Empire is a census-designated place and Ghost town in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The population was 217 at the 2010 census. A former company town for United States Gypsum Corporation, Empire was once home to more than 750 people. It is part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Prior to the 2010 census, Empire was part of the Gerlach–Empire census-designated place. The nearest town, Nixon, is 60 miles to the south on a reservation owned by the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.