CASPER, Wyo. — According to data from the Wyoming Economic Analysis Division, Natrona County’s unemployment rate at the end of September is slightly up from the same point in 2023, as well as the state’s average at the same point.

At the end of September, Natrona County’s unemployment rate was 2.9%. At the same point in 2023, the county’s rate was 2.6%. And in the most recent survey, Wyoming’s unemployment rate also sat at 2.6%. The state’s unemployment rate is down 1% from the same point in 2023.

Despite the slight rise in unemployment in the Casper area community, the report found that the economy is steadily improving. The Economic Analysis Division measures counties’ economic stability with an economic health index that looks at a variety of factors. In every indicator except for the unemployment rate, Natrona County saw improvement.

In addition to the unemployment rate, the economic health index considers the total nonfarm employment, the sales and use tax and the average home value.

Despite the unemployment rate rising by 0.3%, the total number of employed Natrona County residents grew by about 1.2%. Overall, the number of nonfarm payroll jobs in the county was 40,800 in September.

Sales and use taxes grew approximately 5.1%, and Natrona County’s collection of the 4% sales and use tax was reported at $10.3 million in September 2024.

The average Natrona County home value rose 2.2% from 2023 to 2024. According to the report, the average home value is $296,100.

However, because sales and use tax collections the county receives for a given month represent transactions that took place four to six weeks prior, the tax collection data lags by one month in the economic health index model.

Employment in Wyoming totaled 295,900 jobs at the end of September, up 2,800 from the same point last year.

“Total employment continues to increase year-over-year, but at a slowing rate,” Economic Analysis Division economist Dylan Bainer said.

Statewide, private education and health fields added the most jobs in the past year.

Related

Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis, known as the “Bitcoin Senator,” has identified 2025 as a pivotal year for Bitcoin and crypto, with several proposed policies and key government positions expected to converge and spur change.

“With David Sacks as Crypto Czar, this will be the most pro-digital asset administration ever,”  Lummis wrote on X. “I look forward to working closely with [Sacks] to pass comprehensive digital asset legislation and my strategic bitcoin reserve.”

Earlier this month, Donald Trump appointed venture capitalist Sacks to oversee artificial intelligence and crypto policy initiatives next year.

The President-elect has promised to protect domestic crypto mining interests, shore up regulation, and make the U.S. the “crypto capital” of the world.

On the last two points, Sacks will “work on a legal framework so the crypto industry has the clarity it has been asking for and can thrive in the U.S,” Trump said on December 6.

Lummis’ enthusiasm follows a reshuffle of key government officials, including a new SEC chair, as Trump prepares to re-enter the White House for a second presidential term.

Central to the Senator’s vision is the Boosting Innovation, Technology, and Competitiveness Through Optimized Investment Nationwide Act, also known as the “Bitcoin Act.” 

The legislation proposes the creation of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, which she described as “a network of secure storage vaults, purchase program, and other programs to ensure the transparent management of Bitcoin holdings of the federal government.”

The initiative aims to accumulate 1 million Bitcoin—5% of the total supply—over five years. The reserve would be funded by reallocating existing Federal Reserve assets, such as bonds and gold, rather than creating additional debt. 

“This Bitcoin Act is going to be transformative for this country,” Lummis said during her speech at the Bitcoin conference in Nashville four months ago. “With a strategic Bitcoin reserve, we will have an asset that, before 2045, can cut our debt in half.”

The Act also mandates a 20-year holding period for these assets, focusing on a long-term commitment to the asset.

According to Arkham Intelligence data, the U.S. government already holds substantial Bitcoin reserves, estimated at $21 billion, primarily seized through criminal cases. If passed, the Bitcoin Act could integrate these holdings into the strategic reserve.

The federal push mirrors momentum at the state level. Ohio Representative Derek Merrin introduced a bill on Tuesday that would allow the state treasury to invest public funds in Bitcoin. 

Pennsylvania’s legislation, introduced by Representative Mike Cabell, seeks to allocate up to 10% of the state’s treasury reserves to Bitcoin as a hedge against inflation. 

Meanwhile, Texas has proposed funding its reserve through donations and authorizing Bitcoin payments for taxes and fees.

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair