Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · September 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: WY NONMETROPOLITAN AREA — September 2026
Wyoming's nonmetro economy: tight labor, not weak demand.
Wyoming's 3.0% unemployment rate and historically low initial UI claims mask a workforce shrinking by over 3,000 people statewide, with county unemployment ranging from 1.7% in Teton to 4.0% in Niobrara.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Wyoming unemployment rate: 3.0% — vs 4.1% US rate; 7th-lowest among states
- County unemployment range: 1.7%–4.0% — Teton County low vs Niobrara County high
- Wyoming nonfarm job growth: 0.2% — 500 jobs added, Aug 2025–Aug 2026
- Wyoming average wage growth: 3.7% — vs 3.0% US annual wage growth (Sept 2026)
Key takeaways
County-level divergence is the real Wyoming story, not the state average.
Teton County's 1.7% unemployment sits beside Niobrara County's 4.0%, a gap that reflects tourism-driven versus resource-extraction economies more than any single statewide trend. Commerce planners should treat county-level data, not the 3.0% state figure, as the relevant benchmark for local investment decisions.
Labor force contraction, not demand softness, is the binding constraint.
Wyoming's labor force shrank by more than 3,000 people between 2024 and 2025 even as job postings in growth sectors continue. Projected gains of roughly 6,000 jobs through 2027 may outpace available local labor supply, a planning risk for any large-scale commercial expansion.
Mining's slow retreat is a structural headwind, not a cyclical dip.
Mining employment fell 3.8% in Q1 2026 and is projected to shed another 144 jobs through 2027, consistent with a multi-year pattern rather than a one-quarter anomaly. Communities historically reliant on mining tax revenue and payroll should factor this into long-range fiscal and economic-development planning.
Tourism and construction are absorbing the state's growth, unevenly.
Accommodation/food services (+4.6% projected) and construction (+6.0% projected) are the clearest growth engines, but both carry seasonal and project-based volatility that differs sharply from the stability of public-sector or healthcare employment. Local economic development strategy may benefit from distinguishing durable growth from seasonal swings when courting new investment.
Median advertised pay by role — WY NONMETROPOLITAN AREA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $24,150 | $29,921 | $37,242 | Stable | $33,325 |
| Retail Cashier | $25,324 | $29,065 | $30,160 | Stable | $31,200 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $33,118 | $39,520 | $43,680 | Stable | $38,000 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $65,135 | $85,831 | $95,000 | Moderate increase | $78,000 |
| Delivery Driver | $27,991 | $31,344 | $33,246 | Stable | $34,344 |
| Construction Laborer | $35,029 | $40,705 | $43,680 | Stable | $40,560 |
| Electrician | $60,905 | $72,194 | $81,120 | Moderate increase | $71,404 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $29,120 | $34,988 | $38,740 | Significant decline | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $29,535 | $35,360 | $38,550 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $26,670 | $28,600 | $31,203 | Stable | $33,756 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $35,360 | $41,600 | $49,920 | Moderate increase | $41,106 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $33,758 | $40,435 | $45,760 | Stable | $43,680 |
| HVAC Technician | $56,786 | $69,200 | $77,260 | Significant decline | $70,720 |
| Registered Nurse | $83,018 | $105,876 | $115,364 | Significant increase | $102,581 |
| Software Engineer | $124,992 | $156,798 | $169,603 | Moderate increase | $153,652 |
| Data Engineer | $97,202 | $125,126 | $146,387 | Moderate decline | $139,500 |
| Accountant | $50,621 | $60,000 | $69,146 | Stable | $72,182 |
| Financial Analyst | $85,536 | $102,865 | $111,767 | Stable | $94,782 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $51,490 | $64,033 | $74,104 | Stable | $75,000 |
| Marketing Specialist | $58,027 | $85,879 | $111,377 | Significant increase | $62,354 |
| Operations Manager * | $66,959 | $67,212 | $67,320 | No data | $85,216 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $38,480 | $62,990 | $69,937 | Moderate increase | $56,731 |
| Account Manager | $77,329 | $100,833 | $114,014 | Significant increase | $92,749 |
| Warehouse Manager | — | — | — | No data | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $83,783 | $93,438 | $105,542 | Moderate decline | $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 | $68,640 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $115,650 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $42,242 | Significant increase | Stable |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $49,807 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Information | $136,017 | Moderate increase | Significant decline |
| Financial Activities | $69,921 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $71,596 | Significant increase | Stable |
| Education & Health Services | $88,439 | Significant increase | Stable |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $31,489 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $69,354 | Significant increase | Significant decline |
Local market conditions
Wyoming's nonmetropolitan counties hold a 3.0% statewide unemployment rate with wide local variation — from 1.7% in Teton County to 3.4%-4.0% in resource-dependent counties like Sweetwater and Niobrara — reflecting a labor market shaped more by sectoral mix than broad weakness. Job growth remains essentially flat statewide (up just 500 positions, or 0.2%, year-over-year through August), with mining continuing a structural contraction while accommodation/food services and construction post the state's strongest projected gains.
What it means
Flat aggregate job growth paired with a historically low unemployment rate signals a labor market constrained by supply — an aging, shrinking workforce — rather than by weak demand, which matters more for site-selection and expansion timing than for day-to-day staffing concerns. Commerce leaders evaluating local investment should weigh that a tight labor pool may slow project ramp-up timelines even where business conditions otherwise favor growth; consider reviewing county-level unemployment and labor-force trends alongside any capital investment or expansion planning rather than relying on statewide averages alone.
Looking ahead
Expected: BLS publishes Wyoming's September 2026 unemployment and employment data October 20-21, following the state's run of unusually low initial UI claims; a continued low-claims pattern would reinforce the tight-labor-supply narrative over any demand-side softening.
Emerging pressure point: Mining's continued contraction in resource-dependent counties (Sweetwater, Campbell) warrants monitoring for its secondary effect on local tax bases and public-sector budgets, which commerce leaders rely on for infrastructure and services planning.
Worth watching: National wage growth has slowed to 3.0% against 3.4% inflation, eroding real purchasing power; whether Wyoming's stronger 3.7% average wage gain holds that advantage locally will shape consumer spending capacity across retail and hospitality sectors this fall.
Potential inflection point: Labor force participation trends in nonmetro counties, particularly youth outmigration patterns, will determine whether projected 2025-2027 job growth (roughly 6,000 positions) can actually be absorbed locally or requires in-migration or commuting-shed expansion.
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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