Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Casper, WY MSA — October 2026
Casper's energy sector churns as pipelines surge.
Natrona County unemployment sits at 2.9%, but oil and gas extraction fell 26.9% year-over-year even as pipeline transportation jobs more than doubled, pointing to reallocation within the energy economy.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Natrona County unemployment: 2.9% — Sept. 2026, down from 3.0% YoY; vs. 4.1% U.S.
- Oil & gas extraction employment: -26.9% — Loss of 109 jobs YoY, Natrona County
- Pipeline transportation employment: +110.4% — Added 149 jobs, 135 to 283, Natrona County
- Wyoming labor force participation: 64.1% — vs. 62.2% U.S. average
Key takeaways
Energy-sector churn defines the local story.
Oil and gas extraction lost over a quarter of its county workforce year-over-year, yet pipeline transportation jobs more than doubled over the same period. Net nonfarm employment losses have been modest, consistent with workers and capital reallocating within the energy value chain.
Registered nurse pay signals where real wage growth is concentrated.
Metro RN median pay of $105,072 is up significantly and now exceeds the national median, consistent with statewide gains in private education and health services (+2.5%), the fastest-growing sector in Wyoming. Health services appear to be the most reliable source of wage momentum in a metro otherwise marked by sector-specific contraction.
Technical and professional pay is falling even as trades rise.
Software engineer pay dropped sharply to $77,489 (versus $154,403 nationally) and business analyst pay fell significantly locally, while construction laborer and manufacturing production worker pay both rose. Pattern is consistent with a metro economy weighted toward physical infrastructure and energy-adjacent work.
County unemployment near 3% points to a thinning labor pool.
Wyoming's labor force participation rate (64.1%) outpaces the national rate (62.2%), but statewide nonfarm employment rose only 0.4% year-over-year and the county has logged job losses in multiple sectors. Low unemployment here appears to reflect a smaller available workforce as much as strong demand.
Median advertised pay by role — Casper, WY MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $27,040 | $30,673 | $34,195 | Moderate increase | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $26,000 | $29,694 | $30,888 | Moderate decline | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $34,320 | $39,520 | $39,520 | Moderate decline | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $64,583 | $81,649 | $90,000 | Moderate decline | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $30,230 | $34,320 | $41,080 | Significant decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $37,440 | $41,600 | $45,500 | Significant increase | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $57,615 | $78,889 | $101,660 | Stable | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $36,981 | $40,325 | $49,230 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $32,712 | $34,320 | $35,582 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $29,120 | $33,134 | $33,504 | Moderate increase | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $34,307 | $36,824 | $39,520 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $34,659 | $43,954 | $45,427 | Stable | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician * | $56,787 | $69,200 | $73,219 | Moderate decline | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $84,240 | $105,072 | $116,631 | Significant increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $59,691 | $77,489 | $93,750 | Significant decline | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $101,117 | $130,827 | $146,387 | Stable | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $53,934 | $67,500 | $73,161 | Significant increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst * | $83,633 | $102,345 | $112,136 | Moderate decline | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager * | $52,468 | $65,076 | $77,500 | Moderate increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $47,691 | $80,198 | $93,183 | Moderate increase | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager | — | — | — | No data | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $28,600 | $56,000 | $62,400 | Significant increase | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $62,845 | $100,392 | $107,075 | Significant increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager | — | — | — | No data | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $67,318 | $75,529 | $88,638 | Significant decline | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $64,930 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $56,160 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $36,400 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $54,990 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $72,500 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $36,658 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $74,916 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $59,500 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $30,020 | Stable | Moderate increase |
| Government | $65,349 | Stable | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Natrona County's unemployment rate held near multi-year lows at 2.9% in September, but the headline stability masks a sectoral reshuffling: oil and gas extraction shed 109 jobs (-26.9%) while pipeline transportation nearly doubled, adding 149 positions. Modest countywide job losses continue alongside this churn, consistent with an economy absorbing the tail end of energy-sector volatility while construction and transportation infrastructure work pick up slack.
What it means
Divergence between contracting extraction employment and expanding pipeline/construction activity suggests the metro's economic base is shifting toward infrastructure and transport-linked work, a distinction that matters for how commerce leaders read local business conditions. Wage data reinforce this: construction laborer pay rose significantly locally while software engineer and business analyst pay fell sharply, indicating energy-adjacent trades are absorbing demand that white-collar and technical roles are not. Local economic development conversations may benefit from tracking pipeline and construction permitting activity as a leading indicator, since the unemployment rate is lagging and currently obscures this sectoral shift.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Pipeline transportation's 110% year-over-year job growth warrants tracking against announced energy infrastructure projects; sustained growth would signal a durable shift in the local economic base beyond a one-time project effect.
Expected release: Wyoming's October unemployment figures publish November 23 and will be the first hard data point testing whether September's 2.9% county rate holds as oil and gas contraction continues.
Emerging pressure point: Continued oil and gas extraction losses (-26.9% year-over-year) against broader state mining declines (-2.5%) raise the question of whether uranium-sector gains and pipeline growth can offset conventional extraction losses through 2027.
Policy signal: Bechtel's split from the TerraPower Natrium nuclear demonstration project, filed as a Wyoming layoff notice in October, is worth monitoring for ripple effects on the county's construction and energy-adjacent contractor base given the project's scale.
Sources
- Wyoming Department of Workforce Services Research & Planning — Natrona County unemployment rate was 2.9% in September 2026
- Wyoming Department of Workforce Services — Oil and gas extraction declined 109 jobs (-26.9%) in Natrona County
- Wyoming Department of Workforce Services Labor Market Information — Pipeline transportation employment rose 149 jobs, a 110.4% increase
- Wyoming Department of Workforce Services / BLS — Wyoming labor force participation rate of 64.1% vs. national 62.2%
- Wyoming Department of Workforce Services — Private education and health services led Wyoming sector growth at 2.5%
- Wyoming WARN notice reporting — Bechtel filed a Wyoming layoff notice tied to TerraPower Natrium project split
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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