Nevada counties by area
Official, comparable measurements for 17 counties and county equivalents.
- 144.5–2,003.1 mi²
- 3,581.9–4,175.7 mi²
- 4,950.2–6,315.9 mi²
- 7,891.7–9,640.8 mi²
- 10,633.4–18,181.9 mi²
- 0.2–0.97 per mi²
- 1.1–1.2 per mi²
- 1.8–5.2 per mi²
- 16–71 per mi²
- 81–405 per mi²
Understanding Nevada’s county areas
The land-area range runs from Carson City at 144.5 mi² to Nye County at 18,181.9 mi². The largest has 125.8 times the land area of the smallest and accounts for 16.6% of the combined county land in Nevada. Compare with every state’s largest county.
The median county-equivalent land area is 5,519.2 mi², above the national median of 604.5 mi². The median describes the middle of the county size distribution; it does not describe how people or development are distributed. A state with a few very large counties can have a much smaller median than its largest entry suggests.
Where water changes the picture
Washoe County has the most assigned water area, at 225 mi². Carson City has the highest water share, with water making up 8% of its total area. Water area and water percentage answer different questions: the first measures an amount, while the second measures the mix of land and water.
Across all 17 entries, water accounts for 0.6% of the combined total area. This is calculated from the summed land and water measurements, rather than averaging county percentages, which would give each small and large county equal weight.
Where people live
An estimated 3,282,188 people lived in Nevada on July 1, 2025 (+5.7% since 2020), or 1% of the national total in this dataset. Clark County is the most populous county equivalent, with 2,407,226 residents — 73.3% of the state. The largest by land, Nye County, has 57,336.
Across the state there are 30 people per square mile of land. County densities range from 405 in Carson City to 0.2 in Esmeralda County; the median county equivalent has 3.2. Switch the map above to density to see where the state’s population concentrates.
Compare the largest and smallest county equivalents in Nevada to see land, water, and total area on the same scale.
These calculations use the 2026 Census county records listed below. County-equivalent boundaries vary between states; area alone does not measure population, density, or usable land. See coverage and calculation rules.
Complete area table
Sorted from largest to smallest land area.
| # | County / equivalent | Land | Water | Water share | Population | Per mi² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nye CountyGEOID 32023 | 18,181.9 mi² | 16.7 mi² | 0.1% | 57,336 | 3.2 |
| 2 | Elko CountyGEOID 32007 | 17,173.3 mi² | 29 mi² | 0.2% | 54,815 | 3.2 |
| 3 | Lincoln CountyGEOID 32017 | 10,633.4 mi² | 3.8 mi² | 0% | 4,320 | 0.41 |
| 4 | Humboldt CountyGEOID 32013 | 9,640.8 mi² | 17.1 mi² | 0.2% | 17,267 | 1.8 |
| 5 | White Pine CountyGEOID 32033 | 8,886.7 mi² | 9 mi² | 0.1% | 8,661 | 0.97 |
| 6 | Clark CountyGEOID 32003 | 7,891.7 mi² | 169.3 mi² | 2.1% | 2,407,226 | 305 |
| 7 | Washoe CountyGEOID 32031 | 6,315.9 mi² | 225 mi² | 3.4% | 509,386 | 81 |
| 8 | Pershing CountyGEOID 32027 | 6,036.6 mi² | 30.9 mi² | 0.5% | 6,421 | 1.1 |
| 9 | Lander CountyGEOID 32015 | 5,519.2 mi² | 0.3 mi² | 0% | 5,872 | 1.1 |
| 10 | Churchill CountyGEOID 32001 | 4,950.2 mi² | 73.6 mi² | 1.5% | 25,851 | 5.2 |
| 11 | Eureka CountyGEOID 32011 | 4,175.7 mi² | 4.3 mi² | 0.1% | 1,867 | 0.45 |
| 12 | Mineral CountyGEOID 32021 | 3,751.3 mi² | 60.2 mi² | 1.6% | 4,407 | 1.2 |
| 13 | Esmeralda CountyGEOID 32009 | 3,581.9 mi² | 7.2 mi² | 0.2% | 729 | 0.2 |
| 14 | Lyon CountyGEOID 32019 | 2,003.1 mi² | 23 mi² | 1.1% | 65,088 | 32 |
| 15 | Douglas CountyGEOID 32005 | 710.5 mi² | 27.9 mi² | 3.8% | 50,111 | 71 |
| 16 | Storey CountyGEOID 32029 | 263.8 mi² | 0.7 mi² | 0.3% | 4,260 | 16 |
| 17 | Carson CityGEOID 32510 | 144.5 mi² | 12.6 mi² | 8% | 58,571 | 405 |