Election law changes? Our legislation tracker’s got you.Check it out!

Las Vegas, Nevada

From Ballotpedia
Top 100 Cities Banner.jpg



Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas Seal.png
General information

Mayor of Las Vegas Shelley Berkley
Nonpartisan
Assumed office: December 4, 2024

Last mayoral election:2024
Next mayoral election:2028
Last city council election:2024
Next city council election:2026
City council seats:7[1]
City website
Composition data
Population:641,903
Race:White 46%
African American 12.9%
Asian 7.2%
Native American 1.1%
Pacific Islander 0.7%
Multiple 15%
Ethnicity:Hispanic or Latino origin 33.3%
Median household income:$70,723
High school graduation rate:85.8%
College graduation rate:27.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau,2020 census and2023 ACS data. Percentages are rounded to the nearest 0.1%.
Related Las Vegas offices
Nevada Congressional Delegation
Nevada State Legislature
Nevada state executive offices


Las Vegas is a city inClark County, Nevada. The city's population was 641,903 as of 2020, according to theUnited States Census Bureau.

Click on the links below to learn more about the city's...

City government

See also:Council-manager government

The city of Las Vegas utilizes a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council, which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body, appoints a chief executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and implement the city council's policy and legislative initiatives.[2][3]

Mayor

See also:List of current mayors of the top 100 cities in the United States

The mayor presides over city council meetings and official city ceremonies. The mayor also represents the city on the state, national, and international levels.[2][4] The current Mayor of Las Vegas isShelley Berkley (nonpartisan). Berkley assumed office in 2024.

City manager

The city manager is the city's chief executive. The responsibilities of the city manager include overseeing the city's day-to-day operations, planning and implementing the city's operating budget, and appointing departmental directors and other senior-level positions.[2]

City council

See also:List of current city council officials of the top 100 cities in the United States

The Las Vegas City Council is the city's primary legislative body. It is responsible for adopting the city budget, approving mayoral appointees, levying taxes, and making or amending city laws, policies, and ordinances.[2]

The city council is made up of seven members, including the mayor. While the mayor is elected at large, the other six members are elected by the city's six districts.[2]

Click here for a current list of council members


The widget below automatically displays information about city council meetings. The topic list contains a sampling of keywords thatVoterheads, a local government monitoring service, found in each meeting agenda. Click the meeting link to see more info and the full agenda:

Other elected officials

Ballotpedia does not cover any additional city officials in Las Vegas, Nevada.


Mayoral partisanship

See also:Party affiliation of the mayors of the 100 largest cities

Las Vegas has a Democratic mayor. As of February 2026, 67 mayors in thelargest 100 cities by population are affiliated with theDemocratic Party, 22 are affiliated with theRepublican Party, one is affiliated with theLibertarian Party, three are independents, five identify as nonpartisan or unaffiliated, and two mayors' affiliations are unknown.Click here for a list of the 100 largest cities' mayors and their partisan affiliations.

Mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan in most of the nation's largest cities. However, many officeholders are affiliated with political parties. Ballotpedia uses one or more of the following sources to identify each officeholder's partisan affiliation: (1) direct communication from the officeholder, (2) current or previous candidacy for partisan office, or (3) identification of partisan affiliation by multiple media outlets.

Elections

2026

See also:City elections in Las Vegas, Nevada (2026)

The city ofLas Vegas, Nevada, is holding general elections for city council, municipal court judges, and justices of the peace on November 3, 2026. A primary is scheduled for June 9, 2026. The filing deadline for judicial offices was January 16, 2026. The filing deadline for all other offices is March 13, 2026.

2024

See also:Mayoral election in Las Vegas, Nevada (2024) andCity elections in Las Vegas, Nevada (2024)

The city ofLas Vegas, Nevada, held general elections for mayor, city council, and judicial offices on November 5, 2024. A primary was scheduled for June 11, 2024. The filing deadline for judicial seats was January 12, 2024, and the filing deadline for non-judicial seats was March 15, 2024. A filing deadline for justice of the peace was July 26, 2024.

