Las Vegas vs Los Angeles

Los Angeles leads Las Vegas by 15 points on the CIRA Index, 74 to 59. Las Vegas grades better on 3 measures, Los Angeles on 7; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Las Vegas 59, Los Angeles 74
• OECD: Las Vegas 60, Los Angeles 73
• UN Tourism: Las Vegas 56, Los Angeles 73
• UNDRR: Las Vegas 67, Los Angeles 64

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Las Vegas 79, Los Angeles 79
• Economy and jobs: Las Vegas 81, Los Angeles 94
• Climate and hazards: Las Vegas 35, Los Angeles 60
• Water and environment: Las Vegas 31, Los Angeles 56
• Community and housing: Las Vegas 50, Los Angeles 67
• Access and continuity: Las Vegas 83, Los Angeles 83

Where Las Vegas is stronger

• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 80.3 % average annual occupancy (metro figure) (Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), Research Center FAQ & 2025 Year-End Summary, 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) Financial & Operations Policies, 2025). Grade 3/4.

Where Los Angeles is stronger

• Average length of stay: 3.6 nights per visitor (Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (LATCB), Marketing and Planning Resource, 2018). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Economic diversity: 77.4 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (metro figure) (California Employment Development Department (EDD), Labor Market Information Division, August 2026). Between 72 and 80: grade 3/4.
• Extreme heat days: 13.8 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 5 and 15: grade 3/4.
• Tropical nights: 8.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4.
• Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Green space: 24.9 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (USDA Forest Service / TreePeople & Loyola Marymount University CURes assessment, 2020). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports, Amtrak, Caltrans, 2024). At or above 4: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• United States: #2 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• United States: #2 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Las Vegas in full · Los Angeles in full

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