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Wyoming Department of Workforce Services

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Wyoming Labor Force Trends

May 2024 | Volume 61, No. 5


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Wyoming Trails Surrounding States in Post-Pandemic Job Growth

by: Michael Moore, Research Supervisor, and Jaime Cruz, Multimedia Specialist

 

Wyoming's average monthly employment was 285,409 in third quarter 2023 (2023Q3), slightly higher than 284,060 in third quarter 2019 (2019Q3) prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, Wyoming has continued to lag behind the national average and many surrounding states in terms of job growth since the pandemic.

From 2019Q3 to 2023Q3, Wyoming's average monthly employment increased by 0.5%; in comparison, the national average was a 3.7% increase during that period (see Figure 1). Most of Wyoming's neighboring states experienced substantial job growth; in fact, the two states that showed the greatest growth during this period were Idaho (12.7%) and Utah (11.5%). Other neighboring states with greater job growth included Montana (8.5%), South Dakota (6.1%), Colorado (4.7%), and Nebraska (2.5%).

While Wyoming's job growth was lower than its neighbors and the national average, nearly a dozen states have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. For example, Hawaii's average monthly employment in 2023Q3 was 4.4% lower compared to 2019Q3, as did employment levels for Vermont (-1.5%), Louisiana (-1.4%), Alaska (-1.4%) and Maryland (-1.3%), among others.