Nevada Unemployment is Highest in Country, 5.5 Percent of Labor Force Out of Work
Posted on: July 11, 2025, 08:06h.
Last updated on: July 11, 2025, 09:07h.
- Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the country
- 5.5% of Nevadans are out of work
- Las Vegas is experiencing a slowdown in terms of business and visitation
Nevada’s unemployment rate stands at 5.5%, the highest in the nation, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.
The federal labor agency said the national unemployment rate in the US for June was 4.1%, down 0.1% from May. Nevada’s 5.5% unemployment rate is 1.4% higher than the national average.
South Dakota and North Dakota have the top two unemployment rates, respectively, at 1.8% and 2.5%. Vermont (2.6%), Hawaii (2.8%), and Montana (2.8%) round out the top five.
Though some Nevadans have found jobs in recent months, as the state unemployment rate has shrunk slightly from 5.8% in January, an estimated 92K adults in Nevada remain unemployed.
We continue to see modest improvements in Nevada’s labor markets, with ongoing employment growth and further declines in the unemployment rate. Further, Nevada’s labor force participation rate increased to 63%, higher than the national average of 62.4%,” said Nevada Department of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation Chief Economist David Schmidt.
“Wage gains continued with hourly wages up 6.8% and weekly wages up 7.5% over the last year,” Schmidt added.
Casino Industry Drags State
Las Vegas, Nevada’s most critical economic component, is slowing. May marked the Strip’s fourth consecutive month of year-over-year gross gaming revenue declines.
Through May, visitor volume in Las Vegas is down 6.5% from 2024. With more than 1.1 million fewer people visiting Southern Nevada during the five months, many casinos and area businesses have cut overhead by trimming staff.
Casinos that have initiated layoffs include the off-Strip Rio. The Venetian Resort let go of a few dozen managers, and Resorts World terminated about 50 positions ahead of a $10.5 million fine the state levied on the north Strip property for allowing convicted felons and individuals linked to illegal bookmaking to gamble at the casino.
MGM Resorts, the largest Strip firm, hasn’t been immune to the layoffs. In April, the Bellagio operator eliminated concierge services at six of its nine Strip properties. And Caesars Entertainment is rumored to announce layoffs later today.
It isn’t only casinos that are reducing their workforce. Last month, the Bahama Breeze Island Grille filed a federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) with DETR, informing the state that the restaurant located at 375 Hughes Center Dr., east of the Strip along Flamingo Rd., was closing. More than 80 workers were impacted.
Unemployment Benefits Site Goes Offline
Nevada state officials report that there are about 22,500 active unemployment insurance claims as of May. Those filers encountered difficulty in applying for their unemployment benefits earlier this month when DETR took its insurance system offline for what the agency says was a much-needed upgrade.
DETR’s Claimant Self-Service website went dark from Monday, June 30, until Tuesday, July 8. The week-long maintenance upgrade, state officials said, was to modernize the claims filing system.
“This transformation is the result of years of planning and development, and it will provide claimants with faster, more user-friendly, and mobile-accessible services,” said DETR Director Christopher Sewell.
In Las Vegas, unemployment beneficiaries can collect up to $469 a week in compensation.
Last Comments ( 16 )
Unemployment rate for NV is higher than 5.5 percent. I know plenty ppl that was laid off since end of last yr and their Unemployment Benefits depleted and Applicants just stopped looking for work. The Unemployment rate doesn't include such ppl.
In Reno we are begging for employees. We cannot get people to even apply for jobs so either a lot of them are on aid and therefore they don't care or they're illegal or your statistics are wrong.
We also have the highest per capita of illegals in the union… wonder if that makes a difference
Alot if companies in northern Nevada have started employing from temp agencies in mexico.They get most of the hours at my company and companies that work next to mine.pennies on the dollar since they're not Americans.
