Lyon, county, west-central Nevada, U.S., southeast of Reno and east and southeast of Carson City. It is a region of arid hills, mountains, and valleys, with part of Toiyabe National Forest in the south, on the California border. The county seat is Yerington, the trading centre of the Mason Valley, which lies between the Desert Mountains and the Singtase Range. Principal waterways include the Walker and Carson rivers. Lyon, an original Nevada county, was created in 1861.
The economy depends mainly on mining, especially the open-pit mining of copper. Area 1,994 square miles (5,164 square km). Pop. (2000) 32,485; (2010) 51,980.