Smith ValleyNV
A town of 1,807.
Is Smith Valley a good place to live?
Smith Valley’s weakest subject grade is a D− for walkability. Smith Valley’s average trip to work is 44 minutes, against 24 minutes in Nevada’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 1 of Nevada’s 66 towns do worse. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Smith Valley’s trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile, where Nevada’s towns sit at 2.0 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Artesia Lake State Wildlife Management Area, at 1,280 acres with 2.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Smith Valley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
94% of working residents leave Smith Valley for work
Where Smith Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Smith Valley grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nevada), ordered by how far Smith Valley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Smith Valley: who provides what
Smith Valley 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Smith Valley.
Smith Valley stands out in Nevada and nationally, with the median age higher than most
Smith Valley’s median age is 63.3 years. People 65 and older are 49% of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 7% of residents (22% statewide). 36% of Smith Valley adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Smith Valley | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 63.3 years | 40.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 23% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 40% and 60% women
The Census survey reached too few of Smith Valley’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±10.1 points. Across Nevada, 49.6% of residents are women.
| Smith Valley | NV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 1.9% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.9% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.5% | 14.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.4% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.8% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.8% | 12.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 37.7% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.9% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.1% | 12.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.4% | 27.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.5% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.8% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 30.3% | 18.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.9% | 9.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,800, single groups can be off by several points
On state tests, Smith Valley’s schools trail 58% of Nevada districts
Its public schools are run by the Lyon school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Valley SchoolsLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 178 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NV on state tests and graduation
Earthquakes leads a very high hazard risk in Smith Valley
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Smith Valley’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Smith Valley for work: only 6% work in town. The top destinations are Yerington (23%), Reno (13%) and Carson City (4%).
| Smith Valley | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 6.2% | 17% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.5% | 11% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Compared with most of Nevada and the rest of the country, more of Smith Valley’s adults have high blood pressure
47% of adults have high blood pressure in Smith Valley. Among 43 Nevada towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Smith Valley. 21% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Smith Valley.
| Smith Valley | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Smith Valley | NV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.8% | 15.6% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 10% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.5% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In Smith Valley, expect mild winters and hot summers
Smith Valley has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The July high in Smith Valley is 92°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Artesia Lake State Wildlife Management Area | 2.3 mi | 1,280 |
| 2. Burbank Canyons Wilderness Study Area | 1.9 mi | 1,017 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
A home in Smith Valley sells for about $700K at the median
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Smith Valley
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Smith Valley; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Smith Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Nevada.
About Smith Valley
Census-designated place in Nevada, United States
Smith Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, Smith Valley had a population of 1,710.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 123 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,878 ft
- Area code
- 775
Questions about Smith Valley
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Smith Valley, NV expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $756,000, 72% above the Nevada typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.