Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg Are Moving to Las Vegas — What Celebrity Moves Tell Us About Our Market

Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg listed their St. Charles, Illinois home for $2.8 million this week and confirmed they're relocating to Las Vegas. Their move is the latest example of a pattern that locals here have watched build for years: celebrities moving to Las Vegas at a rate that would have seemed surprising two decades ago.

Why Celebrities Keep Choosing Las Vegas

The reasons are straightforward. Nevada has no state income tax. For someone earning at the level McCarthy and Wahlberg do, that difference compared to Illinois's 4.95% flat rate adds up to real money every year. Beyond taxes, Las Vegas offers direct flights to Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, a serious culinary and entertainment scene, and luxury homes that cost a fraction of what comparable properties run in coastal markets.

For Wahlberg specifically, the move also makes logistical sense. His New Kids on the Block residency at a Las Vegas venue runs through late 2026, according to PEOPLE magazine. Living here instead of flying in repeatedly is a practical decision as much as a lifestyle one.

This is not a new trend. Over the past decade, athletes, entertainers, and executives have all made similar calculations. Celine Dion built her career around a Las Vegas residency. Wayne Gretzky, Andre Agassi, and dozens of current NFL and NBA players call the valley home. Each high-profile arrival reinforces the market's reputation as a legitimate long-term destination, not just a place to visit.

What This Pattern Means for the Local Housing Market

Celebrity relocations do not move prices on their own, but they do signal and strengthen demand in the luxury segment. When a recognizable name buys in Summerlin or in a guard-gated community off the Strip corridor, it draws attention from their peer group, and that peer group has purchasing power.

The trickle-down effect is real. Increased luxury demand at the top of the market tends to push buyers in the $600K-$1.2M range to compete more aggressively for fewer options, which gradually lifts values across a wider price band. Sellers with equity in established neighborhoods have benefited from exactly this dynamic over the past several years. Find out what your home is worth →

What This Means For You

• Buyers watching the luxury segment should treat high-profile relocations as a demand signal, not just entertainment news. Supply in guard-gated and custom-home communities stays tight.

• Sellers in the mid-to-upper price ranges have pricing support that is partly driven by continued in-migration from higher-tax states. That dynamic has not reversed.

• Homeowners sitting on significant equity should understand that Las Vegas's no-income-tax story still attracts buyers from California, Illinois, and New York. That pipeline remains active.

• Investors looking at short-term rental properties near the Strip corridor benefit from the same residency-driven demand that brought Wahlberg here in the first place.

The McCarthy-Wahlberg move is one data point, but it fits a larger picture. Las Vegas keeps pulling in people who have choices, and that matters for everyone who owns or wants to own property here.