Wyoming: Just the Facts released

A new edition of “Just the Facts” has been released by the State of Wyoming, Economic Analysis Division.  The updated 2022 publication provides an easily accessible collection of statistics, presenting a broad range of quality of life factors in Wyoming.  Information categories include demography, education, the economy, transportation, housing, geography, tourism, agriculture, tax environment, and crime & law enforcement.  The data displays facts for the most recent period for Wyoming, its ranking relative to other states, and the change from the previous period.     

“Policy makers and the general public can use this publication in a variety of ways  -  it can help to identify certain areas warranting further study, or it enables people to see how Wyoming is faring compared to other states,” said Dr. Wenlin Liu, Chief Economist with the Economic Analysis Division.  “With comparison, numbers become a lot more meaningful and revealing to readers.”      

Highlights include:   

Proportion of the male population in Wyoming in 2021 was 51.2%, ranking 3rd, compared with 52.4% in Alaska (1st) and 48.6% in Alabama, Delaware and South Carolina (50th).  

Percentage of population born in their state of residence for Wyoming in 2021 was 42.0%, ranking 45th, compared with 78.0% in Louisiana (most) and 27.3% in Nevada (least).  

The share of households that are married couple families in Wyoming in 2021 was 49.8%, ranking 6th, compared with 59.3% in Utah (1st) and 42.4% in Louisiana (50th).  

Wyoming’s population that are veterans was 8.1% in 2021, ranking 4th, compared with 9.8% in Alaska (most) and 3.6% in New Jersey (least).

Number of suicides per 100,000 persons in Wyoming in 2020 was 30.5, ranking 1st, compared with 7.1 in New Jersey (the fewest) and 13.5 in the U.S.

Proportion of population age 25 years and over with a high school diploma in Wyoming in 2021 was 93.6%, ranking 6th, compared with 94.5% in Montana and Vermont and 84.4% in California.   

Proportion of Wyoming population age 25 years and over with a bachelor’s degree in 2021 was 29.2%, ranking 41st, compared with 46.6% in Massachusetts and 24.1% in West Virginia.   

The Wyoming median household income was $65,204 in 2021, ranking 31st, compared with $90,203 in Maryland and $48,716 in Mississippi.

Wyoming’s annual average wage per job was $52,549 in 2021, ranking 41st, compared with $89,525 in New York and $44,353 in Mississippi.  Wyoming’s wage rate was $50,990 in 2020 and ranked 40th.    

In 2021, the percent of Wyoming population below the poverty level was 11.4%, ranking 31st, compared with 19.6% in Louisiana and 7.2% in New Hampshire.  

Percent of Wyoming population without health insurance coverage in 2021 was 12.2%, ranking 4th, compared with 18.0% in Texas and 2.5% in Massachusetts.

Proportion of Wyoming workers employed in the mining industry was 5.3% in 2021, ranking 1st, compared with 0% in Rhode Island, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Delaware, Maryland, and Hawaii, 3.4% in Alaska (2nd), and 0.4% in the U.S.  Wyoming’s proportion was 6.0% in 2020.  

The share of Wyoming workers employed in the manufacturing industry was 3.5% in 2021, ranking 48th, compared with 17.0% in Indiana and 2.1% in Hawaii.

Percentage of Wyoming land owned by the Federal government was 46.7% in 2018, ranking 6th, compared with 80.1% in Nevada and 0.3% in Connecticut and Iowa.  

Regional price parities (U.S. = 100), which measure differences in price levels across states for a given period, was 91.4 in Wyoming in 2021, ranking 37th, compared with 113.2 in Hawaii and 86.6 in Mississippi.  Wyoming’s ranking was 36th in 2020.

Wyoming’s state and local sales tax rate was 5.4% in 2022, ranking 44th, compared with 9.6% in Louisiana and Tennessee and 0% in Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon where no sales taxes are imposed.

Major tax burden for a 3-person family with income of $75,000 was $3,960 in Cheyenne, Wyoming’s largest city, in 2020, ranking 49th, compared with $12,476 in Bridgeport, the largest city in Connecticut, and $3,190 in Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska.

Wyoming’s homeownership rate was 72.1% in 2021, ranking 12th, compared with 79.0% in West Virginia and 53.6% in New York.

In 2021, the number of sheep and lambs in Wyoming was 330,000, ranking 4th, compared with 700,000 in Texas and 29,000 in North Carolina.

Wyoming’s per capita state and local government total expenditures in 2020 was $18,007, ranking 3rd, compared with $20,557 in Alaska and $9,073 in Idaho.

Wyoming’s per capita federal highway funds were $484 in 2021, ranking 2nd, compared with $748 in Alaska and $93 in New York.

The publication can be downloaded at:  http://eadiv.state.wy.us/Wy_facts/Facts2022.pdf