Nevada leads US workforce growth as economy stretches beyond casinos

Nevada is standing out in a slow U.S. hiring market, with the fastest workforce growth of any state from April 2025 to April 2026. For workers and investors, the bigger story is that the state’s economy is becoming less dependent on casinos and more tied to business services, health care, mining and data infrastructure.

Nevada’s workforce grew 1.9% over that 12-month period, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data cited by CNBC. The national workforce expanded just 0.2% in the same span.

The state accounted for about 12% of new U.S. jobs during that period, despite having roughly 1% of the country’s population, according to the data. That gap helps explain why economic development officials are pitching Nevada as more than a tourism market.

Growth is spreading beyond the Strip

David Schmidt, chief economist at Nevada’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, told CNBC the state is now being discussed alongside larger growth states such as California, Texas and Florida. He said Nevada’s labor market is producing unusually strong numbers for a relatively small state.

The biggest job gains over the past year came from professional and business services, which Schmidt linked to Nevada’s state tax policies. Education and health services also contributed, matching a broader U.S. trend in which health care has been a major source of hiring.

Nevada is also benefiting from industries tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure, according to Schmidt. The state has lithium deposits used in batteries, and its large amount of open land can appeal to companies building data centers, which are facilities that house computing equipment for cloud services and AI workloads.

The shift matters because gaming has shown signs of weakness. The largest casinos on the Las Vegas Strip collectively reported revenue down nearly 4% between fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025, according to Nevada Gaming Control Board data released this month.

Still, the Las Vegas area has become less reliant on casinos. The Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance told CNBC that about 60% of new jobs in the region from 2016 through 2025 came from industries outside hospitality, construction and government, based on its analysis of federal data.

Workers are still looking, and employers are still hiring

Nevada’s job listings are up about 20% compared with February 2020, according to Indeed. National postings are up about 2% over the same period. ManpowerGroup also found that worker demand in Nevada held up better than the average state during the second quarter.

The gains may be concentrated among larger employers. Gusto, a payroll platform focused on small and midsize businesses, told CNBC that Nevada’s net hiring rate was lower than the national rate in its customer base.

Nevada’s unemployment rate, adjusted for seasonal swings, remains above the U.S. average. Stephen Miller, an economics professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told CNBC that the state is still recovering from the labor-market damage that began during the Covid pandemic.

That higher unemployment rate sits alongside a high labor force participation rate, which measures the share of working-age people who either have a job or are looking for one. For employers, that means a larger available pool of workers.

LV Petroleum CEO Kris Roach told CNBC that the company has hired hundreds of employees over the past year for restaurants and travel centers. He said the company has also found white-collar candidates for finance and human resources roles, including some who previously worked in casinos.

Pay and population are part of the pitch

Nevada’s population rose more than 62% from 2000 to 2025, compared with about 21% nationally, according to federal data. Economists link part of that growth to the state’s proximity to California.

Cost is another factor. A Missouri-based government research group found that Nevada’s cost of living was lower than nearby California, Idaho and Arizona in the first quarter.

Average hourly pay in Nevada rose nearly 6% from 2024 to 2025, the fifth-fastest increase among states, according to a CNBC analysis of BLS data. Nationally, average earnings rose 3.4% over that period.

Emma Keserich, a vice president at the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance who moved from the Washington, D.C., area last summer, told CNBC she pitches businesses on the region’s short commutes, relative affordability and attractions beyond entertainment. Her view reflects the state’s broader message to employers: Nevada wants to be seen as a wider business market, not just a casino economy.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.