Cold semi-arid
Sparks, Nevada
Washoe County, Nevada · Population 109k · 4,423 ft elevation
Living in Sparks
Sparks has a cold semi-arid climate: very hot summers (July highs around 92°F) and cold winters (January lows around 25°F).
Precipitation is very dry at about 8″ a year, and it sees only a dusting of snow (7″ a season).
Skies are exceptionally sunny (77% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is moderate: a median AQI of 50, with about 2 unhealthy-air days in the latest year.
Sparks is an outdoor hub: about 44% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 3,400 ft around town.
Sparks at a glance
- Population
- 109k
- Elevation
- 4,423 ft
- Average daily high
- 69°F60th percentile
- Average daily low
- 38°F12th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 8″1th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 7″42th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 3,494 hrs90th percentile
- Median AQI
- 5084th percentile
- Median home value
- $456k78th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,651/mo74th percentile
- Median household income
- $87k63th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.48%7th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 0.0%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 8.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.7%
- Homes with broadband
- 93%62th percentile
- Walkability index
- 10.268th percentile
- Average commute
- 23 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 34%31th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 50%
- Violent crime rate
- 365 per 100k78th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 2,264 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 9773th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 9594th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 22%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 44%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 3,412 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48°F | 25°F | 1.3″ | 2.2″ | 194 hrs |
| Feb | 53°F | 27°F | 1.0″ | 1.0″ | 195 hrs |
| Mar | 60°F | 32°F | 0.8″ | 1.0″ | 260 hrs |
| Apr | 65°F | 36°F | 0.5″ | 0.1″ | 300 hrs |
| May | 74°F | 43°F | 0.7″ | — | 351 hrs |
| Jun | 84°F | 49°F | 0.4″ | — | 395 hrs |
| Jul | 92°F | 55°F | 0.4″ | — | 409 hrs |
| Aug | 91°F | 53°F | 0.3″ | — | 386 hrs |
| Sep | 83°F | 46°F | 0.2″ | — | 333 hrs |
| Oct | 71°F | 36°F | 0.9″ | — | 286 hrs |
| Nov | 57°F | 29°F | 0.7″ | 0.8″ | 216 hrs |
| Dec | 47°F | 24°F | 1.1″ | 1.7″ | 171 hrs |
Near Sparks
- Sun Valley, NV · 23k
- Spanish Springs, NV · 18k
- Reno, NV · 269k
- Lemmon Valley, NV · 4.4k
- Cold Springs, NV · 11k
- Washoe Valley, NV · 3.4k
- Dayton, NV · 16k
- Incline Village, NV · 9.2k
Largest places in Nevada
- Las Vegas, NV · 651k
- Henderson, NV · 325k
- North Las Vegas, NV · 271k
- Enterprise, NV · 232k
- Spring Valley, NV · 220k
- Sunrise Manor, NV · 199k
- Paradise, NV · 186k
- Carson, NV · 58k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology