Wednesday, April 15, 2026 |
Photo – Graph of percent of change in Wyoming employment – Courtesy Wyoming Division of Economic Analysis
Wyoming’s labor market weakened in the fourth quarter of 2025, mostly because of a decline in the mining and construction industries. The numbers show a 0.3% decrease in total employment—a net loss of 900 jobs–and a slight increase in the unemployment rate to 3.5% compared to 2024.
Wenlin Liu, chief economist with the Wyoming Division of Economic Analysis, said in a news release, “While the state’s unemployment rate remains significantly lower than the U.S. average of 4.4%, the state trailed the national job growth of 0.2%.”
Total taxable sales decreased by 1.6% in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to the same quarter in the previous year. This marks the seventh consecutive quarter of a year-over-year decline. This weak performance was primarily caused by contractions in wind power projects, which were reflected in the utility (-34.2%) and wholesale trade (-17.8%) sectors.
Across Wyoming, 10 out of 23 counties experienced increases in taxable sales in a year-over-year comparison.
Laramie County showed the strongest increase–18%) and Sublette (13.3%), followed by Goshen (11.5%) and Fremont (11.1%).
Albany (-26.3%), Converse (-22.2%) and Carbon (-19.8%) showed the largest decreases, possibly attributed to the reduction in wind power activities.
Despite high valuations and slow sales, the U.S. housing market is somewhat shifting as price growth cools and inventory reaches its highest level since the pandemic. Home affordability recently increased and is anticipated to continue to improve over time due to gradual income growth, easing interest rates and decelerating or lower home prices. Wyoming’s single-family home prices continue to trend upward (2.2%) in the fourth quarter compared to a year ago, while the U.S.’s appreciation decelerated to 1.8%.
