You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in Nevada. Best sururbs in Nevada. Best counties in Nevada.
Etc., etc., etc.
But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Silver State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in Nevada based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.
We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in Nevada ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 15 Best Small Towns To Live In Nevada For 2026
- Mogul
- Minden
- Panaca
- East Valley
- Genoa
- Fallon Station
- Ruhenstroth
- Verdi
- Kingsbury
- West Wendover
- Washoe Valley
- Indian Springs
- Osino
- Ely
- Battle Mountain
What’s the best small town in Nevada? Mogul is the best small town in Nevada based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Mogul, chances are, you’re not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.
But for the rest of you–keep reading, and we’ll get to just why these small towns made our list.
For more reading on the Silver State check out:
The 15 Best Small Towns In Nevada For 2026
1. Mogul
/10
Population: 1,050
Median Income: $145,250 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $670,810 (8th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.3%
2. Minden
/10
Population: 3,707
Median Income: $99,904 (7th Best)
Median Home Value: $691,907 (6th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%
3. Panaca
/10
Population: 1,015
Median Income: $64,083 (21st Best)
Median Home Value: $244,045 (19th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%
4. East Valley
/10
Population: 1,283
Median Income: $125,417 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $897,321 (3rd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%
5. Genoa
Population: 1,284
Median Income: $121,981 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $1,171,783 (1st Best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%
6. Fallon Station
Population: 1,399
Median Income: $67,301 (18th Best)
Median Home Value: $0 (28th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%
7. Ruhenstroth
/10
Population: 1,682
Median Income: $105,281 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $687,847 (7th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.4%
8. Verdi
/10
Population: 1,012
Median Income: $80,670 (13th Best)
Median Home Value: $816,512 (4th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.4%
9. Kingsbury
/10
Population: 2,209
Median Income: $96,250 (8th Best)
Median Home Value: $1,105,564 (2nd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
10. West Wendover
/10
Population: 4,514
Median Income: $49,013 (27th Best)
Median Home Value: $295,976 (16th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.0%
11. Washoe Valley
/10
Population: 3,315
Median Income: $122,614 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $625,754 (9th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.8%
12. Indian Springs
Population: 1,180
Median Income: $87,083 (11th Best)
Median Home Value: $391,543 (12th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.2%
13. Osino
Population: 1,341
Median Income: $92,756 (10th Best)
Median Home Value: $109,099 (27th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%
14. Ely
/10
Population: 3,929
Median Income: $77,500 (15th Best)
Median Home Value: $204,820 (23rd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
15. Battle Mountain
/10
Population: 3,518
Median Income: $81,857 (12th Best)
Median Home Value: $284,968 (17th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 13.2%
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Nevada
We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in Nevada possible.
Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 29 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 29, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Nevada. Top of that list — Mogul.
This is our eleventh time ranking the best small places to live in Nevada.
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these 15 small towns in Nevada are the best in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
The best small towns in Nevada are Mogul, Minden, Panaca, East Valley, Genoa, Fallon Station, Ruhenstroth, Verdi, Kingsbury, and West Wendover.
If you’re curious, here are the worst small towns in Nevada:
- Topaz Ranch Estates
- Stagecoach
- Sandy Valley
For more Nevada reading, check out:
Best Small Towns In Nevada
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Value | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mogul, NV | 1,050 | $145,250 | 2.3% | |
| 2 | Minden, NV | 3,707 | $99,904 | 2.1% | |
| 3 | Panaca, NV | 1,015 | $64,083 | 0.0% | |
| 4 | East Valley, NV | 1,283 | $125,417 | 3.7% | |
| 5 | Genoa, NV | 1,284 | $121,981 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Fallon Station, NV | 1,399 | $67,301 | 0.0% | |
| 7 | Ruhenstroth, NV | 1,682 | $105,281 | 0.4% | |
| 8 | Verdi, NV | 1,012 | $80,670 | 6.4% | |
| 9 | Kingsbury, NV | 2,209 | $96,250 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | West Wendover, NV | 4,514 | $49,013 | 1.0% | |
| 11 | Washoe Valley, NV | 3,315 | $122,614 | 6.8% | |
| 12 | Indian Springs, NV | 1,180 | $87,083 | 1.2% | |
| 13 | Osino, NV | 1,341 | $92,756 | 0.0% | |
| 14 | Ely, NV | 3,929 | $77,500 | 3.9% | |
| 15 | Battle Mountain, NV | 3,518 | $81,857 | 13.2% | |
| 16 | Tonopah, NV | 1,910 | $47,031 | 0.0% | |
| 17 | Mcgill, NV | 1,050 | $56,779 | 6.9% | |
| 18 | Smith Valley, NV | 1,807 | $67,132 | 3.3% | |
| 19 | Hawthorne, NV | 2,809 | $67,300 | 9.0% | |
| 20 | Golden Valley, NV | 1,139 | $93,456 | 12.5% | |
| 21 | Carlin, NV | 2,088 | $60,898 | 1.6% | |
| 22 | Yerington, NV | 3,150 | $57,980 | 2.7% | |
| 23 | Lemmon Valley, NV | 4,412 | $76,029 | 10.9% | |
| 24 | Wells, NV | 1,352 | $107,454 | 5.5% | |
| 25 | Lovelock, NV | 1,481 | $42,074 | 9.2% | |
| 26 | Grass Valley, NV | 1,134 | $80,368 | 4.7% | |
| 27 | Sandy Valley, NV | 1,742 | $57,639 | 13.2% | |
| 28 | Stagecoach, NV | 1,892 | $70,000 | 8.5% | |
| 29 | Topaz Ranch Estates, NV | 1,621 | $57,574 | 6.0% |