Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
West Wendover gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $308K, 3.6 years of the Elko area’s $86K median household income. It grades C− overall, 24th among Nevada's 42 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 88% of the country, and its crime rate is higher than 84% of U.S. towns, with 22 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, it has 32 miles of trail and 48% conserved land. 71% of working residents work locally in West Wendover, above both the Nevada town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). No town in Nevada scores lower than West Wendover on civic life.
Where West Wendover beats most towns.
47.8% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nevada), ordered by how far West Wendover is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,007 in 1990, 4,512 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1968 and 3 maps from 1955 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Wendover, 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 West Wendover.
West Wendover sends many workers across the state line to Wendover and keeps more of its land conserved than most of Nevada, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Its 2,273 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 93% of Nevada towns.
The trail density in West Wendover is 4.3 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. West Wendover Equestrian Park | — | 11 |
| 2. Scobie Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Victory Plaza | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Elko school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Wendover Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 419 | C |
| West Wendover High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 298 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NV on state tests and graduation
The nearest emergency room, Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital, is 86.6 miles away in a straight line. Against the 5,418 U.S. towns with household incomes like West Wendover’s, it is less healthy than 67%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
25% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in West Wendover. Only 1 of the 42 Nevada towns we compare have a lower share of adults who had a checkup this year than West Wendover. 29% of adults worry about having enough food in West Wendover.
| West Wendover | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 12% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 74% | 79% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | West Wendover | NV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.8% | 7.4% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 21.3% | 24.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 25.3% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 39.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 70% of Nevada’s graded towns.
West Wendover’s violent crime rate is 4.9 per 1,000 residents. West Wendover reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 84% report less.
| West Wendover | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.9 per 1,000 residents | 3.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.8 per 1,000 residents | 14.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Adults 35 to 64 are 57% of residents (39% statewide); people 65 and older are 8% of residents (17% statewide). 20% of West Wendover adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. 22% never finished high school.
| West Wendover | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 20% | 23% | 29% |
| Median age | 40.4 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
46% women, 54% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±9.4 points. Across Nevada, 49.6% of residents are women.
| West Wendover | NV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.2% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.9% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.7% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.5% | 14.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 19.8% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 23.6% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.5% | 12.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.8% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 1% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 22.2% | 12.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 40.6% | 27.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 11% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.1% | 18.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4% | 9.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,600, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 77% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Values rose 4% in the past year while the Nevada typical home fell 1.6%.
Of the 41 Nevada towns we compare, none has a lower median rent than West Wendover. The typical West Wendover home is worth about $308,000, 30% below the Nevada typical home.
| West Wendover | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $611 a month | $1,419 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 56% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
West Wendover has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 94° and January nights drop to 17°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
30% of working residents cross a state line to work, Wendover among the top destinations. The average commute for its 1,672 working residents takes 12.9 minutes, against 24.8 across Nevada.
Since 2013, West Wendover has lost 448 jobs, to 2,251 in 2023. Only 2 of the 42 Nevada towns we compare have a lower median household income than West Wendover. The top destinations are Elko (7%), Wendover (2%) and Grantsville (2%).
| West Wendover | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.4% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of West Wendover; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 West Wendover residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Nevada.
Place in Nevada, United States
West Wendover is a city in Elko County, Nevada, United States. The population was 4,512 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Elko micropolitan area. West Wendover is located on the eastern border of Nevada and the western edge of the Great Salt Lake Desert and is contiguous with Wendover, Utah, with which it is sometimes confused. It is home to five casinos and a cannabis dispensary which attract many visitors from neighboring Utah, where both casino gambling and non-medical cannabis are illegal. Interstate 80 runs just north of the cities, while Interstate 80 Business (Wendover Boulevard) runs through the two cities.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
West Wendover grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #24 of 42 in Nevada. It grades D for health, C− for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.