State
County
Land Area
108.7 sq mi
Density
2,450.8/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
2.09%
Growth Since 2010
18.33%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
490,256
Reno is a city located in Nevada. With a 2020 population of 266,511, it is the 3rd largest city in Nevada (after Las Vegas and Henderson) and the 80th largest city in the United States. Reno is currently growing at a rate of 2.09% annually and its population has increased by 18.33% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 225,221 in 2010. Reno reached it's highest population of 266,511 in 2021. Spanning over 112 miles, Reno has a population density of 2,451 people per square mile.
The average household income in Reno is $81,700 with a poverty rate of 13.50%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,029 per month, and the median house value is $335,000. The median age in Reno is 35.8 years, 35.4 years for males, and 36.4 years for females. For every 100 females there are 102.2 males.
Reno is a city in the state of Nevada, which is commonly known for its casinos. Located in the northwestern part of Nevada, it is the county seat of Washoe County and the most populous city in Nevada outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Reno is located in the high desert valley at the foot of the Sierra Nevada about 26 miles north of the capital, Carson City, and 22 miles northeast of Lake Tahoe and it is known as "the Biggest Little City in the World."
The Reno-Sparks metropolitan area, or Truckee Meadows, has a population of more than 500,000 people. The city proper has a population density of 2,186 people per square mile or 844 people per square kilometer.
Between 2011 and 2012, Reno's population grew more than 1% as many people moved to the county from other parts of the United States. There may not be enough jobs to sustain the population growth, however, according to The Nevada State Demographer, Washoe County had more significant growth in the last decade, with year-to-year growth of over 10,000 three different times.
As the population of Washoe County and Nevada grow, the demographics are shifting. The non-Hispanic white population has dropped in every county between 2010 and 2014 except for three counties. In Washoe County, the non-Hispanic white population grew very slightly, with the Latino population growing 5%.
Reno was first inhabited by the prehistoric Martis people. Pioneers began settling in the area in the 1850s, many of whom lived off subsistence farming and business from travelers on the California Trail. Gold was discovered nearby in 1850 which started a small mining community, but it was the discovery of silver in 1859 that started a mining rush.
To connect nearby Virginia City with the California Trail and to earn a coin or two, a man named Charles Fuller constructed a toll bridge across the Truckee River that same year. It was renamed Lake's Crossing once it was sold to Myron Lake and it became the largest town in the county by 1864. Reno was established in 1868 after the First Transcontinental Railroad was completed and named after Major General Jesse Reno, a Union officer killed in the Civil War.
The economy grew as the Virginia and Truckee Railroad was extended. When the mining boom started to wane at the start of the 20th century, the business and economics of the state shifted to Reno and Las Vegas while mining communities became ghost towns.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Reno was:
2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.
Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 490,256 | 7,307 | 1.49% |
2020 | 482,949 | 7,307 | 1.51% |
2019 | 475,642 | 7,307 | 1.54% |
2018 | 468,335 | 7,730 | 1.65% |
2017 | 460,605 | 6,896 | 1.50% |
2016 | 453,709 | 7,380 | 1.63% |
2015 | 446,329 | 6,219 | 1.39% |
2014 | 440,110 | 5,232 | 1.19% |
2013 | 434,878 | 3,670 | 0.84% |
2012 | 431,208 | 3,307 | 0.77% |
2011 | 427,901 | 1,950 | 0.46% |
2010 | 425,951 | 0.00% |
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 185,921 | 75.42% |
Some Other Race | 20,976 | 8.51% |
Asian | 16,401 | 6.65% |
Two or More Races | 11,789 | 4.78% |
Black or African American | 6,938 | 2.81% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 2,574 | 1.04% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 1,901 | 0.77% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 102,283 | 2.36 | 48 |
Non Family | 45,880 | 1.38 | 35.6 |
Married | 39,441 | 3.13 | 67 |
Female | 11,352 | 3.21 | 34.9 |
Male | 5,610 | 3.15 | 41.3 |
3.03
Average Family Size
2.36
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 7,162 | 4.28% |
9th to 12th Grade | 11,279 | 6.73% |
High School Graduate | 37,194 | 22.20% |
Some College | 41,947 | 25.04% |
Associates Degree | 13,757 | 8.21% |
Bachelors Degree | 34,505 | 20.60% |
Graduate Degree | 21,678 | 12.94% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
White | 112,731 | 107,393 | 43,642 |
Hispanic | 31,758 | 20,520 | 3,957 |
Asian | 11,906 | 10,904 | 5,726 |
Other Race | 11,393 | 6,710 | 1,009 |
Multiple Races | 5,300 | 4,455 | 1,499 |
Black | 4,709 | 4,300 | 997 |
Native American | 1,708 | 1,600 | 369 |
Islander | 1,097 | 965 | 136 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 95.26%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 48.09%.
