Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
88% more nonprofits per person than the typical Nevada town.
Ely gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $203K, 2.8 years of the county’s $73K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 1st among Nevada's 42 graded towns. On the plus side, it has 31 miles of trail. 61% of working residents work locally in Ely, above both Nevada’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (8%). Only 1 of Nevada’s 66 towns score higher on history. Ely's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Where Ely beats most towns.
East Ely Depot
East Ely Depot is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 203 in 1890, 3,924 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1871 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nevada), ordered by how far Ely is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ely, and how to reach them.
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 Ely.
Ely draws workers from McGill and beyond, has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
The trail density in Ely is 4.1 miles per square mile.
| Ely | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 4.1 miles per square mile | 2.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.9% | 5.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veteran's Memorial Park | 0.2 mi | 6 |
| 2. Broadbent Park | 0.1 mi | 6 |
| 3. Bianche Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the White Pine County School District. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is White Pine High School, with 365 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| David E Norman ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 362 | C |
| White Pine High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 365 | B |
| Learning BridgeTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 166 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NV on state tests and graduation
2,733 jobs are based in Ely, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16.8 minutes, against 24.8 across Nevada.
Ely’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. Since 2013, Ely has added 177 jobs, to 2,733 in 2023. 7.6% of Ely residents live below the poverty line.
| Ely | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.6% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 2.8 years of the county’s $73K median household income, the typical home (about $203K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of Nevada towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
Only 3 of the 41 Nevada towns we compare have a lower median rent than Ely. The typical Ely home is worth about $203,000, down 1.5% in a year, 54% below the Nevada typical home.
| Ely | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $950 a month | $1,419 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Ely Yelland Fld Ap weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 91 days, shorter than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Ely has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Only 2 of the 42 Nevada towns we compare have a lower July high than Ely.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ely beats the Nevada average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 73% of adults had a checkup this year in Ely.
| Ely | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 74% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 22% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 19% | 17% |
| What stands out | Ely | NV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 12.7% | 15.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.3% | 11.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Ely since 1982.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Ely; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Ely residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Nevada.
Where Ely’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
8 places in Ely on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Ely.
City in Nevada, United States
Ely (, EE-lee) is the only city in and the county seat of White Pine County, Nevada, United States. Ely was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route. In 1906 copper was discovered. Ely's mining boom came later than the other towns along US 50. The railroads connecting the transcontinental railroad to the mines in Austin, Nevada and Eureka, Nevada have long been removed, but the railroad to Ely is preserved as a heritage railway by the Nevada Northern Railway and known as the Ghost Train of Old Ely. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,924.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Ely grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #1 of 42 in Nevada. It grades C for health and B− for schools.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
5 notable people were born here, including Pat Nixon and Dave Ulrich.
