The Research & Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services reported today that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 3.8% in March to 9.2% in April. Given the large number of layoffs and other economic disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in unemployment was widely expected. Job losses were seen across all areas of the state and in every major industry with the hardest hit sectors being leisure & hospitality, natural resources & mining, and retail trade. Despite the large increase from March to April, Wyoming’s unemployment rate was significantly lower than the current U.S. rate of 14.7%.

Unemployment rates rose from year-ago levels in every Wyoming county. The largest increases occurred in Teton (up from 4.0% to 18.3%), Natrona (up from 3.6% to 12.7%), Sublette (up from 4.0% to 11.3%), Campbell (up from 3.1% to 10.2%), and Sweetwater (up from 3.7% to 10.5%) counties. The smallest increases were seen in Niobrara County (up from 2.4% to 4.4%) and Big Horn County (up from 4.6% to 6.6%).

At 18.3% in April, Teton County reported the highest unemployment rate in the state. It was followed by Natrona County at 12.7%, Sublette County at 11.3%, Sweetwater County at 10.5%, and Campbell County at 10.2%. The lowest unemployment rates were found in Niobrara County at 4.4%, Albany County at 5.4%, Weston County at 5.7%, and Crook County at 5.8%.

Total nonfarm employment in Wyoming (not seasonally adjusted and measured by place of work) decreased from 284,300 in April 2019 to 257,900 in April 2020, a decline of 26,400 jobs (-9.3%). The largest job losses occurred in leisure & hospitality (-13,800 jobs, or -41.4%), natural resources & mining (-2,600 jobs, or -12.6%), retail trade (-1,700 jobs, or -6.0%), and government (including public schools, colleges, and hospitals -1,700 jobs, or -2.5%).