Clark County, Nevada facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clark County
U.S. county
Clark County
From top, left to right: Caesars Palace panorama, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Fremont Street Experience, Clark County Government Center, The Venetian, Elephant Rock at Valley of Fire State Park
Logo
Motto(s):  "Living Relentlessly, Developing Economically!"
Location within the U.S. state of Nevada
Nevada's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Nevada
Founded	January 4, 1909; 114 years ago (1909-01-04) (founded) July 1, 1909; 113 years ago (1909-07-01) (organized)
Named for	William A. Clark
Seat	Las Vegas
Largest city	Las Vegas
Area
• Total	8,061 sq mi (20,880 km2)
• Land	7,891 sq mi (20,440 km2)
• Water	169 sq mi (440 km2)  2.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,265,461
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional districts	1st, 3rd, 4th

Clark County is located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,265,461. Most of the county population resides in the Las Vegas Census County Divisions, which hold 1,771,945 people as of the 2010 Census, across 476 square miles (1,233 km²). It is by far the most populous county in Nevada, and the 11th most populous county in the United States. It covers 7% of the state's land area but holds 74% of the state's population, making Nevada one of the most centralized states in the United States.

Geography

Kyle Canyon in the Mount Charleston Wilderness

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 8,061 square miles (20,880 km²), of which 7,891 square miles (20,440 km²) is land and 169 square miles (440 km²) (2.1%) is water.

The Colorado River forms the county's southeastern boundary, with Hoover Dam forming Lake Mead along much of its length. The lowest point in the state of Nevada is located on the Colorado River just south of Laughlin in Clark County, where it flows out of Nevada into California and Arizona. Las Vegas is a valley. By definition, Greater Las Vegas is a tectonic valley, surrounded by four mountain ranges, with nearby Mount Charleston being the highest elevation at 11,918 ft (3,633 m), located to the northwest. Other than the forests on Mount Charleston, the geography in Clark County is a desert. Creosote bushes are the main native vegetation, and the mountains are mostly rocky with little vegetation.

Adjacent counties

• Lincoln County – north
• Nye County – west
• Inyo County, California – southwest
• San Bernardino County, California – south
• Mohave County, Arizona – east

National protected areas

Calico basin in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

There are 20 official wilderness areas in Clark County that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Many of these are located in, or partially located in, one of the preceding protected areas, as indicated below. Many are separate entities that are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM):

Demographics

2015 income distribution by household in Las Vegas.

Population living below federal poverty line by census tracts covering Clark County.

Map of racial distribution in Las Vegas, 2010 U.S. Census. Each dot is 25 people: White, Black, Asian Hispanic, or Other (yellow)

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,951,269 people, 715,365 households, and 467,916 families in the county. The population density was 247.3 inhabitants per square mile (95.5/km²). There were 840,343 housing units at an average density of 106.5 per square mile (41.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 60.9% White, 13.5% Black or African American, 8.7% Asian, 0.7% Pacific islander, 0.7% American Indian, 10.5% from other races, and 5.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 29.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 11.7% were German, 9.1% were Irish, 7.6% were English, 6.3% were Italian, and 2.7% were American.

Of the 715,365 households, 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.6% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.26. The median age was 35.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $56,258 and the median income for a family was $63,888. Males had a median income of $43,693 versus $35,324 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,422. About 8.7% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Public transit

Public transit service throughout Clark County is provided by RTC Transit, which is a subsidiary of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada. RTC Transit operates The Deuce Bus rapid transit service between Downtown Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Strip.

Major highways

Rail

• Las Vegas Monorail

Clark County previously had Amtrak service on the Desert Wind, which served Las Vegas Station until it stopped service in 1997. Las Vegas and Laughlin are still served by Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach service which connects to the Southwest Chief.

Resort trams

• Aria Express
• Mandalay Bay Tram
• The Mirage-Treasure Island Tram

Parks and recreation

Sunset, Valley of Fire State Park, in NE Clark County.

• Sunset Park, located at Sunset Road and Eastern Avenue in Las Vegas

Environmental factors

Clark County contains a diverse desert flora and fauna, including higher elevation mountain areas, the desert floor and the Colorado River/Lake Mead ecosystems. Variations in diurnal temperature as well as seasonal swings in temperature create demanding adaptation elements on the species of this county. Additional pressure has been placed on species survival by the rapid human population expansion, especially since 1970.

