[2] Like many counties in Nevada, it is dry and sparsely populated, though notable for containing the Area 51 government Air Force base.

Lincoln County was established in 1866 after Congress enlarged Nevada by moving its state line eastward and southward at the expense of Utah and Arizona territories.

Crystal Springs was the county's first seat in 1866, followed by Hiko in 1867 and Pioche in 1871.

[5] Lincoln County initially included a ranch village and railroad siding named Las Vegas.

However, that siding, which led to the future city of Las Vegas, was separated from Lincoln County upon the founding of Clark County effective July 1, 1909, by act of the Nevada Legislature.

According to the 2000 census the five largest ancestry groups in Lincoln County are English (21%), German (18%), Irish (11%), Mexican (4%) and Italian (4%).

31.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 5,345 people, 1,988 households, and 1,282 families living in the county.

[15] In terms of ancestry, 39.8% were English, 19.5% were German, 12.4% were Irish, 6.1% were Danish, 5.9% were Dutch, and 1.8% were American.

The 1968 election began the county's status as a Republican Party stronghold, with no Democrat managing to win 30% of its votes since Jimmy Carter in 1976.