Wyoming
Wyoming sees mixed economic forecast for 2025, report finds
LARAMIE, Wyo. — Wyoming’s economic outlook is mixed for 2025, with a continuing decline in the coal industry, shortages in housing and child care, and an aging population clouding the state’s mid- and long-term growth prospects, according to a new University of Wyoming report.
The Center for Business and Economic Analysis in UW’s College of Business issued its second annual Wyoming Economic Forecast in conjunction with the Governor’s Business Forum.
“The year ahead for Wyoming holds many opportunities and challenges, including finding solutions to current binding constraints for growth — housing affordability for workers, challenging transportation and connectivity resulting in constrained access to markets, a thin and complex labor market, and the brain drain in our higher-education graduates, among others,” the report reads.
Still, the report predicts a slight increase in the state’s labor force in 2025, with just a small increase in the unemployment rate to 3.2%, lower than the national rate. And the state’s population is expected to increase slightly.
The UW economists used the large-scale structural economic forecasting model Moody’s Analytics, along with conversations with Wyoming and regional business leaders, to develop the economic outlook report.
Among the positive signs for Wyoming’s economy:
- Employment in natural resources and mining is expected to rise slightly in 2025, along with increases in wholesale trade; construction; manufacturing; retail trade; transportation and utilities; financial services; education and health services; leisure and hospitality; information services; and professional and business services.
- The continuing decline in employment, wages and the coal industry’s contribution to the gross state product are offset somewhat by a relatively strong outlook for other natural resources, including trona and rare earth elements.
- There are strong business startup numbers, along with growing manufacturing clusters, most notably in Sheridan and Casper.
- Wyoming ranks No. 2 nationally in science and engineering degrees as a percentage of higher education degrees conferred, with 45.8% of the awarded degrees in those fields compared to the national average of 35.7%.
- Venture capital disbursed per $1 million in gross state product in 2022 was $16,149.76 versus the U.S. average of $9,898.93; dollars disbursed per venture capital deal totaled $11.49 million, ranking Wyoming No. 5 nationally versus the U.S. average of $10.14 million per deal.
- The rate of patents has increased significantly, with 15.18 patents per 1,000 individuals in science and engineering occupations, up from the historical range of four to 12 patents per 1,000 people in those fields.
- According to the U.S. Census Bureau, new business applications in the state were up 25% between September 2023 and September 2024. Wyoming also recently was ranked as the sixth-most entrepreneurial state in the nation by The Digital Project.
On the other hand, economic headwinds include:
- A continuing lack of quality, affordable housing.
- Rising property values that are pinching many Wyoming homeowners, although Wyoming residential property tax rates are still among the lowest in the nation.
- Continuing lack of access to child care for workers.
- Continuing lack of mobility for business travelers, with numerous winter closures of highways and some reductions in airline service.
- Lack of reliable internet connectivity, with 18.5% of Wyoming locations currently unserved by any broadband provider.
- A relatively low college-going rate, with only about half of Wyoming high school graduates pursuing higher education.
- Continuing outmigration of college-educated young people, with around 37% of UW alumni still living in the state among graduates between 2007-2024.
- The growth in the state’s population will be driven primarily by people ages 45 and over, with the populations of residents 0-4, 5-19, 20-24 and 25-44 years old expected to decline.
“The implications of our aging population are broad reaching,” the report reads. “The K-12 school-age student population will be impacted in both the near- and long-term; the workforce necessary for economic growth and the number of potential entrepreneurs and small-business owners will decline. In addition, by 2031, the high school enrollment of the state is expected to decline by 5.6%, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics.”
People can read the full Wyoming Economic Forecast online here.
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CASPER, Wyo. — High school athletics in Wyoming could see some drastic changes in the coming years following legislative changes to the state’s education budget, the Wyoming High School Activities Association recently announced in a statement.
According to the WHSAA, Wyoming school districts are facing a projected $3.9 million shortfall in activities funding, forcing officials to consider significant cuts to high school sports and extracurricular programs.
The WHSAA shared details regarding a new “silo” funding model implemented by the Legislature, stating that the recalibrated block grant model reduced funding for student activities and extra-duty responsibilities from $46.3 million to $42.4 million, an approximately 8.4% decrease statewide.
WHSAA Commissioner Trevor Wilson said the restructuring also restricts district access to an additional $76.2 million in previously flexible funding.
“A significant portion of the [April 28 WHSAA Board of Directors] meeting was dedicated to discussing the projected funding shortfall,” Wilson wrote.
The WHSAA is weighing several strategies to address rising costs with fewer resources. Proposed changes include eliminating regional tournaments and reducing the number of teams qualifying for state events from eight to four; limiting wrestling to two classes and restricting track and field state participants to the top 16 marks; making cuts to soccer, indoor track and field, Nordic and Alpine skiing, swimming and diving, spring golf and tennis; and reducing in-person speech and debate events by half and centrally locating All-State Music events to minimize travel. The board also recommended increasing gate admission or implementing student participation fees to offset costs.
