UNLV Data Shows Las Vegas Sports Jobs More Than Doubled in 10 Years, and Youth Hockey Grew Fivefold

by Ryan Rose

What Happened

On Oct. 29, 2026, UNLV announced a new Sports Economy Dashboard. It was built by the Center for Business and Economic Research, known as CBER, at the Lee Business School, together with the UNLV Sports Innovation Institute in the Harrah College of Hospitality. The release was written by Jessica Soria of the Lee Business School.

The dashboard tracks four main things: employment, tourism, sporting venues and participation. It builds on a 2023 white paper on the sports economy that CBER and the Sports Innovation Institute put out together. The dashboard is online at cber.unlv.edu/sports-economy.

Here are the headline numbers from UNLV:

Jobs: The local sports workforce grew from about 8,500 workers in 2015 to an estimated 18,816 in 2025.
Who employs the most: Fitness and recreational sports centers employ the largest share of sports workers.
Who pays the most: Professional sports teams and clubs pay the highest average wages, followed by other spectator sports and marketing consulting services.
Attendance: Nearly 2 million visitors attended sporting events in Las Vegas in 2025.
Spending: Those visitors generated an estimated $860 million in direct spending, based on CBER's analysis of Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority data.
Venues: Among the 55 U.S. metro areas with more than 1 million people, Las Vegas ranks seventh in both total sporting venue capacity and venue capacity per person.
Youth hockey: Nearly 3,000 players age 18 and younger were registered with USA Hockey in Nevada in 2024-25, up from 539 in 2016-17. Girls make up about 13% of current players.

Andrew Woods, director of CBER, said the sports economy is "more than just about the economic impact of the professional sport teams." He pointed to local businesses, new industries, and amateur and youth sports as part of the picture.

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

Start with the jobs. Going from about 8,500 sports workers to nearly 19,000 means roughly 10,000 more people in the valley earn a living from sports than a decade ago. And the biggest share does not work for a pro team. They work at gyms, rec centers and sports facilities in our neighborhoods. Those are jobs in Henderson, Summerlin, the southwest and North Las Vegas, not only near the Strip.

Pay matters too. UNLV found pro teams and clubs pay the highest average wages in the sports economy. For local students who want to work in sports, that is a real career path that did not exist here 10 years ago. Jay Vickers, UNLV's associate athletics director for the Rebel Athletic Fund, said the greatest opportunity is turning the valley's sports growth into "lasting career and business opportunities" for Southern Nevadans and UNLV students. UNLV pointed to its Super Bowl internship program and its partnership with Sports Business Classroom at NBA Summer League as examples.

Then there is the visitor money. Nearly 2 million sports visitors spent an estimated $860 million in 2025. That money supports hotel, restaurant and service jobs, and it helps keep tax dollars flowing without leaning only on residents.

For families, the youth hockey number may hit closest to home. Going from 539 players to nearly 3,000 in eight seasons is a huge jump. More kids on the ice means more teams, more practices, more tournaments and more demand for rink time. Anyone who has tried to get a weeknight practice slot knows how tight it can be. Vickers said sports in Las Vegas are becoming something more families take part in, not just watch.

And girls are part of that growth. About 13% of youth hockey players in Nevada are girls. With a pro women's team, PWHL Las Vegas, now based in the valley, that share has room to grow.

Background and History

Ten years ago, Las Vegas did not have a major pro sports team. That changed fast. The Vegas Golden Knights started play in 2017, and the city has added pro teams and big events since then. UNLV's numbers show the jobs and spending followed.

CBER started tracking this in a bigger way with its 2023 white paper on the local sports economy, made with the Sports Innovation Institute. The new dashboard turns that work into something anyone can look at online, and it can be updated as new data comes in.

The youth hockey numbers line up with that timeline too. UNLV's starting point is the 2016-17 season, right before the Golden Knights' first season. Kids saw an NHL team in their own town, and many of them wanted to play. Local rinks and youth programs grew to meet that demand.

We have been following the rink side of this story for a while. Our coverage of the Fiesta Rancho sports campus and the Silver Stick youth regional, both linked at the top of this page, points to the same trend: more players, more tournaments and more need for ice.

The venue ranking also helps explain the visitor numbers. UNLV found Las Vegas ranks seventh among the 55 large U.S. metros for total venue capacity and for capacity per person. In plain words, the valley has a lot of big places to hold games for a city its size. That makes it easier to host big events that bring in visitors.

Where the Sports Jobs Actually Are

When most people hear "sports jobs," they picture players and coaches. UNLV's data paints a much wider picture. The largest share of sports workers in the valley work at fitness and recreational sports centers. That includes gyms, rec centers, climbing gyms, golf facilities and similar places in neighborhoods across the valley.

The highest average wages are with professional sports teams and clubs, followed by other spectator sports and marketing consulting services, per UNLV. That last one is a good reminder that sports also creates office jobs: marketing, sales, analytics, event planning and more. A student who loves sports does not have to be an athlete to build a career in it.