2022

See also:City elections in Las Vegas, Nevada (2022)

The city ofLas Vegas, Nevada, held general elections for city council and municipal court judge on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for June 14, 2022. The filing deadline for this election was March 18, 2022.

2019

See also:City elections in Las Vegas, Nevada (2019)
The city ofLas Vegas, Nevada, held general elections formayor and city council on June 11, 2019. The primary was on April 2, 2019. The deadline for candidates to file to run in this election was February 8, 2019.Click here for more information about the mayoral election.


There was also a special election for the for the Ward 2 seat on the city council on June 11, 2019. The filing deadline for this election was March 28, 2019. The special election became necessary after former Ward 2 representativeSteve Seroka resigned on March 4, 2019.

2018

See also:Municipal elections in Las Vegas, Nevada (2018)

The city ofLas Vegas, Nevada, held a special election for the Ward 5 seat on the city council on March 27, 2018. The filing deadline for this election was February 14, 2018.[5]

2017

See also:Municipal elections in Las Vegas, Nevada (2017)

The city ofLas Vegas, Nevada, held a primary election forcity council on April 4, 2017. A general election was scheduled for June 13, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was February 3, 2017.

The city council seats in Wards 2, 4, and 6 were up for election in the primary, and the Wards 2 and 6 races advanced to the general election. Ward 6 CouncilmanSteven D. Ross was not eligible to run for re-election due to term limits.[6]

2015

See also:Las Vegas, Nevada municipal elections, 2015

The city ofLas Vegas, Nevada, was initially scheduled to hold elections formayor and city council onJune 2, 2015. A primary election took place on April 7, 2015.[7] Because one candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary election, the general election was called off. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was February 6, 2015. Three of the six city council seats were up for election.

Census information

The table below shows demographic information about the city.

Demographic Data for Las Vegas
Las Vegas
Population641,903
Land area (sq mi)141
Race and ethnicity**
White49.2%
Black/African American11.9%
Asian6.9%
Native American1.1%
Pacific Islander0.4%
Other (single race)13.9%
Multiple16.2%
Hispanic/Latino34.1%
Education
High school graduation rate85.8%
College graduation rate27.3%
Income
Median household income$70,723
Persons below poverty level14.2%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau,"Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau,"American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the censushere.


Budget

The city's budget process operates by fiscal years running from July 1 to June 30 of the next year. All departments and agencies in the city are required to submit funding and spending requests to the city's finance director on or before the first Wednesday in February each year. The city manager is responsible for drafting the budget with help from city personnel. The city's tentative budget must be submitted to the Nevada Department of Taxation by April 15 of each year. The city council also holds hearings to allow for public input in the budget process. The city council must then approve a final budget by no later than June 1. After the city council has approved a budget, it is sent to the state for approval.[8][9][10]

Fiscally standardized cities data

The fiscally standardized cities (FiSC) data below was compiled by theLincoln Institute of Land Policy to make municipal budgets comparable across cities in the United States.[11]

FiSCs are constructed by adding revenues and expenditures of each central city municipal government to a portion of the revenues and expenditures of overlying governments, including counties, independent school districts, and special districts. The allocations to FiSCs are estimates of the revenues collected from and services provided to central city residents and businesses by these overlying independent governments. Thus FiSCs provides a full picture of revenues raised from city residents and businesses and spending on their behalf, whether done by the city government or a separate overlying government.[12]

—Lincoln Institute of Land Policy[13]

The tables below show estimated finances within city limits. As such, the revenue and expenses listed may differ from the actual city budget.


