Wyoming, the “Equality State,” was the 44th state admitted into the United States on July 10, 1890. In 2018, the state population was estimated at 577,737, which is less than the population of 31 of the largest U.S. cities. The geography of the state includes almost all mountainous regions or wide open plains, so that leaves little room for big cities and towns. The state capital, Cheyenne, is the state’s most populous city with only 63,624 people as of 2017.
Wyoming has consistently received an “A” grade from Truth in Accounting for its financial condition according to their Financial State of the States. Earning an “A” means that the state has more than enough money to pay its bills, which means it has a Taxpayer Surplus rather than a Taxpayer Burden. Additionally, the state’s surplus is more than $10,000, at $19,600. It has received “A”s for their financial state every year since 2009.
In 2017, Wyoming ranked third best of the 50 states for its financial condition.
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Wyoming’s employment rate is one of the highest in the country at 62 percent. Many of these jobs revolve around its specific geographies. Wyoming’s nonfarm payroll employment is at 290,000 people. This number is low compared to its surrounding states of Colorado, South Dakota, Montana and Nebraska. According to State Data Lab, nonfarm payroll employment is a measure of the number of U.S. workers in the economy engaged in jobs excluding farm work, unincorporated self-employment, private households’ employment, proprietorships, unpaid volunteering and intelligence agency roles. This measure can be used to assess the current economic situation because it can represent the number of jobs added or lost in an economy. A rise in employment numbers can be indicative of overall economic expansion.
In terms of its surrounding states, Wyoming falls in around the middle on its natural resources expenditures. In 2017, Wyoming spent $238.32 million on natural resources. Wyoming’s economy primarily relies on mineral extraction such as coal, oil and natural gas.
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You can learn more interesting facts about Wyoming and the rest of the 50 states by making your own charts using State Data Lab. Happy 129th birthday, Wyoming!
Georgia Evans is a social media and analytics intern for Truth in Accounting, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Chicago that researches government financial data.