Las Vegas jobless rate moves lower, but still among highest in US By Eli Segall Las Vegas Review-Journal July 6, 2026 - 12:26 pm Las Vegas’ jobless rate has moved down this year amid an uptick in employment totals and improved visitor volume in America’s casino capital. But locally, the unemployment rate is still among the highest in the nation for big metro areas. The Las Vegas-area’s unemployment rate in May, 5.3 percent, was slightly below the year-ago level of 5.4 percent and down from 5.8 percent in January. The tourism-dependent region had around 1.18 million employees as of May, up by 25,800 since January, according to non-seasonally adjusted federal data. Nonetheless, Las Vegas’ jobless rate was third highest in the country among metro areas with at least 1 million people, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. It was topped only by Detroit, at 5.5 percent, and Fresno, California, at 7.4 percent. Honolulu had the lowest jobless rate, at 2.4 percent. Such numbers are not stripped of normal seasonal fluctuations in headcount. Seasonally adjusted data still shows higher employee totals in Las Vegas since January, albeit a much-smaller increase of [...]

Developers in Southern Nevada want more land By Buck Wargo RJNewHomes.Vegas June 15, 2026 - 9:28 am The lack of land in Southern Nevada for building new homes and other development remains a hot topic for builders and other developers. The Southern Nevada chapter of NAIOP addressed the topic as did the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association. Shawn McCoy, director of the Lied Center for Real Estate at UNLV, said the narrative is that the housing market “feels stuck in the idle of a long-term correction rather than a crash after the pandemic-era frenzy” that sent prices soaring and inventory to historic lows. The Las Vegas housing market looks more like an intergalactic roller coaster, with Las Vegas owners clenching their wallet as if they are precious oxygen tanks.” In Southern Nevada, McCoy said while median prices are down 3.1 percent year-over-year, any repeat sales prices as measured by the Case-Shiller Index are down only 1 percent as the number of homes sold is down nearly 8 percent. Nationwide, the median prices are down 8.2 percent since 2022 while appreciation is up 7.3 percent. “What you are witnessing in [...]

NAIOP Southern Nevada Releases Study Digging Deeper Into Local Land Availability May 21, 2026 By B&P LAS VEGAS – NAIOP Southern Nevada, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association for the greater Las Vegas Valley, released a study this week digging deeper into the amount and type of land available for development in Southern Nevada. This study serves to narrow and unpack certain findings made in the Underutilized Land Inventory released by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada in 2025 (the “Inventory”). NAIOP Southern Nevada Executive Director Jamie Schwartz said the study, conducted by Las Vegas-based RCG Economics, “examined the practical feasibility of land” identified in the Inventory as “underutilized.” “The RCG analysis NAIOP commissioned provides important context to this issue,” Schwartz said. “It’s part of our mission to bring informed, practical, real-world perspectives to conversations that directly impact Southern Nevada’s economic and land planning future. This issue affects far more than the development industry. It impacts housing affordability, business attraction, infrastructure planning, renewable energy opportunities, job creation, and the long-term competitiveness of our region.” Unlike any other metro area in the nation, Southern Nevada faces unique land constraints. [...]

‘All-Inclusives’ Catching On In Vegas, Sign Of A City Responding To Shifting Economic Winds Strip giants MGM and Caesars among those throwing a bone to the budget-conscious traveler Over the weekend, The Nevada Independent published a 3,400-word deep dive titled “What’s killing Las Vegas? The shrinking middle class is a prime suspect.” Whether or not “killing” is a bit of hyperbole when it comes to possible outcomes for Sin City, the article calls appropriate attention to the general situation in Vegas: Many who used to frequent the city now feel priced out (at least on the Strip), and a troubling economic outlook has many Americans hesitant to overspend on a vacation. (Never mind international travel complications amid the current political climate.) In the last couple of weeks, three noteworthy operators in Vegas have made moves that suggest they are very much aware of these problems and looking to address them. One is a novelty, two could be a coincidence, but three is a trend, and MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, and Resorts World are now trying to make the “all-inclusive” approach take hold in Las Vegas. MGM was first to make its announcement, [...]

