Wyoming Population 2023

The state of Wyoming is located in the central northwestern sector of the USA. While it is the 10th largest in terms of surface area, it has the lowest recorded population of any state in the Union. It is also the second most sparsely populated. It's currently enjoying a healthy growth rate of 1.13%, which ranks 15th among all 50 states.

Wyoming Area and Population Density

This is a very sparsely populated state, and with an average of just 5.85 people for every square mile, only one other state in the entire US -- Alaska -- can boast a less dense population.

As of 2005, almost 51% of Wyomingites lived in one of the 13 largest municipalities of the state. The largest city, Cheyenne, has a population of just 63,335, followed by Casper (60,285) and Laramie (32,158).

The most populated counties in the state of Wyoming are Laramie county and Natrona county with respective populations of 98,327 and 79,547.

Wyoming Gender and Religion Statistics

The median age of the population residing in Wyoming is approximately 36.8 years of age. The ratio of females to males is currently at 48.9% females and 51.1% males.

In terms of favored religions among the population of Wyoming, Christian based faith affiliations are at 71%, while non-Christian faith affiliations are at 3%, leaving 26% without any particular religious affiliations.

Wyoming Boundary, Census, and Statehood History

Although most of Wyoming was acquired as early as the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, an organized government began with the establishment of Oregon, Nebraska, and Utah Territories (1848-54). Later the area was included in Idaho, Dakota, and Utah Territories until Wyoming Territory was established in 1868 with the present State boundaries. Wyoming was admitted as a State on July 10, 1890.

In 1850 and 1860 present-day Wyoming had only limited census coverage, as part of Utah and Nebraska Territories. In 1870 census coverage included the whole of Wyoming Territory.

Wyoming Population History

In 1870, the population of Wyoming stood at just 9,118 but significant increases were to follow for the latter half of that century. Just ten years later in 1880, a rise of over 100% had taken the figure to 20,789, and a further 200% increase saw the population in 1890 rise to 62,555.

From that point up until the present day, the overall growth percentage increases have slowed down, although generally speaking, the picture has been one of sustained, if unspectacular, growth. There was an anomaly in 1990, however, when the census of that year revealed a fall in numbers of 3.4% on those declared ten years earlier.

Further rises were to follow, however, and that has continued to the present day where the population of Wyoming in 2016 exceeds 580,000.

Wyoming Population Growth

The fact that there was a fall in the population of Wyoming as recently as 1990 makes it a little difficult to predict numbers moving forward. However, recent censuses have indicated a return to sustained, if modest growth and therefore, by the time of the next census in 2020, the population may exceed the next milestone of 600,000.

Wyoming is currently enjoying one of the highest growth rates in the country, in part fueled by natural gas jobs in the area and an unemployment rate well below the country's average. Its growth over the last few decades has been in largely rural counties where natural gas exploration has taken off.

Wyoming Population Projections

Given its healthy economic environment, open space and high growth rate, its population is estimated to be close to 700,000 by 2025.

Wyoming is one of ten states that has a non-Hispanic white population that is over 90%. The state has one of the lowest populations of African American residents in the nation, ranking 42nd out of 50 states. It also has the 4th lowest percentage of Asian residents. Whether these numbers will change in the future is unknown, although 2011 data showed that almost one-quarter of children under the age of 1 born in Wyoming were classified as minorities.

When it comes to the population of Native Americans, the numbers increase a bit more, with US census Bureau data showing that the state of Wyoming ranks as 38th out of 50 in terms of the number of Native American inhabitants.

According to census data from 2000, Wyoming's largest ancestry groups include: German (26%), English (16%), Irish (13.3%), American (6.5%), Norwegian (4.3%) and Swedish (3.5%).

• Wyoming is the second least populated state in the US.
• The first state to give women voting rights was Wyoming.
• Wyoming has the 7th largest Indian reservation in the country by area. The Wind River Indian Reservation -- which stretches across over 2.2 million acres-- is home to Eastern Shoshone and the Northern Arapaho tribes.
• The state is the largest producer of coal in the nation.
• Devils Tower was named the first National Monument in the United States.
• Yellowstone Park was made the first national park in the country back in 1872.