A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

West Wendover$1,910/mo

Typical home $308K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.16% · or rent about $611/mo · Housing →

Ely$1,180/mo

Typical home $208K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.51% · or rent about $950/mo · Housing →

The difference: $730 a month, about $8,800 a year, between West Wendover and Ely.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Ely places higher on 10 of 20 NV lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Nevada ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

C−West WendoverSafer than 17% of U.S. towns –ElyNot graded

Schools

CWest WendoverBetter than 32% of districts in the state C−ElyBetter than 21% of districts in the state

Health

DWest WendoverHealthier than 12% of U.S. towns CElyHealthier than 35% of U.S. towns

9West Wendover

10Ely

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Fewest uninsuredHealth · 42 towns #41#17 Most conserved landOutdoors · 41 towns #4#23 Lowest depressionHealth · 42 towns #3#22 Highest incomeIncome · 42 towns #40#22 Most activeHealth · 42 towns #39#22 Most remote workersWork · 42 towns #38#23 Lowest obesityHealth · 42 towns #42#28 Most educatedPeople · 42 towns #24#37

Left end = #1 in Nevada. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of West Wendover’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

West WendoverEly

Snow a year—54″

January low—12°F

July high—89°F

Growing season (days)—91d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)77th 51st

Outdoors & history

West WendoverEly

Trails32 mi 31 mi

Conserved land47.8%4.9%

Settled—1878

National Register places—8

Archive photos18 16

Famous people born here—14

Community

West WendoverEly

Library hours a week29 hrs 48 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

110 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

West WendoverNV ElyNV

West Wendover ↔ Ely110 miles apart

Who commutes between them

10 Ely residents work in West Wendover (0.6% of its workers)

Work & commute in Ely →

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Nevada average

West WendoverEly

People

Population 4,514Highest 3,929Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.3%Highest NV: +15% -7.8%Lowest NV: +15%

Median age 40.4±8.2Highest 3% above NV 38.7±7Lowest about the NV average

West Wendover and Ely are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 20.1%±8.2Lowest NV: 21.7% 22.5%±5Highest NV: 21.7%

Ely and West Wendover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 7.8%±4.1Lowest NV: 17% 19.7%±4.6Highest NV: 17%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.1%Highest NV: 27.9% 13.9%Lowest NV: 27.9%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.6%±3.5Lowest NV: 5.2% 5%±2.9Highest NV: 5.2%

Ely and West Wendover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $49,013±$21kLowest 37% below NV $77,500±$14kHighest about the NV average

Ely and West Wendover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $139,700±$65kLowest 68% below NV $233,700±$33kHighest 46% below NV

Ely and West Wendover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $611±$286Lowest 62% below NV $950±$83Highest 41% below NV

Ely and West Wendover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,625Highest 20% below NV $1,188Lowest 41% below NV

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 77%±78.8Highest NV: 55.9% 8.1%±6.9Lowest NV: 55.9%

West Wendover and Ely are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 7.4%Lowest NV: 12.4% 7.6%Highest NV: 12.4%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 56.2%Lowest NV: 60% 65.4%Highest NV: 60%

Typical home builtmedian year 1989Highest 7 yrs older than NV 1958Lowest 38 yrs older than NV

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 13 minLowest 48% below NV 17 minHighest 32% below NV

Work from home 3.4%±3.5Lowest NV: 11.9% 8.9%±5.4Highest NV: 11.9%

Ely and West Wendover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 71.4%Highest 61%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 1.3 mi 1.3 mi

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.35Lowest 1.61Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Elko (7%)Elko (3%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Ely1% work in West Wendover

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 47.8%Highest 4.9%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 31.9 miHighest 31.3 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 4.3 miHighest 4.1 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3 3

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 17.2Lowest 42.4Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #36 of 41 in NV #26 of 41 in NV

School district ElkoWhite Pine County School District

High school in town West Wendover High SchoolWhite Pine High School

Students per teacherat that high school 15.7Lowest 19.1Highest

Nevada average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

West Wendover neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to West Wendover’s Town Square.

Ely neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ely’s Town Square.

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Towns like West Wendover

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Yerington3,150 people · $285K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

West Wendover vs Ely

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $730 more a month in West Wendover

Ely places higher on 10 of 20 NV lists

What daily life feels like in each

110 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside West Wendover and Ely

Towns like West Wendover

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