Most of Primm's residents are employees of the casinos.

The community's economy is based on its three casinos (the Primm Valley Resorts), which attract gamblers from Southern California wanting to stop before reaching Las Vegas 40 miles (64 km) to the north, or as a last chance to gamble before leaving Nevada.

Primm was named State Line before being renamed in 1996 for its original developer, Earnest Jay Primm, to avoid confusion with Stateline in northern Nevada. It sits on Ivanpah Dry Lake, which extends to the north and south of town. Primm (formerly known as State Line) is an unincorporated community in Clark County, Nevada, United States, primarily notable for its position straddling Interstate 15 at the Nevada– California border.