe County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high1.8 /10k
81/100Nevada 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWashoe County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.387
80/100Nevada 0.467United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083

Weaknesses

High school diploma or higher · low68.0%
1/100Nevada 87.5%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Loneliness · high41.7%
1/100Nevada 37.7%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Drug overdose deaths · high34.7 /100k
6/100Nevada 32.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataWashoe County value
Poor or fair health · high30.4%
6/100Nevada 21.7%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Bachelor's degree or higher · low10.8%
7/100Nevada 27.9%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high18.4%
9/100Nevada 13.7%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010

Trends

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

PopulationRising
21,159 (2015-2019) → 22,228 (2020-2024)
+5.1%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.9× (2015-2019) → 4.5× (2020-2024)
+53%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Median household incomeImproving
$57,368 (2015-2019) → $77,446 (2020-2024)
+35%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
41.2% (2015-2019) → 47.8% (2020-2024)
+6.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.1% (2015-2019) → 86.4% (2020-2024)
+5.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Poverty rateWorsening
12.3% (2015-2019) → 16.8% (2020-2024)
+4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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.

Over about five years, Sun Valley, Nevada improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Household income+35%$57,368 → $77,446
Bachelor's++2.6 points8.2% → 10.8%
Broadband+5.3 points81.1% → 86.4%

Declined1

Price / income+1.6×2.9× → 4.5×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Sun Valley, Nevada between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.9 min2015-2019	25.9 min2020-2024	+1.0 min	Within the margin of error	36%
Bachelor's degree or higher	8.2%2015-2019	10.8%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Improved	48%
Broadband subscriptions	81.1%2015-2019	86.4%2020-2024	+5.3 points	Improved	33%
Child poverty rate	16.8%2015-2019	17.2%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Effective property tax rate	0.53%2015-2019	0.45%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	32%
High school diploma or higher	72.1%2015-2019	68.0%2020-2024	−4.1 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Home price to income ratio	2.9×2015-2019	4.5×2020-2024	+1.6×	Declined	8%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3552015-2019	0.3872020-2024	+0.031	Within the margin of error	26%
Median household income	$57,3682015-2019	$77,4462020-2024	+35%	Improved	65%
Poverty rate	12.3%2015-2019	16.8%2020-2024	+4.5 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Rent as share of income	26.3%2015-2019	28.3%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Rent-burdened households	41.2%2015-2019	47.8%2020-2024	+6.7 points	Within the margin of error	32%
Unemployment rate	4.8%2015-2019	6.7%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	16.3%2015-2019	18.4%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	25%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

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

The places whose measures looked most like those of Sun 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.

For comparison, Sun Valley, Nevada itself moved −9 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

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

22,228 residents (±1,585)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69

Income

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

Household income

6,922 households (±427)

Sun Valley, Nevada
Nevada share

Under $25k14%†963
$25k–50k19%1,290
$50k–75k14%980

Homes

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

Owners and renters

6,922 households (±427)

Sun Valley, Nevada
Nevada share

Own76%5,228
Rent24%1,694

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

9,651 workers (±768)

Sun Valley, Nevada
Nevada share

Drive alone73%7,017
Carpool18%1,741
Public transit1.0%†97

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 Reno, 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 Washoe County, the county holding most of Sun Valley's residents.

Washoe County has 14,199 employer establishments, 284 for every 10,000 residents (1.14× the US rate of 248; 1.18× Nevada's), with 209,307 paid employees at an average annual pay of $61,617. The Census Bureau also counts 40,270 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 14,199; 40,270 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 284; US 248 · Nevada 241
Paid employees: 209,307
Average annual pay: $61,617; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	1,187	23.8	1.14×About typical	12,469	$87,862	2,144
Specialty trade contractors	970	19.4	1.25×More than typical	13,637	$71,117	1,232
Restaurants and other eating places	945	18.9	1.03×About typical	17,162	$25,151	149
Lessors of real estate	848	17	1.38×More than typical	3,332	$64,063	5,356
Management, scientific and technical consulting	509	10.2	1.52×More than typical	2,541	$65,730	2,251
Services to buildings and dwellings	498	10	1.48×More than typical	5,257	$40,320	1,543
Construction of buildings	444	8.9	1.18×About typical	3,587	$78,252	703
Limited-service restaurants	426	8.5	1.06×About typical	7,248	$22,577	74
Offices of physicians	387	7.7	1.20×About typical	4,571	$132,032	539
Full-service restaurants	376	7.5	0.98×About typical	7,891	$28,602	46
Real estate agents and brokers	363	7.3	1.49×More than typical	772	$66,278	1,548
Offices of other health practitioners	349	7	1.15×About typical	1,839	$56,752	1,146

Rank places for an industry Open Washoe County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 499,599 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Sun Valley, Nevada: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

4.9KFY2017
4.6KFY2018
894.9KFY2019
-255.1KFY2020
75.4KFY2021
22.7KFY2022
18.4KFY2023
1.5KFY2024
5.3KFY2025

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 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 Sun Valley, Nevada, so they do not add up across cities.

Sun Valley, Nevada's figures are part of those of Washoe County, NV ($407.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Washoe 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.

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

House

Mark E. AmodeiR-NV-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 2.8%

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.

Washoe County54100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Reno, NV56

Other cities and towns in Washoe 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/3271600

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends