Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: WY NONMETROPOLITAN AREA — October 2026
Nonmetro Wyoming's tight labor market masks a sector handoff.
Teton County unemployment sits at 1.8% and statewide wages rose 3.0% even as mining lost 2.5-3.8% of its workforce and health services expanded 2.5%, a rotation obscured by Wyoming's flat 0.4% overall job growth.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Teton County unemployment: 1.8% — vs 3.8% Niobrara, 3.0% statewide
- Wyoming nonfarm job growth: 0.4% — 1,300 jobs added, Sept 2025-Sept 2026
- Mining employment change: -2.5% to -3.8% — vs +2.5% private education & health services
- Wyoming average annual wage: $63,501 — up 3.0%, vs 3.5% US CPI growth
Key takeaways
Mining's retreat and health care's advance are reshaping the base.
Mining employment fell 2.5-3.8% depending on the measure while private education and health services grew 2.5%, a sectoral rotation that changes the composition of local payrolls and consumer spending even as total headcount barely moves. Economic development planning anchored to historical mining-era assumptions may need updating.
County-level divergence undercuts any single statewide read.
Teton County's 1.8% unemployment sits alongside Niobrara's 3.8%, a gap wide enough that state or national averages tell commerce leaders little about conditions in any specific nonmetro county. Decisions on expansion or workforce investment should reference county-level Wyoming Department of Workforce Services data directly.
Wages are outrunning inflation here, against the national grain.
Wyoming's 3.0% average annual wage gain compares favorably to the national pattern of real wage erosion (median earnings up 1.5% against 3.5% CPI growth), suggesting nonmetro Wyoming households may be entering the holiday season with somewhat firmer purchasing power than the national trend implies.
Construction's project pipeline is a bellwether, not a given.
State projections point to 5.5% construction growth through 2027, tied to data centers, wind farms, and energy-related work, but Wyoming's recent experience with the Bechtel-TerraPower Natrium layoff notice shows how dependent this growth is on a handful of large projects continuing on schedule.
Median advertised pay by role — WY NONMETROPOLITAN AREA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $23,694 | $29,510 | $35,706 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $25,735 | $29,120 | $30,737 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $34,252 | $40,435 | $43,680 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $68,438 | $88,000 | $94,200 | Moderate increase | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $27,991 | $31,204 | $32,582 | Stable | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $35,183 | $41,600 | $44,200 | Moderate increase | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $60,759 | $72,739 | $82,046 | Stable | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $29,120 | $35,122 | $39,645 | Significant decline | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $29,311 | $35,360 | $38,502 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $25,794 | $28,600 | $29,170 | Stable | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $35,360 | $42,036 | $51,700 | Moderate increase | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $34,045 | $40,196 | $45,760 | Stable | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $56,786 | $69,200 | $78,000 | Moderate decline | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $82,500 | $104,000 | $114,621 | Significant increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $119,108 | $156,635 | $166,850 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $97,078 | $129,132 | $150,835 | Stable | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $51,322 | $64,451 | $70,158 | Significant increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $75,896 | $98,907 | $105,831 | Moderate decline | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $51,867 | $64,145 | $77,500 | Moderate increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $47,691 | $82,107 | $111,658 | Moderate increase | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager | — | — | — | No data | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $35,318 | $62,324 | $70,097 | Stable | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $74,652 | $102,793 | $112,815 | Significant increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager | — | — | — | No data | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $83,114 | $92,856 | $105,040 | Moderate decline | $98,302 |
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 | $71,259 | Significant increase | Significant decline |
| Manufacturing | $115,119 | Significant increase | Significant decline |
| Retail Trade | $41,577 | Moderate increase | Significant decline |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $47,840 | Significant decline | Moderate decline |
| Information | $136,017 | Moderate increase | Significant decline |
| Financial Activities | $65,947 | Moderate decline | Significant decline |
| Professional & Business Services | $75,216 | Significant increase | Significant decline |
| Education & Health Services | $88,207 | Significant increase | Significant decline |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $31,489 | Moderate decline | Stable |
| Government | $65,349 | Significant increase | Significant decline |
Local market conditions
Wyoming's nonmetropolitan counties held unemployment near historic lows in September 2026 -- Teton at 1.8%, Crook and Albany at 2.2% -- while six rural counties including Fremont and Platte posted month-over-month improvement, a pattern consistent with a labor market where available workers remain scarce relative to demand. Statewide nonfarm employment grew just 1,300 jobs (0.4%) year-over-year through September, with private education and health services expanding 2.5% even as mining contracted 2.5%, signaling that modest aggregate growth masks a sharper reallocation between sectors than the headline number suggests.
What it means
Tight labor availability alongside flat aggregate job growth points to a local economy operating near capacity rather than one cooling off -- commerce leaders evaluating expansion or relocation decisions should treat labor supply, not demand softness, as the binding constraint in most nonmetro Wyoming counties. Wage gains that outpace the sub-1% national CPI-adjusted erosion seen elsewhere (Wyoming's average annual wage rose 3.0% to roughly $63,500) suggest local purchasing power is holding up better than the national pattern, a relevant input for retail and consumer-facing investment planning. Current conditions suggest reviewing site-selection or expansion timelines against county-level labor force participation data rather than statewide averages, given the wide spread between counties like Teton (1.8% unemployment) and Niobrara (3.8%).
Looking ahead
Expected release: October unemployment data for Wyoming and its nonmetro counties publishes November 23 -- the first full read on whether September's county-level improvements (Fremont, Platte, Weston, Crook) extended into fall.
Emerging pressure point: Mining's continued contraction, paired with the Bechtel-TerraPower Natrium layoff notice, bears watching for whether energy-sector softness spreads beyond uranium-adjacent construction into broader nonmetro employment.
Early indicator: Construction activity tied to data centers and wind projects is a leading signal for nonmetro labor demand; any slippage in project timelines would show up first in county-level construction employment before it appears in statewide totals.
Worth watching: National CDL Truck Driver pay is rising moderately against a stable national trend, and metro-level advertised pay for the role already sits well above the national median -- a signal worth tracking for what it implies about freight and logistics activity tied to energy and construction projects in the region.
Sources
- Wyoming Department of Workforce Services — Teton 1.8%, Crook/Albany 2.2% unemployment, Sept 2026
- Wyoming Department of Workforce Services — Wyoming nonfarm employment rose 1,300 jobs (0.4%) YoY
- Wyoming Division of Economic Analysis — Mining down 2.5-3.8%, private education/health up 2.5%
- Wyoming Research & Planning — Wyoming average annual wage rose 3.0% to $63,501
- Wyoming WARN tracking — Bechtel filed layoff notice tied to TerraPower Natrium project
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — National median earnings rose 1.5% vs 3.5% CPI, Q3 2026
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.
Free to read and cite with attribution to WageScape. Terms of use.