The softening is showing up in hotel pricing, flight schedules and paychecks — echoing what the Federal Reserve's survey and recent airline earnings calls have flagged: Higher-income travelers keep booking, while households feeling the pinch pull back.

It helps that Nevada is already active in all seven stages of that supply chain—from exploration and mining to manufacturing and recycling. According to a 2022 report by UNLV researchers, the state employs more than 9,000 across the entire process, including over 60% of the nation’s lithium-ion battery jobs. That number could soon surge, as the report estimates that the global battery industry will grow to $115 billion by 2030—a 422% increase from 2020.

The latest annual economic benefit projection is larger than the $1 billion figure that Gov. Wes Moore and other officials shared shortly after Sphere announced its plans to expand. But economists say economic impact estimates are often inflated.

Sponsored by UNLV’s Lee Business School, the Nevada Business Hall of Fame celebrates outstanding individuals who have shaped Nevada’s economic landscape and enriched its communities.

We’re still seeing long-term population momentum in Clark County. UNLV’s Center for Business and Economic Research estimates Clark County’s population was 2.42 million in 2024, and forecasts population growth of about 1.7 percent in both 2025 and 2026.

Overall, UNLV’s Lied Center for Real Estate reported in September that Las Vegas’ housing market was “largely unaffordable for much of the local population.”