Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · September 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Cheyenne, WY MSA — September 2026
Cheyenne's low jobless rate hides a shrinking payroll count.
Laramie County unemployment fell to 2.6% even as nonfarm payrolls dropped 300 jobs year-over-year in April, a split that suggests labor scarcity — not economic strength — is driving the headline number.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Laramie County unemployment: 2.6% — vs 3.0% WY, 4.1% US (July/Aug 2026)
- Laramie County payroll change: -300 jobs — First YoY nonfarm decline since Dec 2022
- National wage growth vs inflation: 3.0% vs 3.4% — Weakest real-wage gap since May 2021
- Warehouse/Fulfillment advertised pay: $41,600 — Up significantly vs $38,000 national median
Key takeaways
Low unemployment masks a shrinking job count.
Laramie County's 2.6% jobless rate looks strong, but nonfarm payrolls fell year-over-year in April 2026 for the first time since December 2022. Tight labor supply, not surging demand, appears to be driving the low rate — a distinction that matters for anyone assessing whether the local economy is actually expanding.
Warehouse and logistics pay is the standout mover.
Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate advertised pay rose significantly to a $41,600 metro median, well above the $38,000 national figure, while Delivery Driver pay declined. The divergence within the same logistics chain suggests selective demand tied to specific operations rather than a sector-wide boom.
Skilled trades pay is outrunning white-collar administrative pay.
Electrician ($81,120) and HVAC Technician ($69,523) postings both show significant upward movement locally, consistent with national construction-sector momentum, while Administrative Assistant pay fell. Commerce leaders weighing office versus trade-dependent investments are operating in two different wage environments.
Wage-vs-inflation gap narrows the real purchasing power story locally.
National wage growth slowed to 3.0% annually against 3.4% inflation in September, the weakest real-wage reading since 2021, while Wyoming's 0.9% weekly wage growth through June lags that national pace further. Local consumer spending momentum may be softer than the low unemployment rate alone implies.
Median advertised pay by role — Cheyenne, WY MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $27,481 | $34,522 | $46,800 | Stable | $33,325 |
| Retail Cashier | $28,080 | $31,200 | $33,280 | Stable | $31,200 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $35,803 | $41,600 | $41,600 | Significant increase | $38,000 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $60,661 | $81,883 | $93,600 | Stable | $78,000 |
| Delivery Driver | $32,144 | $34,320 | $39,520 | Moderate decline | $34,344 |
| Construction Laborer | $36,821 | $43,680 | $45,240 | Stable | $40,560 |
| Electrician | $67,102 | $81,120 | $86,642 | Moderate increase | $71,404 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $33,191 | $35,360 | $35,360 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $33,800 | $39,126 | $41,033 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $37,887 | $38,979 | $38,979 | Moderate decline | $33,756 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $36,803 | $39,337 | $41,600 | Moderate decline | $41,106 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $36,335 | $42,075 | $44,867 | Moderate decline | $43,680 |
| HVAC Technician | $60,320 | $69,523 | $69,523 | Significant increase | $70,720 |
| Registered Nurse | $79,966 | $97,935 | $104,817 | Moderate increase | $102,581 |
| Software Engineer | $131,348 | $166,191 | $180,325 | Moderate increase | $153,652 |
| Data Engineer | $104,010 | $130,105 | $144,231 | Significant decline | $139,500 |
| Accountant | $57,784 | $71,695 | $75,000 | Moderate increase | $72,182 |
| Financial Analyst | $87,750 | $106,206 | $113,496 | Significant increase | $94,782 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $63,533 | $70,000 | $71,098 | Moderate increase | $75,000 |
| Marketing Specialist | $50,842 | $73,258 | $79,564 | Significant increase | $62,354 |
| Operations Manager * | $66,959 | $67,212 | $67,320 | No data | $85,216 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $30,940 | $56,968 | $69,504 | Significant increase | $56,731 |
| Account Manager | $82,079 | $118,000 | $138,167 | Significant increase | $92,749 |
| Warehouse Manager | — | — | — | No data | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $84,614 | $99,826 | $107,176 | Significant increase | $98,279 |
* 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 | $78,000 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $124,927 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $56,160 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $73,900 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $142,503 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $86,354 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $92,467 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $72,500 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $33,800 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $69,354 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Laramie County unemployment tightened to 2.6% in July 2026, well below both the state's 3.0% and national 4.2% rates, even as nonfarm payrolls slipped year-over-year following an April decline of 300 jobs to 49,100 — a signal that labor supply, not demand, is the binding constraint on local economic activity. Wage pressure is concentrated and uneven: Software Engineer and Financial Analyst postings show significant local gains while Manufacturing Production Worker and Administrative Assistant pay moved down, pointing to a metro economy splitting along skill lines rather than broadly accelerating.
What it means
Sub-3% unemployment alongside falling payroll counts suggests Cheyenne's labor market is supply-constrained rather than demand-weak — a dynamic that favors steady expansion plans over aggressive growth bets, since available workers, not available jobs, are the scarcer resource. For commerce leaders evaluating local investment timing, the combination of tight labor supply and mixed sector pay signals (skilled trades and professional roles rising, warehouse/logistics rising sharply, retail and admin roles flat-to-down) suggests the business case for expansion varies sharply by sector rather than following a single metro-wide trend. Current conditions suggest monitoring sector-specific postings data before drawing broad conclusions about Cheyenne's overall business climate.
Looking ahead
Early indicator: Watch whether Laramie County's next payroll count confirms the April decline as a trend or a one-month anomaly. A second consecutive year-over-year drop would mark a meaningful shift from the 14-quarter growth streak that defined 2022-2024.
Worth watching: Mining and resource-extraction softness statewide (Wyoming mining down 3.8% in Q1 2026) has limited direct exposure in Cheyenne but matters for state revenue projections that fund local public-sector payrolls. Track state budget signals tied to severance tax receipts.
Potential inflection point: National WARN filings remain elevated (over 313,000 workers affected as of late September) though Wyoming does not publish state-level WARN data, limiting local visibility. Any announced reduction from a major Cheyenne employer would be the first real local test of this national trend.
Emerging pressure point: Labor force contraction across Wyoming (down 3,000-plus since 2024) combined with an aging population raises questions about whether Cheyenne's business base can staff planned expansions regardless of posted pay levels. This is a labor-supply question, not a wage-competitiveness one.
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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