Esmeralda County is a county in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 729, making it the least populous county in Nevada. Esmeralda County does not have any incorporated communities. Its county seat is the town of Goldfield. Its 2000 census population density of 0.2706 inhabitants per square mile was the second-lowest of any county in the contiguous United States.