Nevada’s workforce expanded 1.9% from April 2025 to 2026, outpacing every other state at a time when the national rate grew just 0.2%.
That growth is striking given Nevada represents roughly 1% of the U.S. population, yet accounted for about 12% of all new jobs created nationally over those 12 months.
Economic leaders say the gains reflect years of deliberate effort to move the Silver State’s economy beyond its traditional reliance on gambling and entertainment.
Nevada is “a relatively small state being mentioned in the same breath as California, Texas, Florida,” said David Schmidt, chief economist at the state’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.
Schmidt noted the jobs market is putting up “really remarkable numbers,” driven by growth in professional and business services, education, and health care roles.
The state’s 110,000-square miles of open land has attracted significant AI-related infrastructure investment, including data centers, while lithium mining has surged to meet demand from battery manufacturers.
Notably, government employment declined over the past year, though Schmidt said Nevada was less affected than other states by federal hiring cuts due to its relatively small federal workforce.
Even as the broader economy diversifies, Nevada’s iconic casino industry has shown weakness, with Las Vegas Strip revenues falling nearly 4% between fiscal years 2024 and 2025, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
An analysis shared with CNBC by the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance found that about 60% of new jobs in the Las Vegas metro area from 2016 to 2025 came from industries outside hospitality, construction, and government.
“Looking at the data, the thing that stands out the most is how widespread the growth is,” Schmidt said.
Job listings in Nevada have surged approximately 20% compared with February 2020, while the national figure has grown only about 2%, according to online job site Indeed.
Staffing agency ManpowerGroup found that worker demand held up better in Nevada than the national average during the second quarter, reinforcing the state’s relative labor market strength.
Nevada’s labor force participation rate remains above the national average, signaling a large pool of workers either employed or actively seeking jobs, which Schmidt described as a positive for expanding employers.
LV Petroleum CEO Kris Roach said he found it “very easy” to hire staff over the past year, sometimes receiving more than 100 applications for a single managerial position.
Roach also noted an ample supply of white-collar workers, some previously employed at Las Vegas casinos, available for finance and human resources roles at LV Petroleum’s growing corporate office.
“It’s a great state to operate in,” Roach said. “There’s so much untapped talent.”
Nevada’s resident population grew more than 62% from 2000 to 2025, far exceeding the roughly 21% national increase, with economists partly crediting proximity to California.
Average hourly pay in Nevada climbed nearly 6% from 2024 to 2025, the fifth largest increase of any state, according to a CNBC analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Emma Keserich, a vice president at the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, relocated from the Washington, D.C., area last summer and now pitches Nevada’s short commutes and relative affordability to prospective businesses.
“People think Las Vegas is just the Strip,” Keserich said. “There’s just more than what meets the eye.”
