The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Carson City is a county of Nevada with 58,384 residents. Its economy produced $5,376 million in 2024 (ranked #3 of 17 counties) and had 31,895 jobs with an average annual pay of $69,100 (#9 for pay). The unemployment rate was 3.5% in 2026M09. It is part of the Carson City, NV metropolitan area (central county).
Carson City produced about $5,376 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 2.0% of the combined output of the 17 counties of Nevada that BEA reports (about 1.8% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 3rd of 17 on that measure. Per resident that is $92,087, 9% above the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $84,472. In current dollars output grew 9.0% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 31,895 jobs located in Carson City on average in 2024, spread over 2,092 employer sites (about 15 jobs per site). That is 0.55 jobs for every resident, above the 0.42 of the typical county in Nevada, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $69,100, 4% above the average of all counties in the state ($69,100 against $66,313). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 1.8% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are health care and social assistance (20.8% of private jobs, $71,002 a year on average), retail trade (15.1% of private jobs, $48,137 a year on average), manufacturing (12.2% of private jobs, $75,804 a year on average). Together they hold 48.1% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is wholesale trade at $101,452 a year, followed by professional and technical services ($95,464). The county is specialised in an industry: arts, entertainment, recreation (1.7 times the US share, 888 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($48,137), accommodation and food services ($27,877). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Carson City was 3.5%, 23% below the average of the state's counties (3.5% against 4.5%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 28,941. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 3.3% (2026M08) to 4.6% (2026M01); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $72,355 (ACS 2020–2024), 8% below the state median ($72,355 against $78,260). The guide covers 1 city with this as the main county: Carson City. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate.
Counties close to Carson City in output are Clark County, Washoe County, Douglas County, Elko County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 17 counties of Nevada ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 58,384 | 4 of 17 |
| GDP 2024 | $5,376 million | 3 of 17 |
| GDP per resident | $92,087 | 6 of 17 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 31,895 | 3 of 17 |
| Average annual pay | $69,100 | 9 of 17 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +1.8% | 5 of 17 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 3.5% | 3 of 17 |
| Median household income | $72,355 | 11 of 17 |
Federal jobs in Nevada (347) →All cities of NevadaState guide: Nevada
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Carson City.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carson City | 58,384 | $72,355 | $1,248 | $453,000 | 23.7% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 4,556 | 20.8% | $71,002 | 1.00 |
| Retail trade | 3,307 | 15.1% | $48,137 | 1.04 |
| Manufacturing | 2,683 | 12.2% | $75,804 | 1.02 |
| Accommodation and food services | 2,535 | 11.6% | $27,877 | 0.87 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,982 | 9.0% | $63,474 | 1.06 |
| Construction | 1,677 | 7.6% | $73,999 | 1.00 |
| Wholesale trade | 923 | 4.2% | $101,452 | 0.73 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 888 | 4.0% | $32,335 | 1.66 |
| Professional and technical services | 838 | 3.8% | $95,464 | 0.38 |
| Finance and insurance | 727 | 3.3% | $82,588 | 0.56 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 714 | 3.3% | $51,652 | 0.74 |
| Management of companies | 570 | 2.6% | $112,053 | 1.06 |
| Real estate and rental | 286 | 1.3% | $60,278 | 0.58 |
| Information | 181 | 0.8% | $73,101 | 0.30 |
| Educational services | 70 | 0.3% | $35,781 | 0.11 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 28,941 |
| Employed residents | 27,921 |
| Unemployed residents | 1,020 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 31,895 |
| Employer sites | 2,092 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County | 2,329,548 | $195,936 million | $84,109 | 1,124,772 | $64,985 | 4.8% |
| Washoe County | 497,200 | $43,717 million | $87,927 | 240,544 | $69,452 | 3.5% |
| Lyon County | 61,680 | $2,368 million | $38,390 | 13,744 | $58,903 | 3.9% |
| Carson City | 58,384 | $5,376 million | $92,087 | 31,895 | $69,100 | 3.5% |
| Nye County | 54,344 | $2,670 million | $49,133 | 13,764 | $68,204 | 6.0% |
| Elko County | 54,047 | $3,995 million | $73,912 | 22,205 | $64,165 | 3.0% |
| Douglas County | 49,623 | $4,048 million | $81,579 | 20,644 | $69,271 | 3.7% |
| Churchill County | 25,805 | $1,639 million | $63,531 | 8,837 | $60,811 | 4.0% |
| Humboldt County | 17,289 | $1,815 million | $104,992 | 7,812 | $72,366 | 3.0% |
| White Pine County | 8,735 | $1,332 million | $152,463 | 4,323 | $76,315 | 3.8% |
| Pershing County | 6,487 | $592 million | $91,295 | 1,972 | $82,386 | 3.6% |
| Lander County | 5,770 | $921 million | $159,537 | 3,626 | $96,950 | 3.7% |
| Mineral County | 4,542 | $233 million | $51,223 | 1,166 | $55,205 | 7.2% |
| Lincoln County | 4,405 | $254 million | $57,764 | 1,350 | $49,874 | 3.9% |
| Storey County | 4,140 | $2,769 million | $668,900 | 19,320 | $83,629 | 5.1% |
| Eureka County | 1,585 | $1,297 million | $818,580 | 4,450 | $117,686 | 4.3% |
| Esmeralda County | 1,028 | $47 million | $45,648 | 284 | $61,632 | 5.7% |
58,384 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$5,376 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
3.5% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
31,895 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $69,100 (BLS QCEW).