UNLV Lee Business School population projections, which are prepared for local governments every year by the Center for Business and Economic Research, show that despite the influx of new residents from California, Clark County’s population actually dropped in 2021 by 43,591 net residents and that Clark County and Nevada’s overall population growth rate is slowing, but is still adding approximately 115 residents a day to its population base.

Stephen Miller, research director at UNLV’s Center for Business and Economic Research said it’s important to know that the Las Vegas Valley is still in a growth phase.

“We’re still growing above the national average,” he said. “But what’s happening is in the long run we will converge more towards the national average. There’s a convergence process that goes on as you get bigger, think of China, as you get bigger it’s harder to grow faster because you have a bigger base.”

The largest percentage of new residents are millennials from California, but Miller said there is also the aging baby boomer cohort to take into account.

“One of the main reasons some people come here (from California), is they’ve retired and want to escape the taxes and when they sell their house they have this huge equity they can take out and come and buy a house here at a much lower price and situate themselves in a much better position.”

UNLV projections have Clark County adding 33,000 residents this year, bringing the overall population to 2.4 million.

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