Correspondingly air quality levels prior to the 1960s were in a favorable range, but the proliferation of automobiles with the human population expansion created circumstances where some Federal Air Quality Standards began to be violated in the 1980s.

To plan for the wave of development forecast by 1980, Clark County embarked on a regional Environmental Impact Assessment funded by a Federal Section 208 program, with Sedway Cooke conducting the planning work and Earth Metrics performing environmental analysis. This endeavor projected future population growth, land use changes and environmental impacts.

To prevent the loss of federal funds due to unacceptable dust levels in the Las Vegas valley, in 2003 the Nevada Air Quality Management division (under direction of Clark County officials) created the massive "Don't Be a Dusthole" campaign. The campaign successfully raised awareness of dust pollution in the Las Vegas valley, quantifiably reducing pollutants and preserving ongoing federal funding.

Located in Apex is the Apex Landfill which at 2,200 acres (890 ha) is the largest landfill in the United States. Republic Services owns and operates the landfill.

Earthquake hazards

Nevada is the third most seismically active state in the U.S. (after Alaska and California); it has been estimated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) that over the next 50 years Clark County has a 10–20% chance of a M6.0 or greater earthquake occurring within 50 km of Las Vegas.

Communities

Bracketed number refers to location on map, right

Cities

• Boulder City (21)
• Henderson (19)
• Las Vegas (10) (county seat)
• North Las Vegas (9)
• Mesquite (4)

Census-designated places

Air Force Bases

• Creech Air Force Base
• Nellis Air Force Base

Other unincorporated communities

Notable government buildings

• Clark County Government Center
• Regional Justice Center (opened October 3, 2005)

Economy

The Las Vegas Strip looking South

The entrance to the affluent MacDonald Highlands in Henderson

Enterprise, Nevada as seen from neighboring Southern Highlands

The county is home to many gaming related companies. Station Casinos is headquartered in unincorporated Clark County, along with Golden Entertainment, American Casino & Entertainment Properties, Bally Technologies, Cannery Casino Resorts, The Majestic Star Casino, LLC, Ameristar Casinos, Archon Corporation, Boyd Gaming, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Wynn Resorts, DBT Online Inc., Two Plus Two Publishing, Gambler's Book Shop / GBC Press, Millennium Management Group, Navegante Group, Pinnacle Entertainment and Tropicana Entertainment

Largest employers

Regional Justice Center

According to data collected by the Research and Analysis Bureau of the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, Clark County's largest employers, both public and private employers, as reported in the fourth quarter of 2012:

30,000 to 39,999 Employees

• Clark County School District

5,000 to 10,000 Employees

2,500 to 4,999

Tourism

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority posts the historical numbers of visitors and hotel rooms in Clark County. The era of massive modern casino resorts began with the opening of the Mirage in November 1989.

Gaming areas

The State of Nevada divides the state into several gaming districts. Accordingly, the Clark County is divided into the following reporting districts:

• Boulder Strip: This region includes 33 casinos on Boulder Highway. Casinos within the Henderson city limits are included as well, such as Green Valley Ranch, Sunset Station, Fiesta, Eldorado, and Jokers Wild.
• Downtown: There are 19 casinos in this reporting area.
• LV Strip: This region is composed of all the casinos on Las Vegas Boulevard, from The Stratosphere at the north end to Mandalay Bay on the south end. Also included are resorts near this area, such as The Rio, South Point, and the Hard Rock; and Harry Reid International Airport (formerly McCarran Airport).
• North Las Vegas: This region has 11 casinos and includes the Fiesta Rancho, Texas Station, Jerry's Nugget, and the Santa Fe Station.
• Laughlin: The casinos in Laughlin.
• Mesquite: The casinos in Mesquite.
• Balance of County: There are 66 casinos in this category that includes casinos at Lake Las Vegas, Jean, Primm, the Railroad Pass and Hacienda casinos, along with other casinos that don't fit any other category such as Arizona Charlie's Decatur, Gold Coast, The Orleans, The Palms, Suncoast, Rampart, and Red Rock Resort Spa and Casino

Education

The Clark County School District serves all of Clark County with 228 elementary schools, 59 middle schools, and 54 high schools being the fifth largest in the country. Student enrollment in 2014 was 324,093.

Colleges serving the area are University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), College of Southern Nevada, and Nevada State College.