Population and Housing
Eureka County Population Growth and Decline
Eureka County population was estimated to be 2,024 persons in 2013 (Table 2-1). This is an increase of 564 persons, or 38.6 percent, since 2006. However, the largest increase in population occurred during 2010 with the release of the official Census population which was substantially higher than the Nevada State Demographer’s annual estimates. The County's average annual population growth over the years 2000-2010 was 2.1 percent. Since 1990 the County population has increased 477 persons. Over the last 23 years, the population for Eureka County has fluctuated primarily due to activity in the mining industry. Population fell sharply in 1994, increased to a high of an estimated 1,895 persons in 1998, and declined again reaching a low of 1,384 persons in 2003, before climbing again through 2012 and 2013 (Figure 2-1).
As a comparison, the average annual population growth rate of the state of Nevada over the period 1990-2010 was 6.2 percent. From 2000 to 2013 the average annual growth rate for the State of Nevada was 3.1 percent as compared to a 1.7 percent growth rate during the same period in Eureka County.
In Eureka County the greatest part of population change is due to migration as opposed to natural births and deaths (Table 2-2). More people moved out of Eureka County than stayed in the years 2000-2002, while more people moved into the County in the years 2003-2005 and 2008-2011.
The rate of natural population change (births minus deaths in the county) was positive over all years in the eighteen-year period except 2006. This "natural" increase is small, however: the year with the highest rate of natural increase was 2007, with an excess of births over deaths of 21 persons. Net migration continued to improve even further from 2008 to Eureka County, Nevada 2010. The spike in net migration in 2010 is largely due to adjustments made as the result of the Census (Figure 2-2). Prior population estimates are made annually by the Nevada State Demographer. Under certain conditions, annual estimates can be above or below the actual Census figures.
Prior to the 2010 Census, the annual state estimates were below the actual. However, not all the population gains in Eureka County are due to adjustments being made between state estimates and the Census. Substantial and new economic activity in Eureka County primarily related to mining is driving population gains. The level of activity in the mining sector is likely to bolster further population gains.
Other Population Statistics for Eureka County
The graphs on the previous and following pages show other characteristics of the population of Eureka County as reported in U.S. Census and subsequent population estimates by the Nevada State Demographer.
Persons per Square Mile
Eureka County has an extremely low population density - only 0.48 persons per square mile, as compared to 24.6 persons per square mile for Nevada as a whole, and 87.4 persons per square mile nationwide (Figure 2-3). About 51 percent of the estimated 2013 county population of 2,024 resided in the town of Eureka or Crescent Valley, so the actual population density of areas outside of these towns is considerably lower than 0.48 persons per square mile. This is typical of and consistent with the rest of rural northern Nevada, where population tends to be clustered around small towns and cities which grew up as mining towns, local commerce centers serving the surrounding rural areas, or railroad camps. In addition, approximately 81 percent of Eureka County land is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, making these areas presently unavailable for settlement.
Population Age Distribution
Eureka County has a relatively young population. 26 percent of the county population, or 520 people, are under the age of 20 (Figure 2-4). Approximately 54 percent of the population, or 1,077 people, are between age 20 and 60, while only 20 percent (248 people) are age 60 or older. Since 2000, the younger population age group (under the age of 20) has declined in Eureka County. This is consistent with State and National trends. As more working age people move into Eureka County for employment, there will likely be an increase in persons age 55 and younger.
Population by Race
Approximately 90 percent of the 2010 population of Eureka County was white (Figure 2-5). This is higher than in Nevada as a whole, where the percentage of white persons in the population in 2010 was 62 percent. People of Hispanic origin comprised 9.4 percent of the 2010 Eureka County population, in comparison to 20.7 percent statewide. American Indians made up 1.9 percent of Eureka County population, a lower percentage than in the state as a whole, which had an estimated 2.0 percent American Indian population. All other races accounted for 5.7 percent of the 2010 Eureka County population.
Population Growth in Eureka Town and Crescent Valley
Countywide population trends are mirrored in Eureka town and Crescent Valley (Figure2-6). Both town populations increased until 1998, decreased to 2002, then rose again subsequent years. The overall average annual rate of growth between 1996 and 2013 in Eureka town was 2.5 percent; in Crescent Valley 2.7 percent. In 2013 the population of Eureka increased to 720 and Crescent Valley Town remained unchanged at a population of 371.
Eureka County Housing
Overall housing units in Eureka County increased from 801 units in 1993 to 1,069 in 2013 (Table 2-3). The increase in housing units validates population growth over the last 6 years. Mobile homes remained the dominant housing type, accounting for 66 percent of county housing in 2013. Mobile homes account for 95 percent of the housing units in Crescent Valley, and 44 percent of Eureka town's housing stock. Single-family detached and multi-family units remain a small portion of the overall housing stock although more than 100 multi-family units are planned for the Eureka Canyon subdivision to accommodate the influx of mining related population. A total of 50 multi-family units were completed in 2012. Additional housing structures are anticipated in the subdivision as individual residential lots are now available for development.
Eureka County average home sales prices peaked in 2012 and have seen moderate decline in 2013 (Table 2-4). Housing sale prices in Eureka County are generally affordable based upon the income available to local households. The peak price of a single-family home in Eureka County reached $216,000 in 2013. Trends in housing sales activity are shown in Figure 2-7.
In 2010 the median gross rent in Eureka County was $588 per month up from $469 per month in 2000. Renters in Eureka County accounted for 33.5 percent of the occupied housing units in 2010 (American Community Survey, 2010). With few traditional rental-housing units in Eureka County (multi-family and single-family attached), most renters occupy mobile homes and single-family detached housing. More recently, the Nevada Rural Housing Authority built 50 rental townhouse units at the Eureka Canyon Subdivision.
References: Housing and Population
1. Annual Population Estimates
Nevada County Population Estimates — 2012 Includes Cities and Towns. Nevada Small Business Development Center, Nevada State Demographer, Data and Publications.
2. Detaild Population Estimates — Counties in Nevada
Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin Estimates and Projections October 2013
3. Annual Population Estimates, Eureka Town and Crescent Valley
http://nvdemography.org/data-and-publications/estimates/estimates-by-county-city-and-unincorporated-towns/
5. Housing Units by Type of Structure
Housing Unit Count for July 1, 2006, Final Certification for 2002-2011 Michael Mears, Eureka County Assessor. Annual housing count by Eureka County Assessor completed each July
6. Eureka County Housing Sales
Sales 2009, 2010, 2011 Eureka County Assessor Database Michael Mears, Eureka County Assessor.
http://eurekacounty.net:1401/cgi-bin/asw300
7. Housing Tenure and Median Gross Rent 2010
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census. Summary File 1, Tables H4, H16, and H17.
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
American Community Survey, American Fact Finder provides annual estimates.
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