Counties with the highest unemployment in Wyoming
Despite a relatively low unemployment rate, the fear of job losses remains amid ongoing economic uncertainty.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Wyoming using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in May 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Economists forecast a waning risk of recession and predict that the U.S. may instead be headed for an incremental slowdown in growth known as a "soft landing." Still, layoffs among major U.S. employers like Amazon to Tesla have sparked concern among Americans. What's more, unemployment has spiked in nearly half the country's states, which often indicates a looming recession, a chief global economist at Piper Sandler told Business Insider. And with sky-high prices after a period of record inflation, savings and unemployment payments may not cover basic expenses for jobless Americans for long.
For comparison, the Great Recession of 2007-09 sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.
Still, as of June 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 4.1%, with little change from the previous month. Regional and state employment range widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state vary, ranging from just 2% in the Dakotas to 5.3% in Washington D.C.
Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Wyoming.
#23. Niobrara County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,214 people (26 unemployed)
#22. Weston County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,858 people (88 unemployed)
#21. Crook County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,066 people (92 unemployed)
#20. Converse County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,606 people (191 unemployed)
#19. Platte County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 4,363 people (112 unemployed)
#18. Goshen County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,469 people (165 unemployed)
#17. Teton County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,329 people (427 unemployed)
#16. Albany County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,569 people (555 unemployed)
#15. Hot Springs County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,246 people (60 unemployed)
#14. Park County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,090 people (428 unemployed)
#13. Sheridan County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,157 people (431 unemployed)
#12. Johnson County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,377 people (122 unemployed)
#11. Lincoln County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,718 people (269 unemployed)
#10. Campbell County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,174 people (672 unemployed)
#9. Washakie County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 3,788 people (112 unemployed)
#8. Fremont County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 18,992 people (576 unemployed)
#7. Carbon County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,089 people (217 unemployed)
#6. Natrona County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 38,751 people (1,215 unemployed)
#5. Laramie County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 47,941 people (1,510 unemployed)
#4. Sweetwater County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,644 people (642 unemployed)
#3. Sublette County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,936 people (133 unemployed)
#2. Big Horn County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,287 people (179 unemployed)
#1. Uinta County
- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,883 people (300 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
