Humboldt County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the U.S. state of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 17,285. It is a largely rural county that is sparsely populated with the only major city being Winnemucca which has a population of 8,431. Humboldt County comprises the Winnemucca, NV Micropolitan Statistical Area and serves as an important crossroads in the national transportation network. Interstate 80 travels through the southeastern corner of the county, meeting US 95 in Winnemucca that serves as a primary freight corridor between Northern Nevada and

Boise, Idaho Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...

and the Interstate 84 freight corridor that links much of the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

. The original transcontinental railway, constructed by the Central Pacific Railroad, reached Humboldt County on September 16, 1868. The

Western Pacific Railroad The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California. WP's Feather River Route dire ...

would reach Humboldt County by November 1909, providing two mainline rail links to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and the

Eastern United States The Eastern United States, often abbreviated as simply the East, is a macroregion of the United States located to the east of the Mississippi River. It includes 17–26 states and Washington, D.C., the national capital. As of 2011, the Eastern ...

. Both railroads have since been acquired by the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

, who continues to serve the region today. The county contains several areas of land belonging to regionally significant Native American communities including the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe and the Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada. Largely a region with ranchers and farmers, the county came under increased attention after the 2017 proposal of the Thacker Pass Lithium Mine. The mine has been controversial locally and in the national press—as it would be the first major lithium clay mine to open in the United States and be important to the local economy but threatens local ecosystems and indigenous heritage sites.

History

The Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone tribes have lived in Humboldt County for over 12,000 years. Humboldt County is the oldest county in Nevada, created by the Utah Territorial Legislature in 1856. It was also one of Nevada's original nine counties created in 1861. The county is named after the

Humboldt River The Humboldt River is the longest river in the northern and central part of Nevada. It extends in a general east-to-west direction from its headwaters in northern Nevada's Jarbidge Mountains, Jarbidge, Independence Mountains, Independence, and ...

, which was named by John C. Frémont after

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 1769 – 6 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, natural history, naturalist, List of explorers, explorer, and proponent of Romanticism, Romantic philosophy and Romanticism ...

, a German naturalist, traveler and statesman. Humboldt never saw the places that bear his name. Unionville was the first county seat in 1861 until the mining boom died there and it was moved to Winnemucca on the transcontinental railroad line in 1873. The county was the site of an arrest in 2000 that led to the U.S. Supreme Court decision '' Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada'' in 2004. Humboldt County is referenced in Brandon Flowers' 2015 song "Digging Up The Heart", in which the protagonist meets "Christie, queen of Humboldt County".

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water. It is Nevada's fourth-largest county by area. The Santa Rosa Range runs through eastern Humboldt County. The highest point in the county, Granite Peak, is in the range. The most topographically prominent mountain in Humboldt County is unofficially known as Dan Dobbins Peak and is in the remote Jackson Mountains.

Adjacent counties

* Harney County, Oregon - northwest *

Malheur County, Oregon Malheur County (, ) is one of the List of counties in Oregon, 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 31,571. Its county seat is Vale, Oregon, Vale, and its largest city ...

- north * Owyhee County, Idaho - northeast/Mountain Time Border * Elko County - east * Lander County - southeast * Pershing County - south * Washoe County - west

National protected areas

* Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area (part) * Humboldt National Forest (part) * Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Reservations

The county includes land that is held by Indian reservations.

Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe

Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada

Demographics

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 16,106 people in the county, organized into 5733 households, and 4133 families. The population density was . There were 6,954 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 83.21% White, 4.02% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.51% Black or African American, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 8.54% from other races, and 3.09% from two or more races. 18.87%. were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 5,733 households, 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 22.8% of households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.28. The age distribution was 31.40% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 31.20% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 7.50% who were 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.20 males. The median household income was $47,147 and the median family income was $52,156. Males had a median income of $44,694 versus $25,917 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,539. 9.70% of the population and 7.70% of families were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. Out of the total population, 10.40% of those under the age of 18 and 10.80% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Winnemucca state bank and trust large

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 16,528 people, 6,289 households, and 4,316 families in the county. The population density was . There were 7,123 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 79.0% white, 4.2% American Indian, 0.7% Asian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 12.7% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 24.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 15.0% were English, 14.6% were Irish, 14.1% were German, and 5.1% were American. Of the 6,289 households, 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.4% were non-families, and 25.6% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.13. The median age was 36.2 years. The median household income was $55,656 and the median family income was $69,032. Males had a median income of $56,843 versus $33,531 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,965. About 7.8% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the

, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Humboldt County School District serves all of Humboldt County. Albert M. Lowry High School and McDermitt Combined School have high school programs. The county is in the service area of Great Basin College. Previously Crane Union High School, a boarding high school in Oregon, served portions of the county,
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from Newspapers.com. There was an abbreviated version published:
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from Newspapers.com. and it continues to be an option for residents living in Denio.
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of second page
at Newspapers.com. There was formerly a private school in the county, the Leonard Creek School, that was in operation in 1978. The Humboldt County Library has its main facility in Winnemucca, and branches in Denio and McDermitt.

Law enforcement

There have been at least two allegations of abuse of civil forfeiture by Humboldt County Sheriff's deputy Lee Dove, who as of 2015, is no longer employed as a deputy. Both cases were settled in favor of the civilians in question.

Politics

Humboldt County, like most of rural Nevada, is overwhelmingly Republican. This has been especially true in recent elections, with

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

receiving over three-quarters of the vote in both 2020 and 2024. The Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, which lies on the county's northern border, is the only Democratic-leaning area of the county, though their population is relatively small in comparison with the city of Winnemucca and the rest of the rural county and other communities such as Paradise Valley, Orovada and Denio, which vote heavily Republican.https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/us/elections/2024-election-map-precinct-results.html?unlocked_article_code=1.xk4.VI7C.oXuhxhF7kYdB&smid=url-share