Esmeralda County, Nevada

Esmeralda County
County
Esmeralda County Courthouse in Goldfield
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Nevada
Nevada's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°47′05″N 117°37′57″W / 37.7847°N 117.63237°W / 37.7847; -117.63237
Country	United States
State	Nevada
Founded	November 25, 1861
Named for	Emerald
Seat	Goldfield
Largest community	Dyer
Area
• Total	3,589 sq mi (9,300 km2)
• Land	3,582 sq mi (9,280 km2)
• Water	7.2 sq mi (19 km2)  0.2%
Population  (2022)
• Total	744
• Density	0.21/sq mi (0.080/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	www.accessesmeralda.com

Esmeralda County is a county in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2023 estimate, the population was 736,^[1] making it the least populous county in Nevada, and the 20th least populous county in the United States. Esmeralda County does not have any incorporated communities. Its county seat is the town of Goldfield.^[2]

Its 2000 census population density of 0.2706 inhabitants per square mile (0.1045/km²) was the second-lowest of any county in the contiguous United States (above Loving County, Texas). Its school district does not have a high school, so students in grades 9–12 go to school in Tonopah, in the Nye County School District.

Most residents live in Goldfield or in the town of Dyer in Fish Lake Valley, near the California border. Esmeralda is the only Nevada county in the Los Angeles TV market (or any California market) as defined by The Nielsen Corporation.^[3]