Nevada by the numbers
In Nevada, the median worker earns $46,440 a year, the typical home is worth $406,100 and carries $1,970 of property tax, and the average household pays $115 a month for electricity at 13.60¢ per kilowatt-hour.
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Energy
Nevada's generation is mostly natural gas, but the share of solar has grown faster than almost anywhere else, and the state has the largest geothermal fleet in the country after California. Geothermal is a genuinely baseload renewable resource that runs day and night.
The state's load shape is extreme: enormous summer afternoon cooling demand in Las Vegas, mild winters. Solar matches that shape well, and utility-scale battery storage added alongside it has begun to cover the post-sunset peak that used to require expensive gas peaking.
Nevada's rate rose only modestly year over year. A deferred energy accounting mechanism means fuel costs are trued up periodically rather than passed through monthly.
Averaged across the twelve months to May 2026, Nevada households used 872 kilowatt-hours a month and paid $115. At the state median wage that is about 5.2 hours of work a month to keep the lights on. For heating, a heat pump costs less to run than gas here, by about $6.73 per million BTU.
Work and pay
The median Nevada worker earned $46,440 in 2024, 6.2% below the national median. What distinguishes a state's labour market is rarely its biggest occupations, which are retail and food service everywhere, but what it has disproportionately.
| Occupation | Concentration | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers | 22.29× | $62,940 |
| Gambling Dealers | 21.51× | $24,060 |
| Taxi Drivers | 20.75× | $49,090 |
| Gambling Managers | 16.62× | $87,800 |
| Gambling Cage Workers | 15.86× | $36,940 |
Property tax
The median Nevada homeowner pays $1,970 a year on a home worth $406,100, an effective rate of 0.49% against a national 0.98%. Nobody sets that rate. It is what falls out of county, city, school district and special district levies applied to an assessed value, so the state figure is a weighted average of 12 counties rather than a posted number.
Cost of living
Prices in Nevada run at 100.0 where the national average is 100, ranking it #19 of 51. Goods sit at 96.3, which is close to national almost everywhere because most goods are shipped and priced nationally. Rents sit at 114.1, and that is where states actually separate from one another. A median wage of $46,440 therefore buys what $46,440 buys nationally.
Metro areas priced separately: Reno (101.0) , Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas (100.2) , Carson City (98.1) .
Housing
House prices in Nevada rose 2.7% over the year to 2026 Q2, against a median across all states of +2.7%. Over ten years the index is +114.0%. Prices are at or near their record level.
Metro areas tracked here: Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas (+1.7%) .
Who supplies the power
12 utilities report residential service in Nevada, together serving 1.3 million customers. Retail choice limited.
Nevada: common questions
What does it cost to live in Nevada?
Prices overall run at 100.0 against a national average of 100, with rents at 114.1. The typical home is worth $406,100 and carries $1,970 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.49% against a national 0.98%. Electricity averages $115 a month at 13.60¢ per kilowatt-hour. Against that, the median wage is $46,440.
What is the property tax rate in Nevada?
The effective rate is 0.49% of home value, from a median bill of $1,970. It is set locally rather than by the state, so the figure is a weighted outcome across 12 counties. County by county rates.
Does a salary go further in Nevada?
The median wage of $46,440 buys what $46,440 buys nationally, once local prices are taken out. A state paying above the national median while charging above it for housing can leave a household no better off, and this is the arithmetic that shows which side of that line Nevada falls on.
Is Nevada expensive for electricity?
It ranks #47 of 51 jurisdictions on price at 13.60¢ per kilowatt-hour, -26.2% against the U.S. average. On the actual bill it ranks 45 of 51, because households there use 872 kWh a month against a national 871.
What is the median salary in Nevada?
$46,440 across all occupations, about $22.33 an hour, covering 1,529,480 wage and salary workers as of 2024.
Who supplies electricity in Nevada?
12 utilities report residential service, the largest being Nevada Power Co with 916,385 customers. Retail choice limited.
Electricity May 2026, gas 2024, utilities 2024, wages 2024. All figures from federal statistical agencies. Methodology · Sources