2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 51,591. The median age was 53.6 years. 16.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 31.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 105.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 106.0 males age 18 and over. 72.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 27.3% lived in rural areas. The racial makeup of the county was 75.9% White, 3.0%
Black or African American, 1.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1%
Asian, 0.5%
Native Hawaiian and
Pacific Islander, 6.4% from some other race, and 10.5% from
two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 15.4% of the population. The population density was . There were 22,350 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the county was 85.9% white, 2.0% black or African American, 1.6% American Indian, 1.3% Asian, 0.5% Pacific islander, 5.2% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 13.6% of the population. Of the 18,032 households, 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.8% were non-families, and 26.8% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 48.4 years.
2000 census At the
2000 census there were 32,485 people, 13,309 households, and 9,063 families in the county. The population density was . There were 15,934 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the county was 90.0%
White, 1.18%
Black or
African American, 1.96%
Native American, 0.78%
Asian, 0.32%
Pacific Islander, 2.98% from other races, and 3.15% from two or more races. 8.35%. were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. Of the 13,309 households 16.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.30% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.90% were non-families. 25.70% of households were one person and 10.30% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.90. The age distribution was 3.70% under the age of 18, 5.40% from 18 to 24, 24.00% from 25 to 44, 58.50% from 45 to 64, and 18.40% 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 105.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.70 males. The county's median household income was $36,024, and the median family income was $41,642. Males had a median income of $37,276 versus $22,394 for females. The county's per capita income was $17,962. About 7.30% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 13.10% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over. Like many rural counties of the western United States, Nye County experiences a relatively high suicide rate. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the annual suicide rate in Nye County averaged 28.7561 per 100,000 people during 1989–1998, the most recent period for which data is available. This was the third-highest rate among Nevada counties, behind
White Pine (34.3058) and
Lyon County (30.8917), but ahead of the overall rate of 22.96 for Nevada, which leads the nation. ==Education==