I applied for unemployment on the 26th of June on the website. On the 29th I sent in my weekly claim and received a confirmation number. The following Sunday I went to file my weekly claim and had to wait till Monday as the system was not ready. On Monday, I went to website and had to recertify all the previous info for new system. At the end it asked for my claimant number which I do not have as it was not sent to me. I then followed all the prompts and no matter what I did including asking the chat for help it would not take my weekly claim. I have been calling everyday multiple times , no one answers the phone. Finally i decided to make a new claim and the system says I have a claim so it will not let me file new claim. Out of work 3 weeks now no money coming in and will probably be homeless at end of month. This has been horrible with no end in sight.
I started working in Vegas in 1967. I saw it all. Howard Huges brought the cooperations in. Little by little they wanted to make a profit on every function of the building. That is what you see here today.
Back in 1997 was employed for 26 years at a casino. What I can tell you is it used to be cheap and attracted a lot of people. The shows were cheap, gambling was cheap, drinks at the bar were cheap, and the buffet was great deal with a bunch of good food. Then the investors turned it into a rich people place. Now it sucks and bums everywhere. When it was a cheap place for average people, it was hopping and everyone was making money. Then the casino got greedy, remodeling and investors came in. I say bring back the Mob, they knew their audience and knew how to run Vegas.
That is only after thier number wizards are finished being creative with labels. There are plenty of people like me who have been under employed since 2022, and cannot find a job. So we are shifted off the numbers. Add to the insult that the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation - detr.nv.gov doesn't wven help you find a job. They have a collection of government and low paying casino/service jobs on their website that you have to try and sort through. Do mot believe their fudged numbers, I would suggest the actual number is north of 12%.
Remove the illegals who sre working for $8 an hr and BOOM, MORE JOBS for Americans .. Also hotels losing tourism be ause THRY GOT GREEDY. Hotels now charging for parking garage, pool use, resort fees, high taxes and more
I have lived in Las Vegas 31 years & if there was some reason I unexpectedly lost any of my jobs I would be gainfully employed within a week. I just lost my job with an employer I had been with for 14 years when all of the positions in the department where I worked got eliminated in their entirety with no warning. I have been relentlessly looking for a job for several weeks to no avail. What interviews I have had were dead ends. Ive primarily been going after bare bones jobs far below my experience & pay grade just to keep afloat being the sole support of myself even that isnt working. With my background & work experience I am definitely employable. Unemployment is running out. All resources are about exhausted. This is beyond frustration. We must take what we can get or we will have nothing at all
Mike, your comment reveals your lack of knowledge on the topic. “It is better to be silent and be thought dumb, than to speak and remove all doubt!”
There is no unemployment office here you can't even get through on the phone you have to go to the training center to use the phone and people are becoming more indept because when you find a job even If it's for a week or 2 weeks they have to investigate why you were let go so they hold your money while they are holding the money your car insurance is due so your gonna lapse your insurance also the rent is due the land lord isn't going to wait for you to get your unemployment check this is a real mess because no one explains to you how to do the hole process they only help you get verified and apply for benefits .I'm so broke right now my first time ever on unemployment and they don't even have an unemployment office.ive been so stressed out and crying I don't even have enough gas in the car to go on an interview or physically go apply to places this weekend will be the 3rd check on hold until they resolve the issue this is the government's best plan to keep a person more down this is when you start getting hit with late fees overdrawn bank account as of this coming week my car insurance is due with them holding my money I'm gonna get hit with a big fine because my insurance will lapse here in nevada your insurance will lapse and get shut off and you will have to pay a penalty I think it's 500$ to 1000 so unemployment is putting my life in more of a mess my sons birthday is next week I don't even have money for a gift because there holding my payment
Leave it to the mouth breathers to make dumb comments on articles that are barely read.
I had planned on working through 2024, the Governor closed the casino 2020 after the best February in three years. Our 2019 anticipated slow Thanksgiving period was very good as well. I haven't worked since.
That number doesn't include the thousands who never had a job and are on welfare for their whole life so a lot more people not working just a lot by choice