Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,486, settled in 1881.
Gardnerville is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, 6th of 42 graded towns in Nevada, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its public schools beat 68% of Nevada towns on state tests and graduation. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $612K for a typical one and 6.7 times the Gardnerville Ranchos area’s $91K median household income. 34% of residents are 65 or older in Gardnerville, above both Nevada’s towns (17%) and U.S. towns (18%). On walkability, just 2 of Nevada’s 66 towns do better. Gardnerville has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Wilhelm and William Lampe Ranch and Carson Valley Hospital.
Where Gardnerville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nevada), ordered by how far Gardnerville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,177 in 1990, 6,211 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 3 maps from 1889 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Gardnerville is unincorporated, so Douglas 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 Gardnerville.
Gardnerville has schools in the top 5% of Nevada, has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 88% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Gardnerville since 1997.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its B+ ranks #2 of the 42 Nevada towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Douglas school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carson Valley Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 591 | A− |
| Gardnerville Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 300 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NV on state tests and graduation
The median age in Gardnerville is 55.7 years. Only 3 of the 42 Nevada towns we compare have a lower share of children under 18 than Gardnerville. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Nevada.
| Gardnerville | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 55.7 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 12% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 22% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.3 points. Across Nevada, 49.6% of residents are women.
| Gardnerville | NV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.4% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.9% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.5% | 14.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.2% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.9% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.3% | 12.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.9% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.1% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.1% | 12.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31% | 27.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.4% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.5% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.4% | 18.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.6% | 9.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
At 6.7 years of the Gardnerville Ranchos area’s $91K median household income, the typical home (about $612K) costs more against local pay than in 83% of Nevada towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. Values rose 2.2% in the past year while the Nevada typical home fell 1.6%.
52% of households own their home in Gardnerville. The typical Gardnerville home is worth about $612,000, 39% above the Nevada typical home.
| Gardnerville | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,241 a month | $1,419 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Minden weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 119 days, shorter than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Gardnerville has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Gardnerville’s July high is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,474 U.S. towns with household incomes like Gardnerville’s, it is healthier than 86%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Gardnerville beats the Nevada average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 28% of Gardnerville adults have obesity. Only 2 of the 42 Nevada towns we compare have a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Gardnerville.
| Gardnerville | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 38% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 36% | 33% |
| What stands out | Gardnerville | NV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.8% | 15.6% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 9.5% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.6% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Gardnerville has about as many jobs (2,189) as working residents, but only 359 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 1,602 in 2013 to 2,189.
Most working residents leave Gardnerville for work: only 14% work in town. Jobs based in Gardnerville grew to 2,189 in 2023, 587 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Minden (17%), Carson City (15%) and Reno (10%).
| Gardnerville | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 19% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
5.3 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Lampe Park, 46 acres with 1.1 miles of trail.
| Gardnerville | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 2.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 5.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lampe Park | 1.1 mi | 46 |
| 2. Stodick Park | — | 15 |
| 3. Heritage Park Community Garden | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gardnerville. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi LakeLake Tahoe
39 mi LakeDonner Lake
33 mi Ski areaPalisades Tahoe Olympic Valley122 runs · 2,542 ft vertical9 mi Ski areaHeavenly Mountain Resort141 runs · 3,370 ft vertical
19 mi State parkEmerald Bay State Park
23 mi Park & preserveDesolation WildernessLake 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 · Emerald Bay State Park: Michael, CC BY 2.0 · Desolation Wilderness: Phreakdigital at English Wikipedia, GFDL
1 within 15 miles of the center of Gardnerville
About 3 of every 100 Gardnerville residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Nevada.
7 places in Gardnerville on the National Register of Historic Places.
Unincorporated town in the State of Nevada, United States
Gardnerville is an unincorporated town in Douglas County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the county seat of Minden. The population was 6,211 at the 2020 census. U.S. Route 395 runs through the center of Gardnerville. State Route 207, known as Kingsbury Grade, connects Gardnerville to Stateline and U.S. Route 50.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Gardnerville.
| Town | NV rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardnerville | #6 | B− | C | — | B+ | B |
| East Valley | — | — | C− | — | B+ | B+ |
| Minden | #5 | B− | D | — | B+ | B+ |
| Gardnerville Ranchos | #8 | C+ | C+ | — | B+ | B |
East Valley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Gardnerville, East Valley, Minden and Gardnerville Ranchos report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Gardnerville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gardnerville grades B− overall, better than 47% of U.S. towns and #6 of 42 in Nevada. It grades B for health and B+ for schools. Hazard risk 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.