THE ROBOT REALITY: HOW AUTOMATION WILL RESHAPE NEVADA'S HOSPITALITY ECONOMY Walk into a major Las Vegas casino-resort today, and you might check in without speaking to a human. You might have a robot deliver your room service. You might never interact with a front desk clerk. What once sounded like science fiction is becoming reality. Recent research suggests this technological transformation could affect up to 92,000 Nevada hospitality positions by 2035. The numbers demand attention. Estimates indicate AI and automation may displace over 100 million jobs across multiple sectors during the next decade. While the actual number of potential job displacements vary, a number of news outlets and researchers have concluded the impact will be significant, at least in the short and medium terms. These include Axios, McKinsey & Company, and CNBC. In Las Vegas, Nevada's economic epicenter, where 26% of workers depend on tourism and hospitality jobs, (~3x the national average) the stakes are high. But the real story isn't just about job displacement. It's about how automation affects Nevada's unique economic structure in ways that create both obvious and hidden consequences. The $20 Billion Wave The transformation [...]

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Is Las Vegas prepared for the next economic downturn? By Patrick Blennerhassett Las Vegas Review-Journal February 26, 2026 - 9:04 am The Las Vegas Valley is better prepared now for an economic downturn than it has been in the past but is still relatively exposed because of a lack of economic diversity, according to one of UNLV’s top economists. The valley was one of the hardest hit cities in the country during the 2008 Great Recession, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, and the city’s tourism and gaming industry found itself on life support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Daniel Chi, a professor and the chair of the Lee Business School at UNLV, said Las Vegas needs to continue its push to diversify its economy before the next economic shock, as the first thing Americans do when the economy is suffering is tighten discretionary spending such as vacations. He noted after the housing bubble burst in 2008, the national unemployment rate peaked at 10 percent, but Nevada hit 13.4 percent, and then during the pandemic, the overall U.S unemployment rate peaked at 14.8 percent, and Nevada hit 30.5 percent. “So [...]

2,000 JOBS ADDED MONTH TO MONTH Las Vegas ranks second in metro unemployment at 5.2% amid tourism slump Yogonet International 2026-02-11United States Las Vegas recorded a 5.2% unemployment rate in December, ranking second-highest among major US metro areas. The result comes amid a sustained slump in tourism to America’s casino capital, where visitor volume fell 7.5% to 38.5 million in 2025. The December jobless rate, based on non-seasonally adjusted data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, placed the Las Vegas area second among more than 50 metro areas with populations of at least 1 million. Fresno, California, posted the highest rate at 8.2%. Honolulu recorded the lowest rate in the group at 2.1%. Seasonally adjusted figures from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation show that Las Vegas-area employment increased by 2,000 jobs from November to December. On a year-over-year basis, total employment was down by 9,800 jobs compared with December 2024. Metro-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted, unlike the monthly job totals. Despite the decline in annual visitation, several taxable sales categories posted year-over-year increases in November, according to the Nevada Department of Taxation. Food services and drinking places [...]

Experts address Vegas economy in local NAIOP event Press Release Date 02-05-2026 The Economic Club of Las Vegas is scheduled to host “Tariffs, Taxes and The Las Vegas Economy” reception with light hors d’oeuvres on February 19th, 2026, at Park MGM LAS VEGAS, NV, UNITED STATES, February 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Economic Club of Las Vegas is scheduled to host “Tariffs, Taxes and The Las Vegas Economy” reception with light hors d’oeuvres on February 19th, 2026, at Park MGM. The event will take place in Hyde 2 & 3 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Guests are encouraged to arrive before 5:00 PM for preliminary check-in. Presenters for the event are Dr. Kristopher Sanchez, Director—State of Nevada Department of Business & Industry, Cameron Belt, Senior Economist & Research Director—RCG Economics, and David Damore, Ph.D., Executive Director—The Lincy Institute and Brookings Mountain West. General memberships for the Economic Club of Las Vegas are now being offered through nominations. About the Economic Club of Las Vegas: The Economic Club of Las Vegas is a non-profit, non-partisan, and non-political organization designed for members to share their perspectives on social, economic, and [...]

Experts address Vegas economy in local NAIOP event BY BUCK WARGO LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS January 27, 2026 - 12:13 pm The Southern Nevada chapter of NAIOP kicked off its monthly breakfast program Jan. 15 focusing on the economy and how Las Vegas may be playing catch up to the national economy during 2026. Peter Kroner, director of national market intelligence for Avision & Young, and John Restrepo, principal of RCG Economics headlined the program moderated by Kyle Nagy, founder and director of CommCap Advisors. In describing 2026, Restrepo called it a transitional year while Kroner said he’s bullish and said it’s about alignment. READ THE ARTICLE