Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dayton is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 30th of 42 graded towns in Nevada, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: it is healthier than 60% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $459K, 5.3 years of the Reno metro’s $87K median household income. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 94% of U.S. towns. Dayton’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile, close to Nevada’s towns (2.0) and above U.S. towns (0.4). FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top.
Where Dayton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
8,964 counted in 2010 and 15,153 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nevada), ordered by how far Dayton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1862, comes before those of 96% of the Nevada towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 826 in 1970, 15,153 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2011 and 3 maps from 1956 on.
Dayton is unincorporated, so Lyon County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Dayton.
Dayton has home values rising while Nevada’s fall, owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has more than doubled its jobs in ten years.
Since 2017, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dayton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Lyon school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Dayton High School, with 748 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverview Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 452 | C |
| Dayton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 748 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NV on state tests and graduation
For Dayton, that is below the Nevada town median (5.5%) and near the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). 63 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mark Twain Park | — | 17 |
| 2. Dayton State Park Historic Mill Site | 0.1 mi | 15 |
| 3. Santa Maria Ranch Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Jobs based here grew from 872 in 2013 to 2,032.
Most working residents leave Dayton for work: only 11% work in town. Dayton’s average trip to work is 31 minutes. Jobs based in Dayton grew to 2,032 in 2023, 1,160 more than in 2013.
| Dayton | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $103,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 19% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Dayton has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The July high in Dayton is 93°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 8,155 U.S. towns with household incomes like Dayton’s, it is less healthy than 62%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
34% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Dayton. Dayton beats the Nevada average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 75% of adults had a checkup this year in Dayton.
| Dayton | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 38% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 74% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 19% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Dayton | NV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.9% | 15.6% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.3% | 9.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
People 65 and older are 22% of residents (17% statewide). 20% of Dayton adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Dayton | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 44.1 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 20% | 23% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 21% | 22% |
46% women, 54% men
About 118 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.5 points). Across Nevada, 49.6% of residents are women.
| Dayton | NV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.3% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.4% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.6% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.9% | 14.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.2% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.5% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.1% | 12.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.7% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.4% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.1% | 12.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.4% | 27.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 30.1% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.3% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.7% | 18.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.4% | 9.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Values rose 2.3% in the past year while the Nevada typical home fell 1.6%.
Typical home values rose 2.3% in the year to September 2026.
| Dayton | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 80% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,521 a month | $1,404 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dayton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi LakeLake Tahoe
39 mi LakeDonner Lake
38 mi Ski areaPalisades Tahoe Olympic Valley122 runs · 2,542 ft vertical
24 mi Stadium & arenaMackay Stadium
19 mi Ski areaMount Rose Ski Tahoe57 runs · 1,625 ft vertical
23 mi LandmarkReno ArchLake Tahoe: Lara Farhadi, CC BY 2.0 · Donner Lake: J.smith, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley: Jonnyboyca at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Mackay Stadium: Lanski, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mount Rose Ski Tahoe: Beesmill, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Reno Arch: Mobilus In Mobili, CC BY-SA 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Dayton
About 3 of every 100 Dayton residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Nevada.
Where Dayton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Nevada, United States
Dayton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 15,153 at the 2020 census. Dayton is the second-oldest Nevada settlement, after Genoa, and is home to the oldest hotel in the state.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Dayton.
| Town | NV rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton | #30 | C− | C+ | — | C+ | B |
| Silver City | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Dayton reports no FBI crime data of its own. Silver City isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Dayton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dayton grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #30 of 42 in Nevada. It grades B for health and C+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
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