The December Drivers License count shows that Nevada’s in-migration rate has slowed tremendously.  November reported a 20% decrease from the previous month.  The December count was just 4,656 out-of-state licenses turned in for a new Nevada drivers license.

Although this number appears to be big, it is low compared to months in the past when nearly 10,000 licenses were turned in.  Another noteworthy point….. most new residents wait 2-3 months before getting a new drivers license.  Economists identified the fourth quarter of 2008 as that tipping point of the economy and people ‘buckling down.’ 

Expect this number to show steady decreases for months to come, especially with Nevada’s rising unemployment levels.  People move to where the jobs are, not where they are being lost.  Jobs in Nevada are not plentiful.

According to the UNLV Center for Business and Economic Research, the number of out-of-state drivers licenses turned into the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles dropped from 5,612 in October to 4,447 in November.  This is not surprising considering the state of the economy or the recent news that Las Vegas actually lost population over the past year. 

Some key indicators from November’s report:

• Total number of drivers licenses turned in: 4,447
• 20.8% less than previous month
• California largest state of in-migration with 1,312
• Other states with high in-migration numbers: Texas, Utah, Florida and Arizona
• Utah almost doubled from October
• Michigan was nearly 50% of previous month

The exchange of out-of-state drivers licenses for a new Nevada license has remained steady for the past few months.  October numbers came in at 5,612, down just 102 over September 2008. California continues to lead the in-migration with 1,781 licenses turned in, or nearly 32%.

With the recent news about Clark County losing 10,000 residents in the last year, I wonder if there is a way for us to count how many Nevada drivers licenses were turned into other state Department of Motor Vehicles. 

The September Drivers License Count came in at 5,714.  That is 93 more out-of-state drivers licenses than August 2008….. a little bit of an up tick.  I still believe this is trickle in from the folks that moved here earlier in the Summer, but waited on getting a Nevada Drivers License.

Consistent with past months, California leads the way with 32% of all the drivers licenses turned in.  And of course, they all are migrating here looking for jobs in Nevada.

Well… the August Drivers Licence Count is in and the numbers are down – almost a 10% drop in in-migration from July 2008. 

Typically Summer months are the highest for in-migration as this is when recent college grads and families with school aged children move.  And the drivers license count usually lags a few months behind as new residents do not immediately exchange their old drivers license for a Nevada license.  So…. August numbers should have been much higher than July. This is not good. 

This dilemma is a double edged sword.  Right now, Nevada does not really need more residents as we have the highest unemployment level we have had in 15 years.  However, to be able to be able to fill all of the Las Vegas jobs that will be created in the next few years, we need to keep a steady flow of new residents moving here. 

Despite the economic issues throughout the country, more and more new residents are moving to Nevada.  The July Driver’s License Count just came in and thousands of folks are still moving to Nevada each month.  Although Jobs in Nevada are becoming harder and harder to find with Nevada experiencing the highest unemployment level in over 14 years. 

Here are some stats from July:

• 6,126 people exchanged their old driver’s license for a Nevada driver’s license.
• 1,896 (31%) were California drivers licenses
• 345 (5.6%) were from Florida
• 338 (5.5%) from Arizona

So, month over month we have had a 13% increase over June and 25% over May.  All things considered, there are still a lot of people moving here.

If you are interested in getting a copy of the Driver’s License Count, shoot me an email – Doug (at) RecruitingNevada.com

June’s drivers license count was up.  A total of 5,445 out-of-state drivers licenses were turned into the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.  This is nearly 1,000 more than May 2008.  Spring and Summer months are typically the highest times of the year as this is when families with school-aged children move. 

California, as usual, led the in-migration with 1,687 (31%).  Arizona (6.8%), Florida (5.4%), Texas (5.2%) and Michigan (4.2%) followed. 

According to May’s Driver’s License Count, not near as many people are moving to Nevada as were in the past years.  In May a total of 4,612 out-of-state drivers licenses were turned into the Department of Motor Vehicles.  In-keeping with previous months, California is our largest producer with 1,420 of the new residents (30.7%). 

This is obviously due to the economy and Nevada’s sagging real estate market.  In past years, we have seen the in-migration as high as 9,000+ new residents per month.  This volume is expected to return in the  next few years as Las Vegas has 145,000 jobs being created.