Census: Wyoming grew slowly and remains US’ smallest state

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming remained the least-populated state and grew more slowly than all but a couple others from 2010 to 2020, according to U.S. Census figures released Thursday.

Only Michigan and Connecticut grew slower than Wyoming. Ohio grew at the same rate. Three states — Illinois, Mississippi and West Virginia — lost population, the Casper Star-Tribune reported.

Although Wyoming’s population grew 2.4%, from 563,626 to 576,851 people, only nine of the state’s 23 counties grew.

Teton and Laramie counties — home, respectively, of booming Jackson Hole and the state capital of Cheyenne — tied with population growth of 9.6%.

Lincoln County, on the border with rapidly growing Utah, came in third with an 8.1% increase.

Sheridan (6.2%) and Natrona (6%) counties were the fourth- and fifth-fastest growing. Park County grew 5%, Albany County 2.1%, and Campbell and Crook counties less than 2% each.

Once-booming Sublette County in western Wyoming’s gas patch lost almost 15% of its population over the decade. Washakie County was next with a nearly 10% loss. Carbon County lost 8.5%, and Weston and Goshen Counties both lost more than 5%.

Wyoming remained majority white while the state’s Hispanic or Latino population grew from 8.9% of the state in 2010 to 10.2% in 2020. People who identified as two or more races grew from 1.5% to 4.1%

Wyoming remains far too small to pick up a second U.S. House seat, like neighboring Montana. Still, the numbers will help allocate a variety of state and federal dollars to communities.

Wyoming receives nearly $1 billion in population-dependent federal dollars every year for programs including Medicaid, housing vouchers and food assistance.