Reno, NV

Metro Area Profile

563,020 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Reno, NV metropolitan area.

60out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 33% of 379 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 23% of 379 metros measured70
GrowthTop 26% of 821 metros measured66
Housing affordability754th of 822 metros measured65
ClimateTop 25% of 822 metros measured74
Physical resilience746th of 822 metros measured21
Access422nd of 822 metros measured75
Economic stabilityTop 18% of 822 metros measured77
The quick read

Reno ranks in the top 23% of published metro profiles for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 4.1% and median household income of $87,485.

Residential permitting has slowed: 3,151 units authorized over the past twelve months, 18% below the prior year.

Physical-risk exposure is above the national median, driven mainly by earthquake, wildfire and landslide.

At a glance

Population
563,020
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$87,485
Top 10% nationally
Density
66/sq mi
8582.7 sq mi of land
Median age
39.5
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Reno, NV
Nearest major airport
RTS
44 mi · Reno/Stead
Median home value
$502,300
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.1% is lower than 54% of the 379 measured US metros.

Employment fell 0.2% over the past year, to 287,827 employed residents.

32% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 74% of measured US metros.

Household income is higher than at least 90% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$1,443$87,485Top 10%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$847$47,688Top 9%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate10.7%Bottom 23%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute24.9 minTop 40%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher32.2%Top 26%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Employment287,827Top 25%of 379June 2026
Employment change (3 years)2.1%Top 25%of 379June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-0.2%Top 35%of 379June 2026
Labor force300,003Top 25%of 379June 2026
Labor force participation64.7%Top 21%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$64,520Top 30%of 3812025 OEWS
Median annual wage$49,660Top 30%of 3812025 OEWS
Metro employment275,680Top 23%of 3812025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)-0.4%Bottom 20%of 379June 2026
Unemployment rate4.1%Bottom 46%of 379June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032025/102026/065.03.2
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.1% in June 2026. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.
Largest occupations — Reno, NV
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand8,960$43,990
Stockers and Order Fillers8,230$38,020
General and Operations Managers7,930$106,050
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators7,550$49,050
Retail Salespersons7,020$35,160
Fast Food and Counter Workers6,900$31,530

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,592 takes 22% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 5.7 times median household income here, well above the historic benchmark, at a level conventionally described as seriously unaffordable.

Rent as a share of income
21.8%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
5.7×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,592
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$502,300
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income5.74Top 8%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate61.9%Bottom 13%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±281245,639Top 11%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$24$1,592Top 7%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$6,710$502,300Top 6%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income21.8%Top 14%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate8.4%Bottom 28%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
66/ 100
Top 26% of 821 published city profiles
Permitting is decreasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 4% since 2020, reaching 575,110 in 2024.

At 5.6 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
3,151
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
5.6
Top 22% nationally
Year over year
−18%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
46.5%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
20202021202220232024575k551k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 88°F and January a low of 30°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 7.4 inches, including 4.2 inches of snow.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station SUTCLIFFE, 20.9 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND1.3"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation7.4"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall4.2"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low30°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high88°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months61991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing40°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

21 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are earthquake, wildfire and landslide.

WildfireHigh
EarthquakeHigh
LandslideModerate

Low or minimal exposure: winter weather, inland flooding, lightning, avalanche, volcanic activity, ice storm, strong wind, heat wave, hail, drought, tornado, cold wave.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Three things people look for are missing from every AreaProfile page, and each is missing for a reason rather than by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Reported crime
The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer is the only source for reported offences with national coverage and a published method, and it requires an API key AreaProfile does not hold. Arrest counts, news volume and commercial “safety scores” are not substituted in the meantime. What is published above under Safety is a different measurement — deaths rather than offences, from death certificates rather than police returns — and it covers no property crime at all.
Taxes
No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, transparent methodology and update cadence. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Full cost of living
No public source publishes one with national coverage and a documented method. Housing affordability above is computed from published rent, price and income, and excludes transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes — commuting cost in particular tends to offset suburban housing savings.

Access

3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 44 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Reno/SteadRTS44 mi9,000 ft
Reno/Tahoe IntlRNO53 mi11,001 ft
Lake TahoeTVL97 mi8,541 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

Customize your score

What matters to you?

Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.

Area Score
60
Your Score

Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 30, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.