$38,205
Average Earnings
$42,096
Average Male
$33,269
Average Female
74.17% of Reno residents speak only English, while 25.83% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 17.71% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
White | 147,602 | 17,857 | 12.10% |
Hispanic | 60,026 | 9,941 | 16.56% |
Other | 20,909 | 3,328 | 15.92% |
Multiple | 11,519 | 2,163 | 18.78% |
Black | 6,577 | 1,443 | 21.94% |
Asian | 16,182 | 1,342 | 8.29% |
Native | 2,497 | 459 | 18.38% |
Islander | 1,855 | 387 | 20.86% |
13.50%
Overall Poverty Rate
13.10%
Male Poverty Rate
13.90%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Reno is Black, with 21.94% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Reno is Asian, with 8.29% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.69%. Among those working part-time, it was 20.95%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 21.59%.
42.5%
Overall Marriage Rate
42.3%
Male Marriage Rate
42.6%
Female Marriage Rate
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 35-44.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 14,305 | 9.52% |
Hispanic | 1,064 | 2.65% |
2 or More | 543 | 8.24% |
Asian | 533 | 3.95% |
Black | 489 | 8.37% |
Other | 216 | 1.52% |
Hawaiian | 173 | 12.85% |
Indian | 124 | 5.77% |
8.49%
Veteran Poverty Rate
26.82%
Veteran Disability Rate
68.1%
Labor Force Participation
64.3%
Employment Rate
5.4%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
84.06%
Native Born
15.94%
Foreign Born
8.68%
Non Citizen
7.26%
Naturalized
84.06% of Reno residents were born in the United States, with 31.83% having been born in Nevada. 8.68% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.
Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 266,511 | 5,455 | 2.09% |
2020 | 261,056 | 5,455 | 2.13% |
2019 | 255,601 | 5,455 | 2.18% |
2018 | 250,146 | 3,531 | 1.43% |
2017 | 246,615 | 4,472 | 1.85% |
2016 | 242,143 | 4,061 | 1.71% |
2015 | 238,082 | 3,986 | 1.70% |
2014 | 234,096 | 3,109 | 1.35% |
2013 | 230,987 | 2,061 | 0.90% |
2012 | 228,926 | 1,865 | 0.82% |
2011 | 227,061 | 1,409 | 0.62% |
2010 | 225,652 | 45,172 | 2.26% |
2000 | 180,480 | 46,630 | 3.03% |
1990 | 133,850 | 33,094 | 2.88% |
1980 | 100,756 | 27,893 | 3.29% |
1970 | 72,863 | 21,393 | 3.54% |
1960 | 51,470 | 18,973 | 4.71% |
1950 | 32,497 | 11,180 | 4.31% |
1940 | 21,317 | 2,788 | 1.41% |
1930 | 18,529 | 6,513 | 4.43% |
1920 | 12,016 | 1,149 | 1.01% |
1910 | 10,867 | 6,367 | 9.22% |
1900 | 4,500 | 937 | 2.36% |
1890 | 3,563 | 0.00% |