Living in Wells, Nevada: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 5.2% below the U.S. average in the parts of Nevada outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 1.9 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Wells itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town3 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byNortheastern Nevada Regional Hospital in Elko, about 45 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySalt Lake City is about 159 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Wells meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $205,300U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 7.5%Elko County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $976 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $107,454U.S.: $80,734
Typical property tax bill: $837 a yearNevada: $2,027
Homes built before 1940: 11%U.S.: 12%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 10%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 94.8U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Nevada outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 7.5% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Nevada outside metro areas, not Wells alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,2452020: 1,242
Median age: 36.7 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 5%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 28%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 10%U.S.: 36%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Transportation, warehousing and utilities (14%); farming, forestry and mining (13%)
Unemployment rate: 5%U.S.: 5%
Work from home: 6%U.S.: 15%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital, Elko, NV, about 45 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

3 public schools in Wells, run by Elko.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Nevada's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with any internet subscription: 94%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 12°F
July average high: 88°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 23 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 205 a year
Rain and melted snow: 9.3 inches a year
Snow: 26 inches a year
Elevation: 5,632 feet

Weather stations: Wells (1 mile away) and Oasis (26 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Northeastern Nevada Regional HospitalEmergency room45

Twin Falls, IDCity of 56,000103

Salt Lake City, UTMetro of 1.3 million159

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital, Twin Falls, Salt Lake City.

Elko County is outside any metro area, with 20,000 or more people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 5, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Read about Wells's history on Wikipedia.

Know Wells?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Spring Creek, NV14,700 people, 42 miles
Elko, NV21,000 people, 47 miles
West Wendover, NV4,600 people, 52 miles
Wendover, UT1,100 people, 55 miles
Carlin, NV2,000 people, 66 miles
Filer, ID3,000 people, 102 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.