GILLETTE, Wyo. — Wyoming might be the smallest state in the union by population, but that population has been growing in recent years.
Data from the state’s Economic Analysis Division show the state added more than 7,200 residents since April 1, 2020, rising to 584,057 as of July 1, 2023, the latest year for which the data is available. Between 2022 and 2023, the state added 2,428 residents.
As of July 1, 2023, 68.7% — or 401,086 people — in Wyoming lived in incorporated places. Nearly half of the state’s residents lived in 11 cities and towns with a population of more than 10,000. Wyoming’s total population grew 2,428 or 0.4% in 2023, and this growth rate was the same as the combined population change for these 11 large cities.
“In 2023, Wyoming’s large cities mostly reversed COVID-19-induced 2021 and 2022 population declines,” said Dr. Wenlin Liu, chief economist with the State of Wyoming Economic Analysis Division. “Many people with telework capabilities chose to relocate to less populated and lower-cost areas during the pandemic.”
Nearly two-thirds of Wyoming’s 31 large cities and towns — those with more than 2,000 people — added residents between July 2022 and July 2023. Gillette is among the state’s population growth leaders, per the data.
The city added 218 residents between 2022 and 2023, bringing the city’s population to 33,496. Cheyenne added the most residents at 585, and Sheridan followed in the No. 2 spot with 338 residents, with Casper coming in third by adding 236 residents.
Although Mills, a small city nestled up against Casper, came in fifth by adding 93 additional people, that was enough for the city to have the fastest annual growth by percentage at 2.1%. The next fastest growing communities were Pinedale at 1.9% and Sheridan at 1.8%.
Despite their bigger numbers, no other city in the state cracked 1% growth. Cheyenne and Lovell were close with 0.9% each. Gillette wasn’t far behind at 0.7%.
Making Gillette home
Why is Gillette so attractive to prospective new residents? Gillette offers new residents an attractive lifestyle that comes with low taxes, high quality of life, community safety, a strong education system, innovative companies and people, community engagement, proactive economic development, beautiful outdoor spaces and connectivity to many tourist destinations in and around Wyoming, according to Mayor Shay Lundvall.
While the city’s growth doesn’t come without its challenges, the impact of those challenges is somewhat minimal to the city itself. Hiring quality employees, ensuring adequate public safety and maintaining roads are among the challenges Gillette is facing, Lundvall said.
“We need people to want to show up for work and have an attitude of learning,” he said. “As any community grows, public safety is critical. We need to make sure we are taking care of our infrastructure as a result of increased traffic.”
Looking toward continuing population growth, Lundvall said the city is undertaking a Comprehensive Master Plan that will become a guide for all things zoning and planning. That will help the City Council be proactive in business recruitment and retention, housing developments, tourism expansion and project prioritization in the short and long term.
“Our wastewater treatment facility is currently undergoing renovations and has the capacity to absorb many more people to Gillette,” Lundvall said. “We have a water supply to meet current and future demands while accommodating different businesses and events that happen throughout the year.”
Growth can challenge city infrastructure and services until the increased tax revenue becomes available for use, but there are positive impacts to more people calling Gillette home. Chief among them is that people see what’s happening across the country and they seek out a community that will care for them, that has strong local government and that is open for business, Lundvall said. They find it in Gillette.
“In addition, they see opportunities they didn’t have as the trades are expanded and paired with a strong education system that supports their kids. In turn they become advocates and get involved on different nonprofits and other boards,” the mayor said. “I want continued innovation and the pursuit of excellence so that we can all continue to work towards bettering our city. I want to continue to pursue the ecosystem of creating high-paying jobs and supplemental support industries that have made this community so great.
“When you have this type of mindset and like-minded people join you, it fosters growth and being part of something that is growing gets exciting.”
Campbell County growing as cities’ populations rebound
Campbell County as a whole saw its population rise between 2020 and 2023, according to the Economics Analysis Division. The county had a population of 47,030 in 2020, and that rose 468 people to 47,498 by July 1, 2023.
Wright’s population has rebounded after dipping in 2021. The city had 1,646 residents in 2020, dropping to 1,625 in 2021. The population increased to 1,638 in 2022 and further to 1,653 in 2023, per the data.
The number of residents in unincorporated parts of Campbell County increased quite a bit. From 11,972 in 2020, the population broke 12,000 later that year before falling back to 11,929 in 2021. The population grew again in 2022 to 12,143 and in 2023 to 12,349. Overall, across the years, the population has grown 377 people, or 3.1%.
The Economic Analysis Division’s full population report is attached below:
