Carson City’s population dropped by 29 residents last year, but the municipality is disputing the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.
A researcher said the data shows Nevada’s state capital is part of a global problem that is starting to show itself: population decline.
Carson City is a bellwether for where we are headed as a species, said Brian Bonnenfant, project manager at the Center for Regional Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno.
“This issue is a microcosm of what is going on across many counties across the U.S. and countries across the world, and that is low birth rates are really catching up to us,” he said. “And so with the boomers cycling through we are going to see this increase in deaths from that demographic and the younger generation not birthing enough to replace that.”
Last year Carson City (which is also a county) had 524 births compared to 914 deaths, resulting in Carson City’s natural population decreasing by 390 people. Carson City’s drop in residents (when comparing births and deaths) is second only to Nye County, which lost 623 residents.
However, Carson City added 357 domestic and international migrants to its population, leaving it with 58,036 people, compared to the county’s population of 58,646 back in 2020, according to census data.
Demographics of Carson City
Cameron Gresh, a public information officer for Carson City, said the municipality does not independently track its population and defers to the Nevada Department of Taxation for specific numbers. Carson City provided numbers that show the city added 609 residents from 2022 to 2023.
The median age in Carson City is 42.1 years old, according to census figures, which is above the state average of 39. The biggest demographic group is people ages 55 to 59 years, and 20.6 percent of the city is 65 years or older, compared to the state average of 16.9 percent.
Mesquite is the fastest-growing city in the state of Nevada. The city’s population jumped 10.5 percent from 20,616 in 2020 to 22,786 in 2023, according to the census. Located in Clark County, Mesquite lies within the Virgin River Valley about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
Census statistics show 14 of 17 counties in the state had more deaths than births from 2022 to 2023, led by Nye County which had 368 births compared to 991 deaths, and the county had an overall population increase of 951 due to 1,592 residents added through domestic migration.
Only four counties (Esmeralda, Pershing, Humboldt and White Pine) had negative immigration. White Pine led the way with a a drop of 178 domestic migrants and three internationals.
Clark County had 24,876 births compared to 20,042 deaths last year.
Nevada’s population as a whole increased last year by 16,755 people, but seven counties had population declines, and more than half of the population growth was attributed to domestic and international migration to Clark County (9,097 people). The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the country’s population will start declining as soon as 2080, and by 2100 there may be roughly as many people in America as there are today.
Contact Patrick Blennerhassett at pblennerhassett@reviewjournal.com.
click to expand photos
Las Vegas High’s baseball team claimed a 3-2 home win over Coronado on Friday.
Las Vegas (9-13-1) next hosts Rancho at 10 a.m. Saturday. Coronado (13-14) hosts Chaparral at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada’s jobless rate is holding steady, but the state is still adding jobs.
A new report from DETR shows February’s unemployment rate unchanged at 5.3 percent, with the labor force growing by nearly 3,800 people.
MORE ON FOX5: Nevada unemployment rate rises to 5.3% in January
Nevada now has about 1.6 million nonfarm jobs, up 2.2 percent over the past year and 1,500 more jobs than in January.
“This month’s report shows a strengthening labor market,” said David Schmidt, Chief Economist. ”Compared to the report for January, the pace of job gains in the past year increased from 1.9% to 2.2%, building on what was already the fastest pace of job growth in the country. While the unemployment rate remained stable, the labor force participation rate rose to 63.7%, 1.7 percentage points higher than the national level.”
In Las Vegas, employment ticked up by 1,100 jobs in February, about 0.1 percent, and is up more than 25,000 jobs compared to last year.
Reno added 1,000 jobs on the month, while Carson City shed about 200 but is still slightly above where it was a year ago.
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On weekday mornings, Nevada Sports Net will recap three big headlines of the day in its Morning Download. Read below for today’s topics.
On Monday, Nevada athletics is scheduled to hold a “topping off” ceremony at its Fieldhouse construction site as progress continues on the all-sport facility west of Mackay Stadium. The “topping off” feature the final beam being placed atop the fieldhouse structure. Groundbreaking on the $28 million Fieldhouse was held in August with the project going vertical last month. The Fieldhouse, which Nevada has sought since the early 2000s, will give Wolf Pack football an indoor practice space and also provide the remainder of the Wolf Pack’s teams a place to train during high-heat summer or cold-winter days. The space also will serve as the home to the school’s intramural and club sports teams. The project, largely being funded by a new $3.50 per-credit student fee, is expected to be completed this summer or fall. The 72,000-square foot facility will be paid via a sublease that is projected to cost $64.1 million through the final payment in 2056. We got footage of the build earlier this month.
A portion of Hawaii’s Aloha Stadium was demolished Thursday as the state prepares to build the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District. Officials completed a controlled collapse of the upper section of the stadium using a technique called “tripping” to remove the support structures, causing the upper deck to fall. Smaller portions of the demo started in mid-February with a planned completion date of December. The state will build a new 30,000-seat Aloha Stadium surrounded by an entertainment district that is expected to be completed in March 2029 at a cost of $650 million, with half of that money coming from private investors. You can see drone footage of the demolition below.
Nevada’s Lilly Urban won the javelin at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., on Thursday with a heave of 56.60 meters, besting her toss at last year’s national championships. Teammate Hallee Hughes placed second at 50.57 meters. Last year, Urban finished 11th in the javelin at the NCAA Championships with a mark of 55.27 meters, earning second-team All-America honors. Meanwhile, at Thursday’s Bryan Clay Invitational, Aubrey Thompson posted a personal-best performance in the 10,000 meters, finishing 12th with a time of 37 minutes, 25.38 seconds. In the 3000 steeplechase, Natalie Roberts clocked a time of 10:59.09, finishing 97th. The Wolf Pack will return Friday for the bulk of its competition.
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