Nevada County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Nevada County, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 72% of counties in California
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 75% of counties in California
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 86% of counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Nevada County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 102,481 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 105.2 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.48% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 50.2 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 42,865 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Nevada County grew by 5.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 102,481 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Nevada County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 26.7% of residents. That is 11.4 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 15,569 15.2% -6.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 18,329 17.9% -5.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 22,779 22.2% +2.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 27,356 26.7% +11.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.4% of the people living in Nevada County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% California 49.9%
- Men 49.6% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Nevada County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Nevada County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Nevada County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $90,457 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.78% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Nevada County is about 9% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Nevada County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $584,770 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,677 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 75.5% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Nevada County is about 29.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,677 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Nevada County spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 148 hours, about 6.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Nevada County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.7 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.5 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 148 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,583 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 25.0% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,603 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,075 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
California:
Inyo County (11.1 min), Mono County (12.0 min), Del Norte County (12.1 min).
Slowest:
Alpine County (31.3 min), San Benito County (31.2 min), Contra Costa County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Nevada County is 18 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Nevada County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Nevada County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.4% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.36 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
California:
Marin County (0.5), San Francisco County (0.4), Santa Clara County (0.4).
Lowest:
Colusa County (0.2), Merced County (0.2), Glenn County (0.2).
Health
Nevada County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Nevada County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.0 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.4% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 12.0% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
California:
San Francisco County (0.8), San Mateo County (0.8), Santa Clara County (0.8).
Lowest:
Lake County (0.8), Imperial County (0.8), Tulare County (0.8).
Nevada County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Nevada County, CA is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 102,481 residents against a local median of 192,661. Nevada County, CA's median home price, at $584,770, runs 29% above the $453,089 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 17.7 min against a local median of 22.3 min, 20% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Nevada County, CA is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $377,359 on median home price, so Nevada County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Nevada County, CA has the 2nd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada County, CA | 102,481 | $90,457 #3/4 | $584,770 #2/4 | 17.7 min #1/4 |
| Placer County, CA | 418,934 | $115,988 | $676,858 | 22.3 min |
| El Dorado County, CA | 192,661 | $109,313 | $453,089 | 21.5 min |
| Yuba County, CA | 84,507 | $76,221 | $299,499 | 30.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Nevada County, California.
What is the population of Nevada County, California?
About 102,481 people live in Nevada County, California, in 42,865 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 50.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 13 years.
How densely populated is Nevada County, California?
Averaged over its land area, Nevada County, California has 105 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Nevada County, California?
The median home costs 6.5 times the median household income ($584,770 against $90,457), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,677 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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