While the WHSAA release states that no plans have been finalized and the various changes are currently just possibilities, Natrona County School District 1 Board of Trustees member Mary Schmidt criticized the WHSAA’s handling of the news at Monday’s board meeting.
“I take some issues with this, [including] the sheer fact that we as Board of Trustees members have not talked about that at all,” Schmidt said. “It is not our intent and it has not been brought to us to cut our athletics or activities budget for the upcoming school year. … I take issue with them picking sports and getting the community upset and ginning them up to be upset that this is all going to be cut when that hasn’t been discussed.”
Later in the meeting, Superintendent Angela Hensley clarified that Natrona County School District 1’s athletics and activities budget saw a reduction of roughly $550,000 in the coming year’s budget, but said the local school district does not plan to cut any sports.
“Thank you, Trustee Schmidt, for saying this, because I think people are wondering — we are not planning to cut athletics and activities for next year,” Hensley said. “We do have to take a look at our entire budget as we have talked about, as we learn more about these new rules that come in.”
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Republished with permission from Wyoming News Now, a TV news outlet covering the Cheyenne and Casper areas.
Cheyenne City Council has introduced a temporary moratorium, or pause, on new data center construction.
“The end goal is to actually have regulations in place, to have really heavy public involvement with this with data centers,” said Councilman Mark Moody.
The proposed ordinance is not a permanent ban on data centers and would not affect data centers currently under construction.
Councilman Moody says this is a bipartisan issue.
“I just want to make this clear, I’m not against data centers. We do need them from a national security perspective,” he said.
He said there needs to be more public input and regulations regarding data centers in Cheyenne.
The ordinance would require city staff to study data center impacts such as electricity usage, electricity tariffs, closed-loop cooling systems, groundwater impacts, agricultural impacts, and land value.
Cheyenne LEADS, the economic development corporation for Cheyenne and Laramie County, reported in November 2025 that there are 12 operational data centers in Wyoming, five under construction and plans for 43 data centers announced across the state.
“There needs to be more public input with this, and also to see how many we can sustain here in this community, cause there are talks of 43, and then another day 70. How many can we sustain here?” said Councilman Moody.
The proposed moratorium will now go to the Public Services Committee on Monday, May 18 at noon in the Municipal Building.
Sheridan will play in the North Regional Tournament at Gillette, while the South Regional Tournament will be played at Rock Springs.
North Regional Tournament at Gillette:
Checking record vs. highest team in the quadrant not involved in the tie, Thunder Basin gets the #1 Northeast seed over Campbell County, because the Lady Bolts went 3-1 vs. Sheridan, whereas the Lady Camels went 2-2.
Friday, May 15th:
(#1 NE) Thunder Basin vs. (#4 NW) Jackson – 11am
(#2 NW) Natrona County vs. (#3 NE) Sheridan – 11am
(#2 NE) Campbell County vs. (#3 NW) Kelly Walsh – 1pm
(#1 NW) Cody vs. (#4 NE) Worland – 1pm
Semi-Finals:
Thunder Basin/Jackson winner vs. Natrona County/Sheridan winner – 3pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Campbell County/Kelly Walsh winner vs. Cody/Worland winner – 5pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Consolation Round:
Thunder Basin/Jackson loser vs. Natrona County/Sheridan loser – 3pm LOSER OUT!
Campbell County/Kelly Walsh loser vs. Cody/Worland loser – 5pm LOSER OUT!
Saturday, May 16th:
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
2 10am winners vs. each other – 1pm 3rd Place
TBA vs. TBA – 1pm 1st Place
South Regional Tournament at Rock Springs:
Friday, May 15th:
(#1 SW) Laramie vs. (#4 SE) Torrington – 11am
(#2 SE) Cheyenne East vs. (#3 SW) Green River – 11am
(#2 SW) Rock Springs vs. (#3 SE) Wheatland – 1pm
(#1 SE) Cheyenne Central vs. (#4 SW) Cheyenne South – 1pm
Semi-Finals:
Laramie/Torrington winner vs. Cheyenne East/Green River winner – 3pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Rock Springs/Wheatland winner vs. Cheyenne Central/Cheyenne South winner – 5pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Consolation Round:
Laramie/Torrington loser vs. Cheyenne East/Green River loser – 3pm LOSER OUT!
Rock Springs/Wheatland loser vs. Cheyenne Central/Cheyenne South loser – 5pm LOSER OUT!
Saturday, May 16th:
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
2 10am winners vs. each other – 1pm 3rd Place
TBA vs. TBA – 1pm 1st Place
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