Las Vegas growth explodes without any letup in sight

Pauline Bell

Tuesday, May 20, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Clark County experienced a 29 percent population increase between 1992 and 1996, according to this year's edition of Las Vegas Perspective.

The demographic profile prepared by the Center for Business and Economic Research at UNLV and released Monday shows a 1996 population of 1,119,705 as compared to 867,600 people in 1992, a growth of 252,100 people in five years.

Clark County's population was up 7.59 percent last year, from 1,040,688 people in 1995.

And, demographers from UNLV and utilities are predicting between 6.5 percent and 10 percent growth for 1997, with their consensus forecast being 7.3 percent.

More than 5,400 respondents to the survey were asked if growth has been good for Southern Nevada. Sixty percent responded in the affirmative, while 17.5 percent said no and 22.5 percent were uncertain. The poll did not ask whether growth should be limited or controlled at this time.

In another survey conducted by the Alan Bible Center for Applied Research at the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Cannon Center for Survey Research at UNLV late last year, 46 percent of Southern Nevadans surveyed said they would like to see the county's population stay the same, while 35 percent said they wanted to see it decrease. Only 15 percent wanted an increase and 5 percent said they didn't know.

According to Perspective, most newcomers, 38.7 percent, moved here from California, followed by Arizona, New York, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Colorado, Washington, Utah and Michigan.

Of the newcomers, the largest number, 26 percent, moved here because of a job transfer while the second largest group, 17.1 percent, moved here to retire. More than 70 percent of the new households have no children, 15.2 percent have one child, 10 percent have two children and only 3.4 percent have three or more children.

The median age of the population is 45.4 years, with the median household income being $38,389. Females outnumber males by 52.2 percent to 47.8 percent. Fifty-four percent of the population is married, 20.1 percent is divorced and 18.2 percent has never married.

Twenty-five percent Clark County residents have a high school diploma, 36 percent have attended some college, 15.3 percent hold a college degree and 9.5 percent hold a graduate degree.