WASHOE COUNTY
DEMOGRAPHICS
To get a true understanding of our community's well-being, it is important to have a sense of who we are. The people who live here are down-to-earth and realistic. They possess a wealth of talent, energy, and dedication. They work hard, share a love of the beautiful environment we live in, and play hard. They lend a helping hand when disaster strikes.
While we can't begin to tell you everything there is to know about the people who live here in the Truckee Meadows, we can give you a sense of who we are collectively.
To learn more about each indicator, simply click on the icon, chart, map, or graph to be directed to the NevadaTomorrow.org Community Data Portal, where you will see maps, charts, graphs, year-over-year comparisons, and more.***
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POPULATION
Many of the indicators are reported on a per capita basis or rate per 1,000 population. The Regional Plan requires that long range planning in the Truckee Meadows be based on the "Consensus Forecast Population" numbers.
In general, Washoe County is maintaining the trend of strong and increasing growth. Nevada is one of the fastest growing states in the country with Las Vegas still leading the boom.
RACE & ETHNICITY
Washoe County, NV is home to a population of 478k people, from which 92.2% are US citizens. As of 2021, 13.6% of Washoe County, NV residents were born outside of the country (64.2k people).
In 2021, Washoe County's population was approximately 3/4 White (73.4%) and 1/4 other races (26.3%). There are approximately three times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (293k people) in Washoe County, NV than any other race or ethnicity. People who identify as Hispanic (both White Hispanic and non-White Hispanic) make up approximately 26% of Washoe County's population.
INCOME
For people in the lowest income levels, income in real dollars has been eroding over the past decade. In Washoe County, human service providers report that most of their clients are the working poor – those with jobs who still can't make ends meet.
Our region has had proportionally fewer people in poverty than either the state or nation in each of the last three census reports. According to the 2020 census, in Washoe County 6.6% of families lived in poverty; in Nevada 9.26% of all people were in poverty.
We also see divergence in median household incomes when looked at in conjunction with race and ethnicity. The median household income in Washoe County is $70,987/year with Asians earning $78,053/year and African American/Black residents earning only $48,815/year. In every race/ethnic category residents of Washoe County earn more per year than residents of similar racial/ethnic backgrounds in the rest of the state.
AGE
The Consensus Forecast shows that children are expected to make a smaller percentage of the region's population in the next 20 years. Seniors are expected to be one of the fasted growing segments of the population in the next 20 years, thanks in part to improved health care and advantageous tax structures for retirees.
In 2019, the median age of all people in Washoe County, NV was 38.6. Native-born citizens, with a median age of 36, were generally younger than foreign-born citizens, with a median age of 46. However, people in Washoe County, NV are getting getting older. In 2018, the average age of all Washoe County, NV residents was 38.
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Education is vital to a healthy community and its quality of life. Educational excellence is fundamental to achieving our vision of a competitive economy, a healthy environment, self-sufficient families, and an outstanding community where people choose to live, work and play.
In Washoe County, 24% of residents earned a high school diploma and then stopped their schooling. Approximately 25% more earned some college credit but did not finish with a degree. 19% of residents earned a Bachelor's degree, 7.85% have earned a Master's degree, while only 1.84% of residents have completed a Doctorate program.
In 2019, universities in Washoe County, NV, awarded 8,586 degrees. The student population of Washoe County, NV, is skewed towards women, with 15,446 male students and 19,099 female students.
Most students graduating from Universities in Washoe County, NV are White (5,127 and 61%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (1,843 and 21.9%), Asian (544 and 6.47%), and Two or More Races (399 and 4.75%).
The largest universities in Washoe County, NV, by the number of degrees awarded are the University of Nevada-Reno (5,093 and 59.3%), Truckee Meadows Community College (2,476 and 28.8%), and Sierra Nevada College (252 and 2.94%).
The most popular majors in Washoe County, NV, are Other Science Technologies (444 and 5.17%), General Health & Wellness (387 and 4.51%), and Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant (287 and 3.34%).
In Washoe County, NV, the median tuition costs are $34,319 for private four-year colleges and $4,938 and $16,059, respectively, for public four-year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.*
Key Takeaways
Overall, much of the data and research typically published to help determine this report were unavailable or not updated in 2020. So much of the world's energy went into tracking, surviving, and recovering from COVID-19 that significant reports and research projects were set aside. Despite the challenges, this preparation for this report uncovered several key takeaways.
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Washoe County's population grew by 13.5% in the past twenty years. Despite that tremendous growth, it is still lower than the state's population growth rate of 16.8%.
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32% of all households in Washoe County are home to children.
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In 2021, Washoe County's population was approximately 3/4 White (73.4%) and 1/4 of all other races (26.3%). There are about three times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (293k people) in Washoe County, NV, than any other race or ethnicity. People who identify as Hispanic (both White Hispanic and non-White Hispanic) make up approximately 26% of Washoe County's population.
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The median household income in Washoe County is $70,987/ year, with Asians earning $78,053/year and African American/Black residents earning only $48,815/year. In every race/ethnic category, residents of Washoe County earn more per year than residents of similar racial/ethnic backgrounds in the rest of the state.
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Our region has fewer people in poverty than either the state or nation in each of the last three census reports. According to the 2020 census, in Washoe County, 6.6% of families live in poverty, whereas 9.26% of all people live in poverty in all Nevada.
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In 2019, the median age of all people in Washoe County, NV, was 38.6. Native-born citizens, with a median age of 36, were generally younger than foreign-born citizens, with a median age of 46. But people in Washoe County, NV, are getting getting older. In 2018, the average age of all Washoe County, NV, residents was 38.
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In Washoe County, 24% of residents earned a high school diploma and then stopped their schooling. Approximately 25% more earned some college credit but did not finish with a degree. 19% of residents earned a Bachelor's degree, 7.85% have earned a Master's degree, while only 1.84% of residents have completed a Doctorate program.
As the makeup of our community evolves, we as a community must understand who called the Truckee Meadows home. It will allow us to provide better resources that support solid economic engagement, encourage the highest levels of education possible, and include diverse groups of people in the future of northern Nevada.
