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With nearly 2.5 million people, Nevada ranks 35th in population among the United States. The largest
cities in the Silver State are Las Vegas,
Reno, Henderson, North
Las Vegas, Sparks, state capital
Carson City, Elko, Boulder City,
Mesquite, and Fallon.
Nevada’s high plateau topography makes it challenging for crops, and favorable for grazing of
livestock. Subsequently the limited crops produced in the Silver State include hay, potatoes, onions,
wheat, corn, rye, oats, alfalfa, barley, and other vegetables. Livestock and animals of economic
importance include cattle, dairy products, horses, sheep, hogs, and poultry.
Nevada boasts fantastic mineral wealth; not for nothing is it known as the Silver State. Nevada
leads the nation in production of gold, silver, and mercury. Other valuable minerals include copper,
lead, petroleum, diatomite, zinc, brucite, magnesium, magnesite, manganese, tungsten, uranium, iron,
coal, titanium, opal, barite, molybdenum, talc, gypsum, dolomite, lime, turquoise, fluorspar, antimony,
perlite, pumice, salt, and sulfur oil shale.
Important industries in the state include machinery, printing and publishing, food processing,
electric equipment, manufacture of gaming machines and products, aerospace equipment, lawn and
irrigation devices, and seismic monitoring equipment. Trucking and warehousing are also important.
With much of the state being federally owned, Nevada contains a strong military presence. Important
sites include the nuclear and aircraft testing locales, Nellis Air Force Range and the Nevada Test Site, and Yucca Mountain, the main nuclear waste repository in the
nation.
Chiefly, however, Nevada’s economy relies upon tourism. With the resort and gambling communities
of Las Vegas, Reno, and Lake Tahoe, the service sector provides nearly half of the state’s workers.
With regards to Nevada’s cost of living, in 2005, the Silver State had a median household income of
$49,169 and a per capita personal income (PCPI) of $35,744. The average annual growth rate of PCPI
between 1995 and 2005 was 3.7 percent, compared to the average annual rate of 4.1 percent for the
nation. Nevada has a home ownership rate of 63.4 percent. The unemployment rate is 4.2 percent.
Nevada levies a sales tax of 6.5 percent, with food and prescription drugs exempt. The Silver State is
one of the few states without a personal income tax.
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