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Nevada Summary

Below you will find county-by-county maps and tables that illustrate the data in this study.

Click on chart for a larger version below.

Our research found that:

  • Of the 11 western states, Nevada has the least total area of undeveloped, forested private land bordering fire-prone public lands, and is second to last among western states in the amount of forested land where homes have already been built next to public lands.
  • Nevada has roughly 245 square miles of forested private land that borders public lands, of which 90 percent has not yet been developed.
  • Housing in Nevada's wildland urban interface consumes 3.7 acres per person, compared to the 0.5 acres per person average on other western private lands.
  • Nevada has 13,184 residences in its wildland urban interface, of which 20 percent are seasonal homes or cabins.
  • Nevada ranks near the bottom (ninth) among western states in the number of homes built in forested areas next to public wildlands, and eighth in the percentage of those homes that are only seasonally occupied.

Nevada has a less developed wildland urban interface than most western states. With more than 4,000 homes spread across 10 square miles of wildland urban interface, Douglas County has the highest existing risk of wildfire (number of square miles of the wildland urban interface with homes now) in the state. Clark County also has extensive areas of residential development (more than 4,000 homes spread across six square miles of interface) near fire-prone wildlands. Combined, Douglas and Clark Counties have nearly 30 square miles of undeveloped, forested private land adjacent to fire-prone wildlands where homes could likely be built in the future. With slightly over 200 square miles of undeveloped, forested private land bordering fire-prone public lands, the state of Nevada has the lowest potential future risk of wildfire problems in the West.

Existing Risk Map - Click to Zoom
Yellow areas on the map illustrate existing development in fire-prone areas (forested areas adjacent public lands that have been developed); all other development is shown in red; public lands are shown in green.

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Nevada Summary Statistics
West-Wide 3,290.0 20,350.1 14.0% 915,071 21.0%
Nevada 23.4 221.9 9.5% 13,184 20.0%

Top 10 Counties in Nevada Ranked by Existing Risk

Counties are ranked by the number of square miles of developed land in the wildland interface
Douglas County Nevada 9.8 21.5 31.0% 4,173 26.0%
Clark County Nevada 6.0 7.9 43.0% 4,025 22.0%
Washoe County Nevada 3.2 33.6 9.0% 2,723 18.0%
Nye County Nevada 1.1 12.0 8.0% 247 15.0%
Lyon County Nevada 0.9 10.7 7.0% 591 1.0%
Lincoln County Nevada 0.7 12.2 6.0% 142 23.0%
Storey County Nevada 0.6 1.7 27.0% 426 4.0%
Carson City Nevada 0.3 6.1 5.0% 621 1.0%
White Pine County Nevada 0.2 15.2 1.0% 13 62.0%
Esmeralda County Nevada 0.2 0.6 22.0% 48 15.0%

Top 10 Counties in Nevada Ranked by Potential Risk

Counties are ranked by the number of square miles of undeveloped land in the wildland interface.
Elko County Nevada 0.0 46.2 0.0% 76 67.0%
Washoe County Nevada 3.2 33.6 9.0% 2,723 18.0%
Douglas County Nevada 9.8 21.5 31.0% 4,173 26.0%
Pershing County Nevada 0.1 19.9 1.0% 63 2.0%
White Pine County Nevada 0.2 15.2 1.0% 13 62.0%
Churchill County Nevada 0.1 13.2 1.0% 8 25.0%
Lincoln County Nevada 0.7 12.2 6.0% 142 23.0%
Nye County Nevada 1.1 12.0 8.0% 247 15.0%
Lyon County Nevada 0.9 10.7 7.0% 591 1.0%
Humboldt County Nevada 0.0 9.9 0.0% 0 0.0%

Click on column headers to see all data in the West sorted by that column.

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