Las Vegas is a city located in Clark County Nevada. Las Vegas has a 2023 population of 653,843. It is also the county seat of Clark County.Las Vegas is currently growing at a rate of 0.54% annually and its population has increased by 1.64% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 643,292 in 2020.
The average household income in Las Vegas is $86,008 with a poverty rate of 14.94%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Las Vegas is 37.9 years, 37.1 years for males, and 38.6 years for females.
Las Vegas is the most populous city in Nevada and an internationally renowned resort city known for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and its nightlife. Billed as the Entertainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas is quickly transforming into a favorite family and retirement city as well.
The Las Vegas metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million. When most people talk about Las Vegas, they refer to the city as well as areas beyond its city limits, especially the Las Vegas Strip (known for its resorts and casinos) or even the whole Las Vegas Valley.
The 4.2 mile stretch of South Las Vegas Boulevard, or what is known as the Strip, is actually in unincorporated areas of Enterprise, Winchester, and Paradise, not Las Vegas proper.
Based on its population, Las Vegas has a population density of 4,376 people per square mile.
Non-Hispanic whites are still the largest ethnic group in Las Vegas. While their proportion of the city's population has declined (72% in 1990 to under 48% in 2010), their total numbers are still increasing.
Interestingly, Las Vegas is sometimes referred to as the 9th island of Hawaii because so many people from the state have moved to Las Vegas. As the Las Vegas Sun recently reported, about 20% of all Hawaiians have visited Las Vegas in one year, and many stay.
It's also worth noting that Las Vegas has one of the highest marriage (and divorce) rates in the United States. This is because Nevada marriages are easy to get, and it's easier to get a divorce in Nevada than most states in the country. Many people travel from other states to get an easier divorce.
Before the recession, Clark County's population was expected to top 2 million in 2006, but this figure has still not been hit. The county where Las Vegas is located should reach 2.5 million by 2031.
Las Vegas itself is steadily recovering from the recession. It's now the 11th fastest growing metropolitan area, according to Forbes, and it's finally pushing past the plateau it hit during the recession.
The area still has one of the highest foreclosure rates and the largest inventories of vacant homes in the country, but it is attracting new people and new business. The Las Vegas-Paradise metropolitan area is expected to grow from 1.988 million in 2012 to 3.32 million in 2042. This is a 67% increase and one of the largest expected population booms in the United States.
The first European to visit Las Vegas Valley was Raphael Rivera in 1829. The name comes from Spaniards in the Antonio Armijo party, however, who used water in the region before continuing on their path along the Old Spanish Trail.
In 1844, while the area was still part of Mexico, a group of observers and scientists for the US Army Corps of Engineers moved into the Las Vegas Valley. In 1855, after annexation by the US, Brigham Young assigned missionaries of the LDS Church to convert local Paiute Indians to Mormonism.
A fort was built in present-day downtown to serve as a stopping point on the "Mormon Corridor" between San Bernardino, California and Salt Lake. Mormons eventually abandoned Las Vegas in 1857 during the Utah War, and it became a railroad town.
By the early 20th century, Las Vegas was a popular railroad town and a staging point for nearby mines. As railroads were built across the country, the area became less critical, although the construction of the Hoover Dam in 1935 led to some growth in population and tourism.
It was the legalization of gambling in 1931 that led to modern-day Las Vegas and the casino hotels it is now famous for. Developments starting going up, almost completely due to the scientists and staff working on the Manhattan Project, but organized crime figures quickly jumped in to finance and manage most of the large casinos in the beginning.
Las Vegas today is known for its tolerance of many forms of adult entertainment, which earned it the nickname Sin City, and it has become one of the most popular tourist destinations on earth.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Las Vegas was:
3.35
Average Family Size
2.65
Average Household Size
53.7%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
67.23% of Las Vegas residents speak only English, while 32.77% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 24.86% of the population.
14.94%
Overall Poverty Rate
13.94%
Male Poverty Rate
15.94%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Las Vegas is Black, with 33.05% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Las Vegas is White, with 11.14% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.71%. Among those working part-time, it was 15.58%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 24.32%.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
43.7%
Overall Marriage Rate
44.4%
Male Marriage Rate
43.0%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
9.76%
Veteran Poverty Rate
29.7%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
63%
Labor Force Participation
57.5%
Employment Rate
7.7%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
25.85%
Born in Las Vegas
77.69%
Native Born
20.45%
Foreign Born
10.72%
Non Citizen
9.74%
Naturalized
77.69% of Las Vegas residents were born in the United States, with 25.85% having been born in Nevada. 10.72% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.