Wyoming

Wyoming is a landlocked state in the Mountain West part of the Western United States. It shares borders with Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Idaho, Utah, and Colorado. Despite being the tenth-largest state by area, Wyoming has a small population, making it the least populous state in the country.

The western part of Wyoming is filled with the beautiful Rocky Mountains, while the eastern side has wide, open High Plains. Much of the land is owned by the federal government and includes famous places like Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks.

For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples lived in this area. Wyoming became part of the United States through different treaties and purchases, and many important trails, like the Oregon Trail, passed through it. The Transcontinental Railroad arrived in 1867, bringing more people to live there. Wyoming became a state on July 10, 1890, and it was the first to give women the right to vote.

Today, Wyoming's economy depends on tourism, mining minerals like coal, natural gas, and oil, and farming. The state is known for its wide-open spaces and rich history.

Etymology

The name "Wyoming" was used by 1865 when a representative from Ohio suggested it for a new territory. It comes from a place called the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. A poet named Thomas Campbell wrote about this valley in a poem called "Gertrude of Wyoming", inspired by an old battle. The name originally comes from a word meaning "at the big river flat" in the Lenape language.

History

Main article: History of Wyoming

Many Native American groups lived in the land we now call Wyoming long ago. Groups like the Crow, Arapaho, Lakota, and Shoshone were there when explorers first arrived. Parts of Wyoming were once claimed by Spain and later became part of Mexico before the United States took control after the Mexican–American War in 1848.

Explorers and traders, including French-Canadian trappers, visited the area. John Colter, who traveled with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was the first to describe parts of Wyoming in English in 1807. Later, the Oregon Trail passed through the region, and the Union Pacific Railroad built tracks there in 1868. This helped people move west and grow the population.

In 1872, Yellowstone National Park was created, becoming the world's first national park, and most of it is in northwest Wyoming. Wyoming became a territory in 1868 and then a state on July 10, 1890, as the 44th state of the United States.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Wyoming

Wyoming has a dry and windy climate, with big temperature changes. Summers are warm, with temperatures usually between 80°F and 90°F, but cooler at higher elevations. Winter temperatures can be very cold. The state gets little rain, especially in the lower areas, and some mountain regions get a lot of snow.

Wyoming is the 10th largest state in the United States, with straight borders made of lines of latitude and longitude. It shares borders with Montana to the north, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the south. The state has many mountain ranges, including the Rocky Mountains, and varies in elevation from about 3,100 feet to over 13,800 feet. Wyoming also has large basins with different plants and animals, and several rivers flow through the state.

Further information: Climate change in Wyoming

Demographics

Population

The 2020 United States census counted 576,851 people living in Wyoming. Wyoming is the least populous state in the United States, with the second-lowest number of people living there. It is also one of only two states with fewer people than the nation's capital, the other being Vermont.

According to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 648 homeless people in Wyoming.

According to the 2020 census, the population's racial composition was 84.7% white (81.4% non-Hispanic white), 2.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.9% Asian American, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 3.5% from some other race, and 7.5% from two or more races.

As of 2015, Wyoming had an estimated population of 586,107. In 2004, the foreign-born population was 11,000 (2.2%).

Note: Births in table do not add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.

Languages

See also: Native American languages of Wyoming

In 2010, 93.39% (474,343) of Wyomingites over age 5 spoke English as their primary language; 4.47% (22,722) spoke Spanish, 0.35% (1,771) spoke German, and 0.28% (1,434) spoke French.

Religion

Religious self-identification, Public Religion Research Institute's 2020 American Values Atlas survey.

1. Unaffiliated (40.0%)
2. Protestantism (33.0%)
3. Catholicism (15.0%)
4. Mormonism (7.00%)
5. Judaism (1.00%)
6. Other (4.00%)

Economy and infrastructure

Wyoming's economy is mainly driven by the mineral-extraction industry and travel and tourism. The federal government owns about 42.3% of the land, while the state controls 6%. In 2025, Wyoming's gross state product was $52.6 billion, and the per capita personal income was $89,806. The state has no individual or corporate income tax and has a state sales tax of 4%.

The state is rich in minerals like coal, natural gas, crude oil, and trona. Wyoming also has significant wind energy potential, with large wind farms being developed. The tourism industry is important, with millions of visitors each year coming to see places like Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Agriculture, though less dominant, still plays a role, with livestock, hay, sugar beets, and wheat being key products.

Mineral and energy production

Wyoming's mineral commodities include coal, natural gas, crude oil, uranium, and trona.

Coal

Wyoming produced 277 million short tons of coal in 2019, a drop from 2018. The state has large coal reserves, mainly in the Powder River Basin and the Green River Basin.

Oil

Wyoming produced 53.4 million barrels of crude oil in 2007, ranking fifth nationwide at the time. By 2022, it ranked eighth in oil production. The state has oil reserves estimated at 978 million barrels.

Wind energy

Wyoming has one of the highest potentials for wind energy in the U.S. The Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project is one of the largest wind generation facilities under development in North America.

Other

Wyoming has the world's largest known reserve of trona, used in many manufacturing processes. Uranium mining has seen a resurgence due to rising prices. Rare earth metals are also among Wyoming's mineral commodities.

Taxes

Wyoming does not have individual or corporate income tax. It has a state sales tax of 4%, with counties able to add up to 2% more for specific purposes. Food for human consumption is not taxed. The state also collects a use tax on items purchased elsewhere. Property tax is based on the property's assessed value, with limits on how much it can increase each year.

