Reno’s one-year job growth and short-term job growth top all large metros in the Milken Report. Although traditionally known for its gaming industry, the trade, transportation, and utilities
(11,400 jobs); professional and business services (9,000 jobs); manufacturing (8,400 jobs); construction (7,900 jobs); and education sectors (3,700 jobs) drove the majority of employment added in the past five years.
This recent job growth is illustrative of the region’s changing economic landscape. Most notably, Tesla’s Gigafactory recently arrived in Reno and is the largest factory in the world. Reno is also a transportation and logistics sub-center with a thriving logistics and drone sector, including an Amazon fulfillment center, the first commercial drone delivery company in the US (Flirtey), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the University of Nevada Reno’s NUANCE Lab, which collaborate on drone traffic management.
The area is also an emerging data center hub. Apple, for instance, has a data center in Reno with plans for expansion in the Reno-Sparks region. Tech giant, Google, is building out a 1,210 acre campus, expected to be data center related as well. In addition, Switch’s Tahoe Reno 1 in the Citadel Campus is the world’s largest data center campus. Affordable renewable energy in the region is recognized as one of the major reasons behind Apple and Google’s site selection for data centers in the area.
