Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,707, settled in 1906.
Minden grades B− overall, 5th among Nevada's 42 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Minden’s average trip to work is 15 minutes, below both Nevada’s towns (24 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 5 of Nevada’s 65 towns score lower on cost of living. Minden has 10 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Home Ranch and Minden Wool Warehouse.
Where Minden beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 1,441 in 1990, 3,442 in 2020. The archive holds 23 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 4 maps from 1956 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nevada), ordered by how far Minden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Minden 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 Minden.
Minden has schools in the top 5% of Nevada, draws workers from Gardnerville Ranchos and beyond and has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns.
At 7.8 years of the Gardnerville Ranchos area’s $91K median household income, the typical home (about $707K) costs more against local pay than in 93% of Nevada towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. Values rose 4.1% in the past year while the Nevada typical home fell 1.6%.
The typical Minden home is worth about $707,000, 60% above the Nevada typical home. The median rent in Minden is $1,819 a month.
| Minden | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,819 a month | $1,404 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 67% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
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. The largest public high school is Douglas High School, with 1,510 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minden Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 371 | A |
| Douglas High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,510 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NV on state tests and graduation
3,148 jobs are based in Minden, 2.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 14.9 minutes, against 24.8 across Nevada.
About one in 4 of Minden’s working residents works in town. Minden’s median household income is $100,000. Jobs based in Minden grew to 3,148 in 2023, 226 more than in 2013.
| Minden | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 16% | 8% |
| Median household income | $100,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Since 2005, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Minden.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
People 65 and older are 28% of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (22% statewide). 37% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Minden.
| Minden | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 28% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 49.2 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 22% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 21% | 22% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.7 points. Across Nevada, 49.6% of residents are women.
| Minden | NV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.2% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.1% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.6% | 14.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.1% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.2% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15% | 12.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.3% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.5% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.1% | 12.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.7% | 27.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 29.4% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.1% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.3% | 18.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.5% | 9.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,700, single groups can be off by several points
Against the 8,614 U.S. towns with household incomes like Minden’s, it is healthier than 54%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
30% of Minden adults feel lonely. Only 2 of the 42 Nevada towns we compare have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Minden. 15% of Minden adults report frequent physical distress.
| Minden | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 19% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 33% |
| What stands out | Minden | NV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.9% | 15.6% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.5% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.3% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Minden weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 119 days, shorter than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Minden has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 22° and about 22 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2.9 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Only 2 of the 42 Nevada towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Minden.
| Minden | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 2.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 5.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ironwood Park | — | 4 |
| 2. Weser Creek Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Minden. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi LakeLake Tahoe
36 mi LakeDonner Lake
30 mi Ski areaPalisades Tahoe Olympic Valley122 runs · 2,542 ft vertical8 mi Ski areaHeavenly Mountain Resort141 runs · 3,370 ft vertical
18 mi State parkEmerald Bay State Park
22 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 Minden
About 2 of every 100 Minden residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Nevada.
3,001 counted in 2010 and 3,442 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
10 places in Minden on the National Register of Historic Places.
County seat in Nevada, United States
Minden is a census-designated place (CDP) in Douglas County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, Minden had a population of 3,442. It is the county seat of Douglas County and is adjacent to the town of Gardnerville. The Douglas campus of the Western Nevada College is located in Minden.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Minden.
| Town | NV rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minden | #5 | B− | D | — | B+ | B+ |
| Gardnerville | #6 | B− | C | — | B+ | B |
Minden and Gardnerville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Minden with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Minden grades B− overall, better than 47% of U.S. towns and #5 of 42 in Nevada. It grades B+ for health and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 7.8 years of the area's median household income ($91,077 across the Gardnerville Ranchos, NV-CA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
