Sun Valley, Nevada, 2007
Sun Valley’s story
Sun Valley in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 4 maps from 1950 on.
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Sun ValleyNV
Population 22,228: a town in Nevada. More miles of trail than almost any town in Nevada.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
22,228
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$440K
+1.8% in a year
Household income
$77K
median
Median age
35.8
years
Jobs based here
968
A commuter town
TownGrade
C
#18 of 42 in NV
What should you know before moving to Sun Valley?
With a C overall, Sun Valley sits 18th of 42 in Nevada. It comes out better than nearly a third of U.S. towns. Where it falls short is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 79% of the country. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 79% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. At about $440K, a typical home costs 5 years of the Reno metro’s $87K median household income. Its best grade is for walkability: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 70% of U.S. towns. The town’s density of trails is 4.3 miles per square mile, above both the Nevada town median (2.0) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Sun Valley Regional Park, at 349 acres with 6.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
What makes Sun Valley stand out
Where Sun Valley beats most towns.
Get outside
63 miles of trails in Sun Valley
10.3% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
How Sun Valley grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nevada), ordered by how far Sun Valley is from typical.
Hazard riskEarthquakes top the listC−Open →HealthSaint Mary's Regional Medical Center 5.9 miles awayC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 9.1 of 20; 5% of households have no car; 2.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →Jobs & income$77K median household incomeC+Open →SchoolsSchools do better than mostBOpen →Cost of livingClose to the middle of the towns comparedB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors10% conserved landA+Open →HistoryBased on listed places, the town’s age and notable peopleDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Housing market37 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 35.8; 11% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 33 attractions →Lake Tahoe and 26 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sun Valley. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi LakeLake Tahoe
31 mi LakePyramid Lake
5 mi Stadium & arenaMackay Stadium
33 mi LakeDonner Lake
38 mi Ski areaPalisades Tahoe Olympic Valley122 runs · 2,542 ft vertical
6 mi LandmarkReno ArchSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Lake Tahoe: Lara Farhadi, CC BY 2.0 · Pyramid Lake: Rhalden, Public domain · Mackay Stadium: Lanski, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Donner Lake: J.smith, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley: Jonnyboyca at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Reno Arch: Mobilus In Mobili, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Getting set up
Moving to Sun Valley: who provides what
Sun Valley is unincorporated, so Washoe County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerNV Energy13.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSun Valley Gid water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesWashoe CountyWashoe County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Nevada you can register online until 5 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereWashoe County Registrar of VotersWashoe County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code8943389433 100%Census 2020
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 Sun Valley.
Sun Valley has more trail for its size than nearly any town in Nevada and sends most of its workers to Reno and beyond, but it scores below Sparks and its other neighbors on health.
OutdoorsA+
10.3% of Sun Valley is conserved land
At 4.3 miles of trail per square mile, it ranks #3 of 41 Nevada towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #3 of 42 in Nevada.
Walkers can cover 63 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Among 42 Nevada towns, just 2 have a higher density of trails than Sun Valley.
#3for trails in NV
10.3%
conserved · 951 of 9,273 acres
63 mi
of trails · 4.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sun Valley Regional Park | 6.2 mi | 349 |
| 2. Sun Valley Community Park | 0.7 mi | 26 |
| 3. Highland Ranch Park | 0.3 mi | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsB
Sun Valley’s public schools outperform 63% of Nevada districts
One of its 5 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Public schools: the Washoe County school district. 5 public schools serve Sun Valley, with 2,821 students in all.
63%of NV districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Skies Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 875 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NV on state tests and graduation
HealthC−
Sun Valley stands out in Nevada and nationally: a larger share of its adults feel lonely
All 4 graded neighbors score healthier than its C−, from Sparks (B) to Spanish Springs (A−).
Among 42 Nevada towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Sun Valley. In Sun Valley, 31% of adults say their health is fair or poor. Of 32 CDC measures, Sun Valley beats the Nevada average on 1 and trails it on 16.
21%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Sun Valley | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 35% | 33% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 12% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 22% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 16% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Nevada
1 better15 too close to call16 worse
| What stands out | Sun Valley | NV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.7% | 7.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.7% | 11.6% |
Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center
5.9 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
22nd
percentile among NV towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
Top of a high hazard risk in Sun Valley: earthquakes
FEMA puts 65% of Sun Valley’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 19% to inland flooding. Since 2017, one flood insurance claim has been paid here.
79risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland floodingWildfire
1
paid flood claims since 2017
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
More than half of Sun Valley’s working residents commute to Reno
Sun Valley has 968 jobs for its 9,808 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here grew from 483 in 2013 to 968.
4.5% of workers work remotely from home in Sun Valley. For most workers, Sun Valley is a place to come home to: only 2% work in town. The town had 968 jobs in 2023, up 485 from 2013. Half commute less than 7 miles.
2%work in town
| Sun Valley | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.4% | 19% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 4.5% | 9% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Sun Valley2%
Reno52%
Sparks19%
Spanish Springs3%
Carson City2%
7 mi
median commute distance
968
jobs based in Sun Valley
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Sun Valley, expect four seasons and hot summers
In July, afternoons reach 90°; in January, nights fall to 25°, and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
33″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter26–46°
Spring37–63°
Summer54–87°
Fall39–67°
Oct 12
typical first frost
May 8
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade B−
Sun Valley earns a B− for cost of living
The median property tax bill is $979, against $2,027 across Nevada, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
On the market in Sun Valley: a median 37 days to sell. Homes here are typically worth about $440,000, up 1.8% in a year, close to the Nevada typical home. The share of households in Sun Valley who are owner-occupiers: 76%.
$440KZillow home value
| Sun Valley | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 76% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,214 a month | $1,419 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Sun Valley$440K
Nevada$441K
Market temperature
37
days on market
99.2%
sale-to-list price
+1.8%
value change, 1 year
7
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sun Valley
17pages on Sun Valley
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Sun Valley
Truckee Meadows Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Reno2.9 mi$3,352 in-state tuitionUniversity of Nevada-RenoUniversity or college · Public · Reno5 mi$9,578 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Sun Valley residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Nevada.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Sun Valley for work
Where Sun Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
968jobs based in Sun Valley
2%of working residents work in town
7 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Sun Valley
Census-designated place in Nevada, United States
Sun Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The population was 21,178 at the 2020 census. It is north of Reno and is part of the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 15 sq mi
- Elevation
- 4,718 ft
- ZIP code
- 89433
- Area code
- 775
Sun Valley’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Sun Valley.
Spanish SpringsGolden ValleySparksRenoSun Valley
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NV rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Valley | #18 | C | B− | — | B | C− |
| Spanish Springs | #4 | B− | C− | — | B | A− |
| Golden Valley | — | — | B− | — | B | B+ |
| Sparks | #19 | C | C− | C− | B | B |
| Reno | #22 | C | C− | D | B | B |
Golden Valley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Sun Valley, Spanish Springs and Golden Valley report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Sun Valley with a neighbor →
Questions about Sun Valley
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sun Valley, NV a good place to live?
Sun Valley grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #18 of 42 in Nevada. It grades C− for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Sun Valley, NV expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.