Washoe County households, vehicles and the smog program
Washoe County has 497,200 people in 199,296 households with 391,243 vehicles available to them, about 1.96 per household, according to the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 estimates. Most of those vehicles are based inside the DMV's Washoe testing area, which is why the yearly smog check is a household routine here.
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The table below breaks the county figures down by the cities, Census places and ZIP code areas that have pages on this site. The Census counts vehicles available to households, which is close to, but not the same as, vehicles registered with the DMV; it leaves out business fleets, for example.
Highlights
- Washoe County: 497,200 people, 199,296 households, 391,243 vehicles available (Census ACS 2020-2024).
- 63.1 percent of county households have two or more vehicles.
- 12,773 county households have no vehicle.
- Mean commute: 22.5 minutes; 68.7 percent of workers drive alone.
The data
| Area | People | Households | Vehicles available | Vehicles per household | Households with 2+ vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washoe County, Nevada | 497,200 | 199,296 | 391,243 | 1.96 | 63.1% |
| Reno (Reno city, Nevada) | 273,212 | 114,322 | 201,516 | 1.76 | 56.0% |
| Sparks (Sparks city, Nevada) | 110,024 | 42,414 | 84,517 | 1.99 | 65.0% |
| Northwest Reno (ZCTA5 89523) | 37,130 | 16,342 | 31,276 | 1.91 | 64.9% |
| Mogul (Mogul CDP, Nevada) | 1,050 | 474 | 1,353 | 2.85 | 85.7% |
| Verdi (Verdi CDP, Nevada) | 1,012 | 527 | 88.4% | ||
| Old Northwest Reno and Rancho San Rafael (ZCTA5 89503) | 30,249 | 13,195 | 22,095 | 1.67 | 51.2% |
| University and North Reno (ZCTA5 89512) | 28,030 | 11,442 | 17,159 | 1.5 | 42.8% |
| Stead and the North Valleys (ZCTA5 89506) | 47,046 | 16,141 | 35,135 | 2.18 | 71.6% |
| Cold Springs (Cold Springs CDP, Nevada) | 11,321 | 3,618 | 8,911 | 2.46 | 80.8% |
| Lemmon Valley (Lemmon Valley CDP, Nevada) | 4,412 | 1,875 | 85.2% | ||
| Golden Valley (Golden Valley CDP, Nevada) | 1,139 | 419 | 87.6% | ||
| Sun Valley (Sun Valley CDP, Nevada) | 22,228 | 6,922 | 16,661 | 2.41 | 74.9% |
| Caughlin Ranch and Southwest Reno (ZCTA5 89519) | 9,110 | 3,883 | 8,612 | 2.22 | 72.1% |
| Midtown and Downtown Reno (ZCTA5 89501) | 3,507 | 2,331 | 1,816 | 0.78 | 14.1% |
| Old Southwest Reno (ZCTA5 89509) | 35,632 | 16,788 | 30,134 | 1.79 | 55.6% |
| Southeast Reno and the airport (ZCTA5 89502) | 46,691 | 19,348 | 31,242 | 1.61 | 49.9% |
| South Reno (ZCTA5 89511) | 30,956 | 13,054 | 27,147 | 2.08 | 69.9% |
| Damonte Ranch and South Meadows (ZCTA5 89521) | 41,859 | 16,848 | 35,184 | 2.09 | 69.0% |
| Somersett (ZCTA5 89523) | 37,130 | 16,342 | 31,276 | 1.91 | 64.9% |
| Hidden Valley (ZCTA5 89502) | 46,691 | 19,348 | 31,242 | 1.61 | 49.9% |
| East Sparks and Vista (ZCTA5 89434) | 27,990 | 10,973 | 21,030 | 1.92 | 64.0% |
| Spanish Springs and Wingfield Springs (Spanish Springs CDP, Nevada) | 17,980 | 6,685 | 18,319 | 2.74 | 88.5% |
| Washoe Valley and New Washoe City (ZCTA5 89704) | 4,846 | 1,844 | 5,300 | 2.87 | 87.4% |
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, api.census.gov, retrieved 2026-10-15. Places and ZIP code areas overlap (Reno city contains several of the ZIP areas), so the rows do not add up to the county.
Vehicles available, by place
Reading the numbers
Vehicles available is a Census count of cars, vans and trucks kept at home for household use. In a testing county most of them face a yearly smog check, minus the exempt groups: new vehicles on their first three registrations, young hybrids, electric vehicles, motorcycles and older classics. The Census does not split vehicles by model year or fuel, so it cannot say how many are exempt.
Households with two or more vehicles stand at 63.1 percent county-wide; the share is higher in the newer subdivisions and lower in the city center, which you can see in the table.
Why it matters for a renewal
Every one of those vehicles has its own registration month. A household with three cars has three smog checks spread across the year, unless the cars happen to share a month. Keeping a list of each vehicle's renewal month is the simplest way to avoid a last-minute test.
Where the figures come from
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024 vintage, tables B01003, B11001, B25044, B25046, B08201 and B08303, pulled from api.census.gov. Places and ZIP code areas overlap, so the rows do not add up to the county total.
Sources
- api.census.gov/data/2024/acs/acs5 (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-year; retrieved 10/15/26)
- dmv.nv.gov/emission.htm (Nevada DMV Emission Control Program; read 10/19/26)
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- Address4993 Longley Ln, Reno, NV 89502
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4.7 stars from 550 Google reviews of the two Reno Xpress Oil & Lube Centers
- No appointment needed
- Located inside Xpress Oil & Lube Center
- Two Reno service centers
- Results go to the DMV electronically