Nevada · Census place 22500
Elko, NV population, income and ZIP codes
Quick answer
The population of the city of Elko, Nevada (Elko, NV — Census place “Elko city”) is 20,624 residents, ranking #18 of 133 places in Nevada. Median household income is $75,630, the median home is worth $285,400 and median gross rent runs $1,174 a month. Looking for the Elko Nevada ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Elko, NV: 89801.
- Population
- 20,624Elko city residents
- Median household income
- $75,630Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
- Median home value
- $285,400Owner-occupied units
- Median gross rent
- $1,174Rent plus utilities, monthly
- Median age
- 34.3 yrsAll residents
- Homeownership rate
- 62.4%Owner-occupied households
Elko ZIP codes (Nevada)
Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Elko.
The Elko NV ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.
What the numbers mean in Elko city
Housing cost measured against local earnings.
A household earning the Elko city median would spend about 18.6% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 3.8× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 12.3% of residents and 62.4% of households own their home.
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year
Elko city, NV in context
How this area compares with national benchmarks.
Elko city is a mid-size town in Nevada, with 20,624 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #18 of 133 ranked by population — larger than 87% of them. The median age here is 34.3 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.
Households in Elko city earn a median of $75,630 a year, 3.7% below the national figure of $78,538 and 3% below the $77,794 median for the 66 Nevada cities we cover. The median is the midpoint household, not an average, so a handful of very high earners cannot drag it upward the way they distort a mean. Poverty reaches 12.3% of residents here, below the 12.4% national rate.
The typical owner-occupied home in Elko city is valued at $285,400, 5.9% below the national figure and 21% below the $360,600 peer median, while median gross rent runs $1,174 a month, 16.5% below the national figure, or roughly $14,088 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 18.6% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is cheap relative to what people here earn. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 3.8×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 62.4% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. Gross rent folds in the utilities a tenant pays separately, so it is closer to the real monthly outlay than a headline rent figure.
Every value on this page is published directly by the Census for this area — nothing is modelled or interpolated. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.
Compare with nearby places
Places of similar size in Nevada.
- Spanish Springs CDP 17,512
- Mesquite city 21,314
- Dayton CDP 15,873
- Sun Valley CDP 22,697
- Spring Creek CDP 14,967
- Fernley city 23,631
- Boulder City city 14,888
- Summerlin South CDP 30,075
Keep going
More Nevada coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- What is the population of Elko city?
- Elko city has 20,624 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #18 of 133 in Nevada.
- What is the median household income in Elko city?
- Median household income in Elko city is $75,630 a year, 3.7% below the national figure of $78,538.
- How much does it cost to rent or buy in Elko city?
- Median gross rent is $1,174 a month and the median home value is $285,400, so rent absorbs about 18.6% of median household income.
- Is Elko city affordable compared with the rest of the US?
- Homes cost about 3.8× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Elko city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 18.6% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
- How current is this Elko city data?
- All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.