Placer County, CA vs Washoe County, NV
Neighbouring counties across the California and Nevada state line, compared on population, size, income and housing. They share 10 mi of border.
Placer County
California
Washoe County
Nevada
Both outlines are drawn at true relative size. Washoe County spans about 309.4 km at its widest.
Side by side
| Measure | Placer County | Difference | Washoe County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 442,081 | -13.2% | 509,386 |
| Change since 2020 | 8.9% | +4.5 pp | 4.4% |
| Land area | 1,407 sq mi | -77.7% | 6,316 sq mi |
| Population density | 314 per sq mi | +289.1% | 80.7 per sq mi |
| Median household income | $115,998 | +31.7% | $88,096 |
| Median home value | $688,100 | +27.4% | $539,900 |
| Median age | 42.5 | +9.0% | 39.0 |
| Households | 157,954 | -20.7% | 199,296 |
| Housing units | 179,266 | -17.8% | 218,165 |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026; US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. The difference column is computed here: the first county's figure against the second, expressed as a percentage of the second. The change-since-2020 row is the exception: two growth rates differ in percentage points (pp), not percent. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
What the numbers say
- Washoe County holds about 1.2 times the population of Placer County: 509,386 against 442,081.
- Washoe County covers more ground, at 6,316 square miles against 1,407.
- Placer County is the more crowded of the two, at 314 people per square mile against 80.7.
- Median household income is higher in Placer County, by 27,902 dollars a year.
- Since 2020, Placer County has grown by 8.9% and Washoe County has grown by 4.4%.
- They share 10 mi of common border, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which almost no other county reference presents.
Full pages
Want a different pair? Compare any two of the 3,144 US counties.
Rebuilt from source data 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.