The Research & Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services reported today that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 2.9% from June to July. Wyoming’s unemployment rate has remained low while the U.S. unemployment rate has increased in each of the past three months, rising from 3.8% in March to 4.3% in July.
From June to July, most county unemployment rates followed their normal seasonal pattern and fell slightly. Seasonal job gains are often seen in July in many different sectors, including leisure & hospitality, construction, and professional & business services. The largest decreases in unemployment occurred in Niobrara (down from 2.1% to 1.8%), Johnson (down from 2.8% to 2.5%), and Albany (down from 3.0% to 2.7%) counties.
Unemployment rates were higher than year-ago levels in every county, indicating that labor markets were not quite as tight as this time last year. Most counties saw unemployment rate increases of two-tenths of a percentage point or less, but larger increases were found in Big Horn (up from 2.7% to 3.3%), Uinta (up from 2.8% to 3.4%), Campbell (up from 2.4% to 2.9%), Laramie (up from 2.6% to 3.1%), and Weston (up from 2.0% to 2.5%) counties.
The highest unemployment rates in July were reported in Uinta County at 3.4%, Big Horn County at 3.3%, Fremont County at 3.3%, and Sweetwater County at 3.3%. The areas with the lowest unemployment rates were Teton County at 1.5%, Niobrara County at 1.8%, and Crook County at 2.1%.
Current Employment Statistics (CES) estimates show that total nonfarm employment in Wyoming (not seasonally adjusted and measured by place of work) rose from 297,500 in July 2023 to 298,700 in July 2024, an increase of 1,200 jobs (0.4%).
August unemployment data will be published on September 23, 2024.
Wyoming Seasonally Adjusted Statewide Labor Force Estimates
Change
Month Year
July-24 June-24 July-23 absolute percent absolute percent
Total Civilian Labor Force 294,461 293,728 295,409 733 0.2% -948 -0.3%
Employed 285,828 285,285 287,185 543 0.2% -1,357 -0.5%
Unemployed 8,633 8,443 8,224 190 2.3% 409 5.0%
Unemployment Rate 2.9 2.9 2.8
| Definitions: | |
| Employed | All persons who, during the reference week, did any work at all as paid employees, worked in their own business, profession, or on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers in a family business. |
| Unemployed | All persons who had no employment during the reference week, were available for work, and had made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference week. |
| Labor Force | All persons who meet the criteria given above as either employed or unemployed. |
| Unemployment Rate | The number of unemployed as a percent of the labor force. |
| Seasonal Adjustment | A statistical procedure to remove the impact of normal regularly recurring events (such as weather, major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools) from economic time series to better understand changes in economic conditions from month to month. |
Not seasonally adjusted data reflect the actual economic conditions in a given area for a given time period. These data show the normal seasonal changes that occur in the economy. Most county unemployment rates are higher in the winter months because of seasonal job losses in construction, leisure & hospitality, and many other sectors. Similarly, most county unemployment rates are lower in the summer months as employment increases across the economy. Data users should use caution when comparing not seasonally adjusted data for different months, as at least part of the difference between months may reflect normal seasonal patterns.
In contrast, seasonally adjusted data have been subjected to a statistical procedure to remove the effects of normal changes that occur in the economy each year, such as seasonal hiring in the construction sector, the opening and closing of schools, and holiday hiring by retail trade establishments. There is no expectation that seasonally adjusted unemployment rates will be higher or lower in any particular month, except as the economy expands or contracts. The value of seasonally adjusted data is that it is easy to identify longer-term trends in the data and valid comparisons can be made between any two months in the series.
Research & Planning works in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics to develop and publish unemployment rates for each county in Wyoming. However, these data are not seasonally adjusted and therefore reflect seasonal changes each month.
