Metro area · Nevada
Reno, NV metro area
Reno, NV is a metropolitan area of 3 counties in Nevada, home to 578,734 residents. Reno, NV metro area has a quality-of-life score of 56 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #411 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in Nevada it ranks #3 of 8. It ranks best on distance to an airport (low), job growth (high) and adult obesity (low). It ranks worst on social associations (low), drug overdose deaths (high) and home price to income ratio (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #411 of 925 metro and micro areas
- Nevada
- #3 of 8 in NV
- Population
- 578,734 (2025)
- Land area
- 8,583 mi²
- Density
- 67.4 /mi²
- CBSA code
- 39900
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.
- Safety19#745/924
- Economy88#116/925
- Housing15#783/925
- Health63#345/925
- Healthcare60#370/923
- Environment41#544/917
- Education61#365/925
- Infrastructure90#98/925
- Community33#620/925
- Leisure & amenities72#260/925
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Reno, NV metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Distance to an airport · low9 mi99/100Nevada 17 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
- Job growth · high2.4%
- Adult obesity · low29.2%93/100Nevada 35.0%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Average weekly wage · high$1,420
- Public transit commuters · high1.8%
- Income adjusted for local prices · high$81,97791/100Nevada $69,820United States $73,2042024U.S. Bureau of Economic AnalysisAggregated from counties
Weaknesses
- Social associations · low6.0 /10k7/100Nevada 4.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Drug overdose deaths · high32.7 /100k8/100Nevada 32.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
- Home price to income ratio · high5.7×
- Loneliness · high38.0%8/100Nevada 37.7%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
- Cost of buying a home today · high43.9%
- Median Air Quality Index · high50
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Drought exposureImproving
100% (2021) → 34% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−66 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- High ozone daysImproving
3 days (2017) → 1 days (2022)
−69%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
- New homes permittedWorsening
11.0 /1k (2021) → 5.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−50%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
- Income adjusted for local pricesImproving
$58,631 (2019) → $81,977 (2024)
+40%5 yearsUS $55,567 → $73,204
- New business applicationsImproving
11.8 /1k (2020) → 16.1 /1k (2025)
+37%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
- Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
36.7% (Dec 2021) → 43.9% (Aug 2026)
+7.2 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
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.
Metro and micro areas like Reno, NV metro area five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Reno, NV metro area 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
Jobs and pay
What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
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.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Counties in Reno, NV
Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.
Principal cities
The cities the area is named for.
Largest cities and towns
By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.
- Reno273,212
- Sparks110,024
- Fernley24,225
- Sun Valley22,228
- Spanish Springs17,980
- Dayton15,781
- Cold Springs11,321
- Incline Village9,272
- Silver Springs5,060
- Lemmon Valley4,412
- Washoe Valley3,315
- Yerington3,150
- Stagecoach1,892
- Smith Valley1,807
- Golden Valley1,139
- Mogul1,050
- Verdi1,012
- Wadsworth705
- Virginia City644
- Nixon305
- Sutcliffe282
- Crystal Bay131
- Silver City118
- Gerlach58
Other metro and micro areas in Nevada
Areas based in Nevada, best score first.
Neighboring metro and micro areas
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar metro and micro areas
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Carson City, NV64Alike on Weekly wage, Property tax, Homeownership
- Santa Fe, NM77Alike on Income per capita, Home value (Zillow), Price / income
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO78Alike on Home value (Zillow), Price / income, Arts & recreation
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ54Alike on Household income, Weekly wage, Price level
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC75Alike on Voter turnout, Weekly wage, Rent
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- 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
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08