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*Clark County is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country, with more than 5,000 people moving here each month. In 2002, the county issued 68,612 business license renewals.
* Tourism's economic impact in 2002 was $31.6 billion, including $7.6 billion spent on gambling. In 2002, there were 126,787 hotel and motel rooms in Clark County. The average visitor to Las Vegas is 47.6 years old, stays 3.4 nights at an average nightly room rate of $75, spend $84 per visit shopping, arrives by plane (44 percent come by air, 43 percent visit by car), has in his party 2.6 people and gambles away $503 for an average 3.7 hours per day. Eight percent of our tourists visit from other nations, 29 percent come from Southern California and 55 percent are from the Western United States.
* As a "city" government, Clark County responds to the needs of about 650,625 residents in the urban unincorporated area. Sahara Avenue, which crosses the Strip on the north side of the Sahara hotel-casino, is the municipal boundary for the City of Las Vegas. Those residing south of this line receive their traditional urban services from Clark County rather than from any of the county's five cities: Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City and Mesquite. The services provided there include all those functions normally associated with a city, such as public works, building inspections, fire protection, parks and recreation, etc.
* Clark County, as of June 30, 2003, employs 9,321 people (6,341 when UMC is excluded) in 38 departments. It has a fiscal year general fund budget of $873 million and a total budget of $3.9 billion. The county is known for its strong ending-fund balance, overall financial strength and an investment-quality credit rating. It retains the best bond ratings of any local government in the state with an "Aa2" from Moody's Investors Service and an "AA" from Standard & Poor's. The county has committed to policies supporting these high standards in the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights.
* Clark County is the most populous of Nevada's 17 counties with 1.6 million residents and 70 percent of the state's population.
Demographic makeup:
1. Some 58.2 percent are white; 22 percent are Hispanic; 7.4 percent are African American; 4.7 percent are Asian and 7 percent are "other." Hispanics made up 11.2 percent in 1990.
2. The median age is: 47.8 years. 18.8 percent are over 65; 17.8 percent are 55-64; 19.3 percent are 45-54; 18.7 percent are 35-44; 16.1 percent are 25-34; and 9.3 percent are 18-24. Some 52.8 percent of our residents are female.
3. The median household income: $45,607. Per-capita income is $28,922. 11.7 percent earn at least $100,000 annually; 11.2 percent earn $75,000 to $99,999; 21.8 percent earn $50,000 to $74,999; 18.1 percent earn $35,000 to $49,999; 12.2 percent earn $25,000 to $34,999; 7.9 percent earn $20,000 to $24,999; 5.8 percent earn $15,000 to $19,999; and 11.3 percent earn less than $15,000.
4. Tourism drives the state's economy.
Clark County's civilian labor market in 2002 includes 792,600 employees. Some 23.7 percent of the jobs (188,200) are in hotels and gaming; 18.7 percent (147,900) are in retail trade; 10.9 percent (86,200) are in government; 9.3 percent are in construction (73,700) and 20.6 percent (163,000) are in "other services." The 2002 average unemployment rate was 5.5 percent.
5. More than one-third of our residents have a college degree. The breakdown: 16.1 percent have at least a college degree; an additional 4.8 percent have taken graduate-level courses; and 12.4 percent also have agraduate degree. Additionally, 34.4 percent also have taken some college courses; 23.1 percent have earned no more than a high school diploma and 9.2 percent have taken high school classes without graduating.
* Clark County, formed in 1909, is named for William Andrews Clark (1839-1925), who established the railroad that linked Los Angeles with Salt Lake City. Las Vegas was founded in 1905 after Clark's railroad, which made stops here, purchased land for a town site and sold lots by auction, creating downtown Las Vegas.
Information courtesy of Clark County.
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