Esmeralda County Demographics

A map of Esmeralda County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	599	521	58.3%	71.5%
Hispanic	324	139	31.5%	19.1%
Native American/Other	61	20	5.9%	2.7%
Multiracial	29	41	2.8%	5.6%
Asian	12	4	1.2%	0.5%
Black	3	4	0.3%	0.5%

Esmeralda County, Nevada has an estimated population of 1,028, a dramatic increase from the 729 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 58.3% White, 31.5% Hispanic, 5.9% Native American/Other, 2.8% Multiracial, 1.2% Asian, and 0.3% Black. This demographic dot map shows the population of Esmeralda County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Esmeralda has become considerably more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Nevada overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Esmeralda County, that probability was 44.9% in 2020 and 55.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Esmeralda County is ranked the 17th most populous county in Nevada, out of 17 counties. Esmeralda County was ranked the 17th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Esmeralda County's White Population

599 residents of Esmeralda County, or 58.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Esmeralda County is considerably higher than in Nevada overall, where 44.8% of the population is White. Esmeralda County ranks 7th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 17 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Esmeralda County's White population has grown by an estimated 15.0%. White residents' share of Esmeralda County's population has decreased from 71.5% to 58.3%.

Esmeralda County is more White than neighboring Mineral County (57.1% White), and Inyo County (58% White). Esmeralda County is less White than neighboring Nye County (68.9% White), Mono County (64.9% White), and Churchill County (70.7% White).

Esmeralda County's Black Population

3 residents of Esmeralda County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Esmeralda County is lower than in Nevada overall, where 9% of the population is Black. Esmeralda County ranks 14th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 17 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Esmeralda County's Black population has declined by an estimated 25.0%. Black residents' share of Esmeralda County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Esmeralda County is more Black than neighboring Mono County (0.1% Black). Esmeralda County is less Black than neighboring Mineral County (3.2% Black), Nye County (2.9% Black), Inyo County (0.5% Black), and Churchill County (2.1% Black).

Esmeralda County's Asian Population

12 residents of Esmeralda County, or 1.2% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Esmeralda County is lower than in Nevada overall, where 8.8% of the population is Asian. Esmeralda County ranks 14th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 17 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Esmeralda County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 200.0%. Asian residents' share of Esmeralda County's population has increased from 0.5% to 1.2%.

Esmeralda County is more Asian than neighboring Mineral County (0.1% Asian). Esmeralda County is less Asian than neighboring Nye County (1.9% Asian), Mono County (1.8% Asian), Inyo County (1.5% Asian), and Churchill County (2.2% Asian).

Esmeralda County's Hispanic Population

324 residents of Esmeralda County, or 31.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Esmeralda County is comparable to the share in Nevada overall, where 29.6% of the population is Hispanic. Esmeralda County ranks 8th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 17 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Esmeralda County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 133.1%. Hispanic residents' share of Esmeralda County's population has increased from 19.1% to 31.5%.

Esmeralda County is more Hispanic than neighboring Mineral County (17.4% Hispanic), Nye County (17.1% Hispanic), Mono County (27.1% Hispanic), Inyo County (24.2% Hispanic), and Churchill County (15.2% Hispanic).

Esmeralda County's Native American/Other Population

61 residents of Esmeralda County, or 5.9% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Esmeralda County is slightly higher than in Nevada overall, where 1.9% of the population is Native American/Other. Esmeralda County ranks 8th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 17 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Esmeralda County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 205.0%. Native American/Other residents' share of Esmeralda County's population has increased from 2.7% to 5.9%.

Esmeralda County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Nye County (1.5% Native American/Other), Mono County (2.1% Native American/Other), and Churchill County (3.5% Native American/Other). Esmeralda County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Mineral County (15.8% Native American/Other), and Inyo County (10.1% Native American/Other).

Esmeralda County's Multiracial Population

29 residents of Esmeralda County, or 2.8% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Esmeralda County is slightly lower than in Nevada overall, where 6% of the population is Multiracial. Esmeralda County ranks 4th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 17 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Esmeralda County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 29.3%. Multiracial residents' share of Esmeralda County's population has decreased from 5.6% to 2.8%.

Esmeralda County is less Multiracial than neighboring Mineral County (6.5% Multiracial), Nye County (7.8% Multiracial), Mono County (3.9% Multiracial), Inyo County (5.7% Multiracial), and Churchill County (6.2% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.