Labor Market Pulse · Finance · October 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Cheyenne, WY MSA — October 2026
Cheyenne finance pay climbs even as broader job growth stalls.
Laramie County lost nonfarm jobs for the first time since 2022, yet Financial Analyst advertised pay rose to $106,993 — well above the $94,646 national median — while Credit Analyst pay fell to $62,326 against a stable national figure.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Laramie County nonfarm employment: 49,100 jobs — Down 300 jobs YoY, first decline since Dec 2022
- Cheyenne MSA unemployment rate: 3.0% — vs 4.1% U.S. rate, Sept 2026
- Financial Analyst advertised pay, metro: $106,993 — vs $94,646 national median, rising significantly
- CFO turnover rate, national: 18.3% — Highest since pandemic, per Crist|Kolder
Key takeaways
Financial Analyst pay is outrunning the national market here.
Metro median advertised pay of $106,993 sits well above the $94,646 national figure and is rising significantly locally versus stable nationally, suggesting Cheyenne employers are competing hard for a thin analytical talent bench on local terms, apart from any national trend.
Credit Analyst pay is sliding against a stable national market.
Metro median fell significantly to $62,326, well under the $71,397 national figure — a divergence that may reflect softening demand tied to the mining and large-project slowdown, a local pattern distinct from a broad-based talent glut.
Tax Specialist pay gains locally track a national tightening.
Metro median rose significantly to $61,720, moving with a significant national increase to $69,556, consistent with tax function scarcity flagged broadly by finance talent surveys this month — Cheyenne remains exposed to this pressure despite its small labor market.
Overall employment contraction masks role-specific scarcity.
Laramie County's first year-over-year job loss since 2022 coincides with rising pay for Financial Analyst, Senior Accountant, and FP&A Manager roles, indicating the contraction is concentrated in mining and project-driven work while finance and professional functions hold steady.
Median advertised pay by role — Cheyenne, WY MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $80,202 | $117,213 | $123,000 | Stable | $115,420 |
| Senior Accountant | $63,086 | $86,406 | $89,673 | Significant increase | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $85,760 | $106,993 | $115,797 | Significant increase | $94,646 |
| Billing Specialist | $39,752 | $46,852 | $48,889 | Stable | $49,000 |
| Tax Specialist | $44,195 | $61,720 | $66,639 | Significant increase | $69,556 |
| Credit Analyst * | $62,326 | $62,326 | $68,735 | Significant decline | $71,397 |
| FP&A Manager | $107,603 | $128,407 | $153,259 | Moderate increase | $130,000 |
* 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
Local market conditions
Cheyenne MSA unemployment held near 3.0% in September, well below the 4.1% national rate, while Laramie County posted its first year-over-year nonfarm employment decline since December 2022 — a loss of 300 jobs to 49,100 — signaling the local labor market is tight but no longer expanding. State-level softness in mining and the Bechtel-TerraPower Natrium project split are consistent with reduced demand for project-based and technical finance support tied to large capital projects, even as core government, healthcare, and education employment remains stable.
What it means
Flat-to-declining headcount in the broader Laramie County economy alongside a 3.0% unemployment rate means Finance leaders are competing for a shrinking pool of qualified talent, with a tight market rather than layoff-driven slack keeping pressure on advertised pay for analytical roles like Financial Analyst (+significant locally) even as commodity-exposed project work contracts. Headcount cost planning should account for this divergence — budget cycles built around easing wage pressure may understate costs for FP&A and analyst-level roles while overestimating pressure on project-accounting or credit functions tied to mining and construction. Consider reviewing FP&A Manager and Financial Analyst compensation positioning against the metro's upward trend before the next budget cycle locks in assumptions.
Looking ahead
Expected release: BLS October Cheyenne MSA employment data publishes mid-November; watch whether the Laramie County nonfarm decline deepens or stabilizes, which will shape 2027 headcount budget assumptions.
Emerging pressure point: CFO turnover nationally is projected at 18.3% for 2026 with a 37.5% external hire rate — the highest vacancy risk sits squarely inside close and audit cycles, and metros with thin senior-finance benches like Cheyenne may see longer backfill timelines.
Worth watching: Continued mining-sector contraction and the Bechtel-TerraPower Natrium separation could add project-accounting and credit-analyst talent to the local pool; watch whether this eases the Credit Analyst pay decline or signals deeper demand erosion.
Potential inflection point: 70% of finance and accounting leaders nationally are increasing contract talent use in H2 2026 — if that trend reaches Cheyenne's smaller employer base, it could reshape headcount cost forecasting and audit-readiness documentation expectations.
Sources
- Wyoming Department of Workforce Services / Cheyenne Economic Health Index — Laramie County nonfarm employment fell 300 jobs YoY to 49,100, first decline since Dec 2022
- Wyoming Department of Workforce Services — Cheyenne MSA/Laramie County unemployment near 3.0% in Sept 2026
- Crist|Kolder Associates — CFO turnover projected at 18.3% in 2026, external hire rate 37.5%
- Robert Half / AFP FP&A Forum — 70% of finance/accounting leaders increasing contract talent use in H2 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — National unemployment rate at 4.1% in October 2026
- State layoff notice tracking — Bechtel split from TerraPower Natrium project, October 2026 layoff notice
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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