Nevada Cities: Does Yours Have The Best Work-Life Balance?

Work-life balance is an important consideration when comparing Nevada cities. The factors we use to compare the cities for work-life balance include:

• Weekly hours worked
• Average hourly wage
• Commute time
• Median income per person and per household
• Cost of living
• Examples of organizations with Wellness programs (if information is available)

Nevada Averages

To compare the Nevada cities, the first step is to consider the statewide averages. The Department of Education Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) Research & Analysis Bureau notes that the average weekly hours worked in the state of Nevada, during 2012, was 33.8 hours. This is the most recent reported year. The average hourly wage for the state of Nevada for 2012 was $19 per hour.

Weekly Earnings

In total, the average weekly earnings have gone down since 2007. This is not due to a reduction in wages; instead, it is due to a reduction in weekly hours worked. This trend needs closer inspection to understand what is really going on. Some might see this as a positive trend in the work-life balance. Others might see this, as those who desire full-time employment of 40 hours per week are partially under-employed.

Reduced Weekly Hours

It is common for employers in less robust economic times to reduce the weekly hours of the workers. At the same time, in many jobs, the employers expect workers to complete the same amount of work in fewer hours. Had the weekly earnings remained stable and the weekly hours worked reduced, this would indicate an improvement in work-life balance. Unfortunately, this is not what happened since 2007 in Nevada. The national average weekly hours are 34.4 compared to Nevada’s 33.8 hours. Lower weekly working hours creates more free time; however, there is less overall pay. Recognizing this dynamic, we get a better understanding.

Commute Time

The average commute time in the state of Nevada is 24 minutes.

Income

The median income per person is $40,835. The median income per household in Nevada is $52,205.

Cost of Living

The cost of living in the state of Nevada is 7 percent higher than the average in the rest of the United States.

Wellness Programs

The major companies with wellness programs are concentrated in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in the south and in the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area in the north. The state has a program called Nevada Wellness with wellness resources for each county.

Now that we set the benchmarks for comparison against statewide averages, let’s see how the Nevada cities compare to each other. Most of the data comes from TownCharts, with the exception of the cost of living data, which comes from Areavibes.

1. Las Vegas 

Source: wikimedia.org

The city of Las Vegas is the largest city in southern Nevada in Clark County with a population of 366,400 (as of 2013). It is part of the greater Las Vegas metropolitan area, which includes the surrounding communities, with a total estimated population in 2016 of close to two million people.

• Weekly hours worked - 37.9 hours
• Average hourly wage - $20.39
• Commute time - 25 minutes
• Median income per person and per household - $40,175 per person and $50,903 per household
• Cost of living - 7 percent more than the average American city
• Examples of organizations with Wellness programs - Boyd Gaming, MGM, Southwest Gas, Tronox Mining, and Wynn Resort & Casino

Here are the Movoto listings for Las Vegas.

2. Reno 

Source: wikimedia.org

Reno is located in the northern part of Nevada in Washoe County with a population of 233,294 (as of 2013). It is part of the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area, which includes the sister city of Sparks with a combined population of around 425,000.

• Weekly hours worked - 37.6 hours
• Average hourly wage - $20.69
• Commute time - 19 minutes
• Median income per person and per household - $40,447 per person and $46,489 per household
• Cost of living - 10 percent more than the average American city
• Examples of organizations with Wellness programs - Washoe County School District, which is one of the largest employers in the area, International Gaming Technology, and the El Dorado Resort Casino.

Here are the Movoto listings for Reno.

3. Sparks 

Source: wikimedia.org

Sparks blends into the city of Reno making a combined metropolitan area.

• Weekly hours worked - 38.6 hours
• Average hourly wage - $20.59
• Commute time - 22 minutes
• Median income per person and per household - $41,336 per person and $53,481 per household
• Cost of living - 8 percent more than the average American city
• Examples of organizations with Wellness programs - The Washoe County School District extends to cover Sparks as well as Reno. The Sierra Nevada Corporation headquartered in Sparks has a wellness program.

Here are the Movoto listings for Sparks.

4. Carson City 

Source: wikimedia.org

Carson City is the capital of Nevada. It is located in northwestern part of the state and has a population of 54,080.

• Weekly hours worked - 37.8 hours
• Average hourly wage - $30.65
• Commute time - 17 minutes
• Median income per person and per household - $41,268 per person and $50,108 per household
• Cost of living - 24 percent more than the average American city

Here are the Movoto listings for Carson City.

5. Boulder City 

Source: wikimedia.org

Boulder City is just east of Las Vegas past Hoover Dam. It has the population of 15,189.

• Weekly hours worked - 38.7 hours
• Average hourly wage - $21.83
• Commute time - 23 minutes
• Median income per person and per household - $43,922 per person and $55,583 per household
• Cost of living - 12 percent more than the average American city

Here are the Movoto listings for Boulder City.

6. Mesquite 

Source: wikimedia.org

Mesquite is located in the Virgin River Valley in the northeastern corner of the state. It has a population of 16,439.

• Weekly hours worked - 37.1 hours
• Average hourly wage - $15.42
• Commute time -13 minutes
• Median income per person and per household - $29,754 per person and $45,066 per household
• Cost of living - 2 percent less than the average American city

Here are the Movoto listings for Mesquite.

7. Henderson 

Source: wikimedia.org

Henderson is attached to the greater Las Vegas metropolitan area, which is also called the Las Vegas Valley. Henderson has a population of 270,811.

• Weekly hours worked - 38.8 hours
• Average hourly wage - $23.94
• Commute time - 23 minutes
• Median income per person and per household - $48,303 per person and $63,830 per household
• Cost of living - 14 percent more than the average American city

Here are the Movoto listings for Henderson.

8. Incline Village 

Source: flickr.org

Incline Village is in northwestern Nevada. It sits right on Lake Tahoe making it one of the most desirable areas of the state. It has a population of 8,777.

• Weekly hours worked - 40.7 hours
• Average hourly wage - $27.35
• Commute time - 18 minutes
• Median income per person and per household - $52,485 per person and $69,984 per household
• Cost of living - 82 percent more than the average American city

Here are the Movoto listings for Incline Village.