Then there are the jobs sports supports indirectly. When nearly 2 million visitors come for games and events, they eat at restaurants, stay in hotels, take rides and shop. Those jobs are not all counted as "sports jobs," but they depend on the events that bring people here.

What It Means for Neighborhoods

Growth like this shows up on the ground. More youth players means more practices on weeknights and more tournaments on weekends. More tournaments bring traveling families who book hotel rooms and eat at local restaurants. Areas near busy rinks, fields and rec centers see that traffic first.

For residents, being close to those facilities can be a big plus. Short drives to practice make a family's week easier. For business owners near those facilities, steady weekend crowds can mean steady sales. And as more facilities open, new pockets of the valley may start to see the same benefits.

How to Use the Dashboard

UNLV built the dashboard so anyone can explore the data. It is an interactive tool that covers employment, tourism, venues and participation. If you run a business, it can help you understand who your customers might be. If you are a student, it can show you which parts of the sports economy are growing. And if you are just curious, it is an easy way to see how much the valley has changed in a decade.

Putting the Youth Hockey Numbers in Perspective

Going from 539 players to nearly 3,000 is easy to read past, so it helps to picture it. A typical youth team carries somewhere around 15 to 20 skaters plus goalies. That means the valley went from enough kids for a few dozen teams to enough for well over a hundred. Each of those teams needs practice ice, game ice, coaches, referees and gear. That is a lot of new demand in less than a decade.

It also changes family life. Hockey is a big time commitment, with early practices, weekend games and travel tournaments. When thousands more kids play, thousands more families build their weeks around a rink schedule. That affects where they shop, where they eat after games and, for some, where they choose to live.

The girls' share is worth watching too. About 13% of current players are girls, per UNLV. With PWHL Las Vegas now in the valley and girls' clinics on the calendar, that number has a real chance to grow over the next few seasons.

What Happens Next

The dashboard is meant to keep going. Because it is built on data that updates, it should give residents and business owners a way to track whether the growth keeps up. Watch for the next set of job and attendance numbers.

On the youth side, the big question is space. If youth hockey keeps growing at anything close to this pace, the valley will need more ice. New rink projects, like the Fiesta Rancho campus in North Las Vegas, are part of the answer. How fast those projects open will shape how easy it is for new families to get their kids on the ice.

On the jobs side, watch for more internship and training programs. UNLV is already linking students with big events like the Super Bowl and NBA Summer League. As more sports businesses set up here, there may be more chances for local students to get paid experience without leaving town.

Ryan's Take

I coach youth hockey here, so the youth numbers did not surprise me one bit. Rinks are busy. Ice time is tight. And I see more families every season who never thought they would be a hockey family. Going from 539 kids to nearly 3,000 is a real change in how many families spend their evenings and weekends.

From a real estate view, this matters more than people think. When families pick a home, they look at schools, commute and parks. More and more, I hear them ask about rinks and sports facilities too. Being close to a rink or a good rec center can save a parent hours every week. And a sports workforce of nearly 19,000 people means a lot of local buyers and renters who work in this industry. Sports are not just entertainment here anymore. They are part of the local economy and part of daily life.

What You Can Do

If you want to see the numbers yourself, visit the UNLV Sports Economy Dashboard at cber.unlv.edu/sports-economy. It tracks employment, tourism, venues and participation.

If you have a child who wants to try hockey, start early. Learn-to-skate and learn-to-play programs fill up. Our youth hockey registration guide, linked at the top of this page, is a good place to start. Girls who want to play should know that girls make up about 13% of Nevada's youth players, and there is a growing community for them.

If you or your teen want to work in sports, look at what UNLV offers, including internships tied to big events. Gyms and rec centers are also the largest sports employer group in the valley, which makes them a good place to get a first job in the industry.

And if you are house hunting with kids in sports, make a list of the rinks, fields and rec centers you will use most. Then check the drive time from each neighborhood you are looking at. A few miles can make a big difference on a school night.

The Numbers at a Glance

About 8,500 sports workers in 2015.
An estimated 18,816 sports workers in 2025.
Nearly 2 million sports event visitors in 2025.
About $860 million in estimated direct visitor spending.
Seventh out of 55 large U.S. metros for sports venue capacity.
539 youth hockey players in Nevada in 2016-17.
Nearly 3,000 youth hockey players in Nevada in 2024-25.
About 13% of current youth players are girls.

Common Questions

Who made the Sports Economy Dashboard? UNLV's Center for Business and Economic Research, with the UNLV Sports Innovation Institute in the Harrah College of Hospitality.

How many people work in sports in Las Vegas? An estimated 18,816 in 2025, up from about 8,500 in 2015, per UNLV.

How many kids play youth hockey in Nevada? Nearly 3,000 players age 18 and under were registered with USA Hockey in 2024-25, per UNLV.

Have questions about how this affects your home or neighborhood? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime. Ryan Rose | Real Broker, LLC | 702-747-5921 | ryan@rosehomeslv.com | rosehomeslv.com