Wyoming
Wyoming Tops In The Nation For Outbound Cigarette Smuggling
Wyoming has the highest U.S. rate of outbound cigarette smuggling, the Tax Foundation reports.
The group released a study last week, announcing that 49.2% of Wyoming’s cigarette consumption goes to smugglers taking the product outside the state, based on 2022 data.
That’s the highest percentage of outbound smuggling for any U.S. state, based on each state’s cigarette consumption, meaning that Wyoming doesn’t have the highest volume of smuggled-out cigarettes, but that its sales have the highest chance of landing in black or grey markets in other states.
The study consists of estimates comparing states’ tax data to U.S. Census Bureau consumption surveys.
Adam Hoffer, director of excise tax policy at the Tax Foundation, told Cowboy State Daily on Friday that it’s worth noting how small Wyoming’s market is.
“Wyoming is a relatively small consumer of cigarettes, compared to somewhere like California,” he said. “So, small changes in consumption patterns can really swing that smuggling estimate.”
Hoffer, who wrote the Tax Foundation’s recent report, said that the group’s analysts have been “a little intrigued by Wyoming for several years.”
The state’s high smuggling rate is also augmented by the nearness of “more restrictive states,” like Utah and Colorado.
Utah’s 2022 inbound smuggling estimate is 20.46%, the report says — meaning about one-fifth of the cigarettes consumed in Utah were smuggled into it. It taxes cigarettes at $1.70 per pack.
Colorado’s inbound smuggling rate is similar, 19.86%. It taxes cigarettes at $1.94 per pack.
The Tax Foundation noticed an uptick in inbound smuggling in Colorado, plus an increase in outbound smuggling in nearby Wyoming, after Colorado doubled its per-pack tax rate in 2021.
In 2020 when Colorado’s cigarette tax was 84 cents per pack, its inbound smuggling comprised 7.96% of the state’s consumption, the group reported in 2022.
Wyoming’s outbound smuggling at that time comprised 24.35% of its own sales, and the state did not show the highest percentage in that area as it does in the more recent study.
Wyoming considered nearly doubling its cigarette tax rate in 2022, but the House Revenue Committee shut down that effort in 2023, by voting down a bill the joint version of that same committee had advanced before the lawmaking session.
Some Other Smuggler Favorites
Delaware sits in second place after Wyoming with 34.43% of its cigarette consumption going to out-of-state smuggling. New Hampshire is third, at 31.43%.
At 60 cents per pack, Wyoming doesn’t have the lowest cigarette taxation rate in the nation.
Of the 15 states besides Wyoming that show outbound cigarette smuggling, five of them have a lower tax rate per-pack than Wyoming, though all of them have indicated less outbound smuggling than the Cowboy State, according to the study.
For example, Missouri, which is No. 7 for outbound smuggling at 14.67%, only taxes cigarettes at 17 cents per pack.
But again, Hoffer noted, Missouri’s overall market is much larger than Wyoming’s so none of these figures undermine Missouri’s potentially large outbound smuggling volume.
“(Missouri) borders so many states that it is the hub of outbound cigarette smuggling for that region of the country,” said Hoffer. In other words, Missouri feeds its region with cigarettes.
“Probably (Missouri has) more net outbound smuggling than Wyoming, but it’s a smaller percentage of what’s consumed (there),” added Hoffer.
Idaho, the fifth-place state for outbound cigarette smuggling at 27.01%, taxes the product at 57 cents per pack, the study says.
North Dakota only taxes cigarettes at 44 cents a pack, yet ranks ninth for outbound smuggling at 13.83%.
Georgia taxes the product at 37 cents a pack, yet has an outbound smuggling rate of 3.14%, says the study. In the case of Georgia, outbound smuggling doesn’t make as much sense as in other areas, said Hoffer.
“Georgia borders North Carolina and is not far from Virginia,” Hoffer said. “If you’re going to smuggle form Georgia you’re probably only going to do so into Florida.”
North Carolina’s cigarettes are taxed at 45 cents per pack, and Virgina’s at 60 cents per pack, both low figures on the scale. Florida taxes them at $1.34 per pack.
Incoming
New York has the highest rate of inbound smuggling, the study says, with an estimated 54.3% of cigarettes consumed in the state coming from smuggled sources in 2022. The state taxes cigarettes at $4.35 per pack.
Next are California (46.7% smuggled of total consumed), New Mexico (41.2%), Massachusetts (39.7%) and Washington 36.8%).
Those four states tax cigarette packs at $2.87, $2, $3.51 and $3.03, respectively.
The Tax Foundation’s study also discusses other factors in the smuggling world, like flavor bans.
Massachusetts banned menthol cigarettes in June 2020. In the following year, its sales dropped by almost 24% compared to the year preceding the ban, says the study.
“This decline translates to $135 million less in cigarette tax revenue for Massachusetts,” the study notes.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
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.”
Related
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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