You’ve seen these lists before: Best places to live in Nevada, Most Beautiful Downtowns, etc., etc. But all of them focus on major cities and towns in the Silver State and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the best small towns in Nevada based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.
We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section; but first, we thought you might just want to know which places in Nevada ranked the based–you know, based on science.
Before we get to the top 20, here’s a look at the 10 Best Small Towns To Live in Nevada for 2018:
- Mogul (Homes For Sale)
- East Valley (Homes For Sale)
- Golden Valley (Homes For Sale)
- Kingsbury (Homes For Sale)
- Ruhenstroth (Homes For Sale)
- Washoe Valley (Homes For Sale)
- Verdi (Homes For Sale)
- Panaca (Homes For Sale)
- Battle Mountain (Homes For Sale)
- Minden (Homes For Sale)
If you live in one of these small towns like Mogul, chances are, you’re not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.
But for the rest of you–keep reading and we’ll get to just why these small towns made our list.
For more reading on the Silver State check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In Nevada
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Nevada
- 5 Most Dangerous Cities In Nevada
How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Nevada
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2012-2016 American Community Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which, there were a lot – 32 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 32, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Nevada. Top of that list — Mogul.
Keep reading to find out more about our top 20 best small towns in Nevada.
1. Mogul
Population: 1,683
Median Income: $97,286 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $323,900 (3rd Best)
More on Mogul: Data| Homes For Sale
2. East Valley
Population: 1,467
Median Income: $104,157 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $569,000 (1st Best)
More on East Valley: Data| Homes For Sale
3. Golden Valley
Population: 1,805
Median Income: $83,750 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $272,200 (8th Best)
More on Golden Valley: Data| Homes For Sale
4. Kingsbury
Population: 2,242
Median Income: $63,314 (11th Best)
Median Home Value: $437,000 (2nd Best)
More on Kingsbury: Data| Homes For Sale
5. Ruhenstroth
Population: 1,163
Median Income: $77,679 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $319,200 (4th Best)
More on Ruhenstroth: Data| Homes For Sale
6. Washoe Valley
Population: 2,950
Median Income: $78,565 (5th Best)
Median Home Value: $252,000 (9th Best)
More on Washoe Valley: Data| Homes For Sale
7. Verdi
Population: 1,399
Median Income: $71,397 (9th Best)
Median Home Value: $279,900 (6th Best)
More on Verdi: Data| Homes For Sale
8. Panaca
Population: 1,170
Median Income: $48,981 (19th Best)
Median Home Value: $111,200 (21st Best)
More on Panaca: Data| Homes For Sale
9. Battle Mountain
Population: 3,227
Median Income: $87,565 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $120,300 (18th Best)
More on Battle Mountain: Data| Homes For Sale
10. Minden
Population: 3,359
Median Income: $51,682 (14th Best)
Median Home Value: $273,000 (7th Best)
More on Minden: Data| Homes For Sale
11. Stateline
Population: 1,083
Median Income: $40,000 (24th Best)
Median Home Value: $187,500 (10th Best)
More on Stateline: Data| Homes For Sale
12. Mcgill
Population: 1,168
Median Income: $53,417 (13th Best)
Median Home Value: $82,000 (28th Best)
More on Mcgill: Data| Homes For Sale
13. Smith Valley
Population: 1,481
Median Income: $71,510 (8th Best)
Median Home Value: $285,400 (5th Best)
More on Smith Valley: Data| Homes For Sale
14. Caliente
Population: 1,129
Median Income: $54,250 (12th Best)
Median Home Value: $129,700 (14th Best)
More on Caliente: Photos | Data| Homes For Sale
15. Nellis Afb
Population: 3,252
Median Income: $45,000 (21st Best)
Median Home Value: $51,800 (31st Best)
More on Nellis Afb: Data| Homes For Sale
16. Wells
Population: 1,377
Median Income: $51,618 (15th Best)
Median Home Value: $118,200 (19th Best)
More on Wells: Photos | Data| Homes For Sale
17. Hawthorne
Population: 2,812
Median Income: $35,179 (29th Best)
Median Home Value: $95,400 (25th Best)
More on Hawthorne: Data| Homes For Sale
18. Ely
Population: 4,169
Median Income: $50,361 (17th Best)
Median Home Value: $125,000 (16th Best)
More on Ely: Photos | Data| Homes For Sale
19. West Wendover
Population: 4,390
Median Income: $45,714 (20th Best)
Median Home Value: $128,400 (15th Best)
More on West Wendover: Photos | Data| Homes For Sale
20. Carlin
Population: 2,337
Median Income: $76,250 (7th Best)
Median Home Value: $105,000 (22nd Best)
More on Carlin: Photos | Data| Homes For Sale
Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, we crunched the numbers, and it turns out, these 20 small towns in Nevada are the best, in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
If you’re curious, here are the worst small towns in Nevada:
- Silver Springs
- Owyhee
- Yerington
For more Nevada reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Nevada
- These Are The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Nevada
- 10 Safest Places In Nevada
- 10 Best Cities For Singles In Nevada
- 10 Worst Places To Live In Nevada
Detailed List Of The Best Small Towns In Nevada
Rank | City | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Mogul | 1,683 |
2 | East Valley | 1,467 |
3 | Golden Valley | 1,805 |
4 | Kingsbury | 2,242 |
5 | Ruhenstroth | 1,163 |
6 | Washoe Valley | 2,950 |
7 | Verdi | 1,399 |
8 | Panaca | 1,170 |
9 | Battle Mountain | 3,227 |
10 | Minden | 3,359 |
11 | Stateline | 1,083 |
12 | Mcgill | 1,168 |
13 | Smith Valley | 1,481 |
14 | Caliente | 1,129 |
15 | Nellis Afb | 3,252 |
16 | Wells | 1,377 |
17 | Hawthorne | 2,812 |
18 | Ely | 4,169 |
19 | West Wendover | 4,390 |
20 | Carlin | 2,337 |
21 | Pioche | 1,246 |
22 | Bunkerville | 1,423 |
23 | Lovelock | 1,854 |
24 | Tonopah | 2,440 |
25 | Sandy Valley | 1,331 |
26 | Stagecoach | 1,703 |
27 | Moapa Town | 1,249 |
28 | Topaz Ranch Estates | 1,680 |
29 | Jackpot | 1,535 |
30 | Yerington | 3,096 |
31 | Owyhee | 1,203 |
32 | Silver Springs | 4,984 |