Wyoming does not collect capital gains tax, gift tax, or estate tax. The state has been noted for its business-friendly tax climate.

Transportation

Wyoming's largest airport is Jackson Hole Airport. Three interstate highways and 13 U.S. highways pass through the state. The Wyoming state highway system also serves the state.

Interstate 25 runs from Cheyenne to Buffalo. Interstate 80 crosses the southern part of the state from Evanston to Cheyenne. Interstate 90 serves the northeastern part of the state, including Gillette.

Wyoming is one of two states in the contiguous U.S. not served by Amtrak. Intercity buses connect residents across the state.

Major interstates

• I-25 connects Denver, Cheyenne, Casper, and Buffalo.
• I-80 connects Evanston, Rock Springs, Rawlins, Laramie, and Cheyenne.
• I-90 connects Sheridan, Buffalo, and Gillette.

Wind River Indian Reservation

Main article: Wind River Indian Reservation

The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes share the Wind River Indian Reservation in central western Wyoming, near Lander. The reservation is home to 2,500 Eastern Shoshone and 5,000 Northern Arapaho. It is jointly owned by both tribes, each having a 50% interest in the land and resources. The reservation is a sovereign, self-governed land with two independent governing bodies.

Public lands

The federal government owns nearly half of Wyoming's land. Most of it is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. There are also areas managed by the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

National parks

• Grand Teton National Park
• Yellowstone National Park

Memorial parkway

• The John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway connects Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

National recreation areas

• Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
• Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area

National monuments

• Devils Tower National Monument
• Fossil Butte National Monument

National historic trails, landmarks and sites

• California National Historic Trail
• Fort Laramie National Historic Site
• Independence Rock National Historic Landmark
• Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark
• Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Wyoming
• Oregon National Historic Trail
• Pony Express National Historic Trail

National fish hatcheries

• Jackson National Fish Hatchery
• Saratoga National Fish Hatchery

National wildlife refuges

• National Elk Refuge
• Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge

Yellowstone National Park

Devils Tower National Monument

Thunder Basin National Grassland

Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge

Panoramic view of the Teton Range looking west from Jackson Hole, Grand Teton National Park

Education

See also: List of school districts in Wyoming and List of high schools in Wyoming

The state superintendent of public instruction, an elected official, leads public education. The State Board of Education, a group of nine people chosen by the governor, decides on education rules. Local school boards choose the lessons and books for schools. The Wyoming School for the Deaf was the only school in the state for deaf students before it closed in the summer of 2000.

Higher education

For a more comprehensive list, see List of colleges and universities in Wyoming.

Wyoming has one public four-year school, the University of Wyoming in Laramie, and one private four-year college, Wyoming Catholic College, in Lander. There are also seven two-year community colleges.

Media

Main articles: List of television stations in Wyoming, List of newspapers in Wyoming, and List of radio stations in Wyoming

Wyoming has many places to get news and entertainment. There are 16 TV stations, many radio stations, and lots of newspapers. Some smaller news websites also share stories, like Wyofile.com and Oil City News.

Government and politics

State government

Wyoming’s Constitution sets up three parts of government: the leaders, the law-makers, and the judges. The law-makers are called the state legislature and have two groups: a House with 60 members and a Senate with 30 members. The leaders are headed by the governor and include important roles like the secretary of state. Wyoming does not have a second leader called a lieutenant governor, so the secretary of state steps in if needed.

Because Wyoming has fewer people, it only has one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and three votes in the group that chooses the president, called the Electoral College.

Judicial system

The most important court in Wyoming is the Supreme Court, with five judges who decide big questions from lower courts. Wyoming’s courts are different because they don’t have a middle-level court like most states. Instead, appeals go straight to the Supreme Court. There are also smaller courts that handle simpler cases, like small claims or some criminal matters.

Political history

Further information: Political party strength in Wyoming

Wyoming has an interesting history in politics. It was the first place in the United States to let women vote and choose a woman governor. Over time, the state has leaned more toward one political group, the Republicans, especially since the 1980s. Today, Wyoming’s leaders in Washington are all Republicans. The state hasn’t chosen a Democratic president since 1964.

Democrats haven’t won a statewide election in Wyoming since 2006. Republicans have been the majority in the state’s law-making groups for many years. Wyoming was also the first state to have a woman governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross, who served from 1925 to 1927 after her husband, the former governor, passed away.

Culture

Sports

Wyoming does not have any big professional sports teams. The Gillette Mustangs, an indoor football team, played there from 2021 until they left in 2023. But many people love the Wyoming Cowboys and Cowgirls, especially their football and basketball teams. Their stadiums in Laramie sit very high above sea level, higher than any other college teams in the country. Wyoming also has high school sports and three junior ice hockey teams.

State symbols

For a more comprehensive list, see List of Wyoming state symbols.

Wyoming has many special state symbols, like:

• State bird: western meadowlark
• State coin: Sacagawea dollar
• State dinosaur: Triceratops
• State emblem: Bucking Horse and Rider
• State fish: cutthroat trout
• State flag: Flag of the State of Wyoming
• State flower: Wyoming Indian paintbrush
• State fossil: Knightia
• State gemstone: Wyoming nephrite jade
• State grass: western wheatgrass
• State insect: Sheridan's green hairstreak butterfly
• State mammal: American bison
• State motto: Equal Rights
• State nicknames: Equality State; Cowboy State; Big Wyoming
• State reptile: horned lizard
• State seal: Great Seal of the State of Wyoming
• State song: "Wyoming" by Charles E. Winter & George E. Knapp
• State sport: rodeo
• State tree: plains cottonwood