Table 1: Wyoming counties not seasonally adjusted unemployment
rates ranked from lowest to highest for July 2024
County Rate*
Teton County, WY 1.5
Niobrara County, WY 1.8
Crook County, WY 2.1
Park County, WY 2.4
Johnson County, WY 2.5
Lincoln County, WY 2.5
Weston County, WY 2.5
Converse County, WY 2.6
Goshen County, WY 2.6
Hot Springs County, WY 2.6
Sheridan County, WY 2.6
Albany County, WY 2.7
Platte County, WY 2.7
Carbon County, WY 2.8
Wyoming 2.8
Campbell County, WY 2.9
Sublette County, WY 3.0
Laramie County, WY 3.1
Natrona County, WY 3.1
Washakie County, WY 3.2
Big Horn County, WY 3.3
Fremont County, WY 3.3
Sweetwater County, WY 3.3
Uinta County, WY 3.4
Table 2: Wyoming counties not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates over-the-month rate
changes ranked from lowest to highest for July 2024
Month ago Over-the-Month
County rate Rate* Rate Change
Albany County, WY 3.0 2.7 -0.3
Johnson County, WY 2.8 2.5 -0.3
Niobrara County, WY 2.1 1.8 -0.3
Crook County, WY 2.3 2.1 -0.2
Hot Springs County, WY 2.8 2.6 -0.2
Lincoln County, WY 2.7 2.5 -0.2
Park County, WY 2.6 2.4 -0.2
Sublette County, WY 3.2 3.0 -0.2
Teton County, WY 1.7 1.5 -0.2
Weston County, WY 2.7 2.5 -0.2
Wyoming 3.0 2.8 -0.2
Big Horn County, WY 3.4 3.3 -0.1
Campbell County, WY 3.0 2.9 -0.1
Carbon County, WY 2.9 2.8 -0.1
Goshen County, WY 2.7 2.6 -0.1
Laramie County, WY 3.2 3.1 -0.1
Natrona County, WY 3.2 3.1 -0.1
Sheridan County, WY 2.7 2.6 -0.1
Sweetwater County, WY 3.4 3.3 -0.1
Uinta County, WY 3.5 3.4 -0.1
Converse County, WY 2.6 2.6 0.0
Fremont County, WY 3.3 3.3 0.0
Platte County, WY 2.7 2.7 0.0
Washakie County, WY 3.2 3.2 0.0
Table 3: Wyoming counties not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates over-the-year
changes ranked from lowest to highest for July 2024
Year ago Over-the-Year
County Rate Rate* Rate Change
Albany County, WY 2.6 2.7 0.1
Goshen County, WY 2.5 2.6 0.1
Niobrara County, WY 1.7 1.8 0.1
Park County, WY 2.3 2.4 0.1
Platte County, WY 2.6 2.7 0.1
Crook County, WY 1.9 2.1 0.2
Fremont County, WY 3.1 3.3 0.2
Hot Springs County, WY 2.4 2.6 0.2
Lincoln County, WY 2.3 2.5 0.2
Sweetwater County, WY 3.1 3.3 0.2
Teton County, WY 1.3 1.5 0.2
Washakie County, WY 3.0 3.2 0.2
Johnson County, WY 2.2 2.5 0.3
Natrona County, WY 2.8 3.1 0.3
Sublette County, WY 2.7 3.0 0.3
Wyoming 2.5 2.8 0.3
Carbon County, WY 2.4 2.8 0.4
Converse County, WY 2.2 2.6 0.4
Sheridan County, WY 2.2 2.6 0.4
Campbell County, WY 2.4 2.9 0.5
Laramie County, WY 2.6 3.1 0.5
Weston County, WY 2.0 2.5 0.5
Big Horn County, WY 2.7 3.3 0.6
Uinta County, WY 2.8 3.4 0.6
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Wyoming Department of Workforce Services Research & Planning August 19, 2024 Contacts: David Bullard, Senior Economist, 307-473-3810 Carola Cowan, BLS Programs Supervisor, 307-473-3804 |