Revenue in 2022
Revenue typeAmount
Total Revenue$5,315,964,422
General Revenue$5,031,838,240
Federal Aid$331,762,546
State Aid$2,291,810,201
Tax Revenue$1,375,890,473
Charges & Misc. General Revenue$1,032,375,020
Utility Revenue$284,126,182
Liquor Store Revenue$0

Expenditures in 2022
Expenditure typeAmount
Total Expenditures$4,272,031,727
General Expenditures$3,947,798,590
Education Services Expenditure$1,279,264,143
Health and Welfare Expenditure$461,786,392
Transportation Expenditure$564,100,451
Public Safety Expenditure$655,221,267
Environment and Housing Expenditure$461,350,376
Governmental Administration Expenditure$180,165,675
Interest on General Debt$179,989,967
Miscellaneous Expenditure$165,920,319
Utility Expenditure$321,909,888
Liquor Store Expenditure$0
Intergovernmental Expenditures$2,323,249


Historical total revenue and expenditure

To see the historical total revenue or expenditures as a rounded amount in this city, hover over the bars.[11]

Las Vegas, Nevada, salaries and pensions over $95,000

Below is a map of the nationwide salaries and pensions in this city over $95,000. To search a different ZIP code, enter it in the search bar within the map.

Contact information

Mayor's office
495 S. Main St.
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: 702-229-6241

City Clerk's office
495 S. Main St.
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: 702-229-6311

Clickhere for city council contact information.

Ballot measures

See also:Clark County, Nevada ballot measures

The city of Las Vegas is inClark County. A list of ballot measures in Clark County is availablehere.

Noteworthy events

2020: Events and activity following the death of George Floyd

See also:Events following the death of George Floyd and responses in select cities from May 29-31, 2020

During the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, demonstrations and protests took place in cities nationwide, including Las Vegas, following the death of George Floyd. Events inLas Vegas, Nevada, began on Thursday, May 28, 2020, at the MGM Grand on the Strip.[14] No curfews were issued. The national guard was not deployed.

2015: Study on city's nondiscrimination laws

See also:Employment nondiscrimination laws in Nevada

In July 2015, theMovement Advancement Project described Las Vegas, Nevada, as a city or county that prohibited discrimination in employment on the basis of gender identity via ordinances that apply to public andprivate employers. At that time, a total of71 ofAmerica's largest 100 cities prohibited private employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, while69 of those cities also prohibited discrimination based on gender identity. This did not include those jurisdictions that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity for government employees.[15]

Nondiscrimination laws can cover a variety of areas, including public employment, private employment, housing, and public accommodations. Such laws may be enacted at the state, county, or city level.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. The mayor is included in this number as one of the city council members.
  2. 2.02.12.22.32.4City of Las Vegas, "City Manager’s Office," accessed March 31, 2017
  3. City of Las Vegas, "Organizational Chart," accessed August 10, 2021
  4. City of Las Vegas, "Mayor," accessed March 31, 2017
  5. Las Vegas Review-Journal, "Special election scheduled to replace Barlow on Las Vegas council," February 7, 2018
  6. Las Vegas Review-Journal, "Political Newcomer Joins Field for Las Vegas City Council Seat," January 18, 2017
  7. Clark County Nevada, "Election: Important Dates," accessed November 17, 2014
  8. Nevada Revised Statutes, "Chapter 354 - Local Financial Administration," accessed August 23, 2023
  9. Municode Library, "Las Vegas, Nevada Municipal Code 4.08.010, accessed August 23, 2023
  10. City of Las Vegas, "Budget Brief 2023," accessed August 23, 2023
  11. 11.011.1Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, "Fiscally Standardized Cities database," accessed August 23, 2023
  12. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  13. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, "Fiscally Standardized Cities," accessed August 23, 2023
  14. KSNV, "Las Vegas residents gather on the Strip to protest death of George Floyd," May 28, 2020
  15. Movement Advancement Project, "Local Employment Non-Discrimination Ordinances," accessed July 7, 2015
v  e
Largest U.S. Cities by Population
MayorsCity council officialsOverlapping countiesMunicipal partisanship
A-C
D-H
I-M
N-R
S-W
Flag of Nevada
v  e
State ofNevada
Carson City (capital)
Elections

What's on my ballot? |Elections in 2026 |How to vote |How to run for office |Ballot measures

Government

Who represents me? |U.S. President |U.S. Congress |Federal courts |State executives |State legislature |State and local courts |Counties |Cities |School districts |Public policy