Best Places to Live in Wyoming (2012)

This article, the forty-first in a 50-state series, ranks the best places to live in Wyoming based on three criteria: (1) median household income (adjusted for cost of living); (2) educational attainment (% of residents 25 years and over who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher); and (3) property crime rates per 1,000 residents (burglary and automobile thefts). For purposes of these rankings, "places" are incorporated municipalities with populations greater than 2,000.

Among the ten best places to live in Wyoming, one is the capital city, one is a core city, and eight are county seats. By county, two of the best places to live in Wyoming are located in Sweetwater County and the remaining eight are located in Albany, Campbell, Fremont, Laramie, Lincoln, Sublette, Teton, and Uinta counties.

After reading "Best Places to Live in Wyoming (2012)," return to this link to read "Largest Cities in Wyoming (2012)." A collection of similar articles for the remaining 49 states can be found at these links: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

For the culmination of the 50-state series, read "Best Places to Live in America (2012)."

This article may be updated as new data becomes available.


1. Best Places to Live in Wyoming (2012) -- Pinedale, WY (Sublette County)

Population: 2,087

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $78,404
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 34.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.38

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Cheyenne, WY: 355 miles SE
Jackson, WY: 77 miles NW

2. Best Places to Live in Wyoming (2012) -- Jackson, WY (Teton County)

Population: 9,594

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $56,778
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 48.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.23

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Cheyenne, WY: 432 miles SE
Idaho Falls, WY: 91 miles W

3. Best Places to Live in Wyoming (2012) -- Kemmerer, WY (Lincoln County)

Population: 3,177

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $81,513
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 17.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.04

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Cheyenne, WY: 342 miles ESE
Salt Lake City, UT: 132 miles SW

4. Best Places to Live in Wyoming (2012) -- Green River, WY (Sweetwater County)

Population: 11,953

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $83,898
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 18.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.51

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Cheyenne, WY: 271 miles ESE
Salt Lake City, UT: 167 miles SW

5. Best Places to Live in Wyoming (2012) -- Laramie, WY (Albany County)

Population: 28,051

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $40,552
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 50.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.34

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Cheyenne, WY: 49 miles SE
Fort Collins, CO: 65 miles SSE

6. Best Places to Live in Wyoming (2012) -- Lander, WY (Fremont County)

Population: 7,150

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $53,003
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 33.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.29

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Cheyenne, WY: 272 miles SE
Casper, WY: 146 miles E

7. Best Places to Live in Wyoming (2012) -- Gillette, WY (Campbell County)

Population: 25,394

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $82,150
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 17.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.81

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Cheyenne, WY: 245 miles S
Casper, WY: 126 miles SSW

8. Best Places to Live in Wyoming (2012) -- Rock Springs, WY (Sweetwater County)

Population: 19,594

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $77,583
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 17.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.59

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Cheyenne, WY: 256 miles ESE
Salt Lake City, WY: 185 miles SW

9. Best Places to Live in Wyoming (2012) -- Evanston, WY (Uinta County)

Population: 11,539

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $60,118
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 19.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.06

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Cheyenne, WY: 357 miles E
Salt Lake City, UT: 81 miles SW

10. Best Places to Live in Wyoming (2012) -- Cheyenne, WY (Laramie County)

Population: 56,324

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $58,964
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 23.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.88

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Fort Collins, CO: 47 miles SSW
Denver, CO: 102 miles S

*In some cases, municipalities do not report their crime statistics to the FBI or they contract for services with the state or a county law enforcement agency. For those towns, crime rates are extrapolated from municipal, county, state, or contiguous municipality data.

Source(s):

"All Cities in Wyoming," City-Data.com
" American Community Survey ," U.S. Census Bureau
" American Fact Finder ," U.S. Census Bureau
"Uniform Crime Report," Federal Bureau of Investigation