Big Horn County unemployment hits 3.8%

Unemployment in the state of Wyoming has risen slightly to 3.3% in the month of November, and it was higher in Big Horn County.

According to the Research & Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (WDWFS) the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from 3.2% in October to 3.3% in November.

In Big Horn County, the jobless rate rose from 3.4 percent in October to 3.8 percent in November, a rate that was well above the rate of 3.1 percent in November of 2023. But the report also notes that the labor force in the county increased from 5,108 a year ago to 5,129 in November.

WDWFS also reported that, from October to November, most county unemployment rates followed their normal seasonal pattern and increased. Unemployment rates typically rise in November because of seasonal layoffs in leisure and hospitality and other sectors.

The largest unemployment rate increases were found in Teton (2.6% to 4.4%), Sublette (3.5% to 4.5%), Park (2.7% to 3.6%) and Hot Springs (2.7% to 3.4 %) counties. Niobrara County was the only area in the state where unemployment did not increase. Its unemployment rate remainxed unchanged at 2.6%.

Last November, unemployment rates rose from their year-ago levels in every county around the state. The largest increases occurred in Sublette (3.1% to 4.5%), Teton (3.2% to 4.4%), Carbon (2.6% to 3.7%) and Platte (2.5% to 3.6%) counties.

According to a WDWF survey, the highest unemployment rates in November were found in Western Wyoming. Sublette County’s rate was 4.5%, Teton County rate was 4.4%, and Uinta County’s rate was 4.0%. The lowest unemployment rates were reported in Niobrara and Converse counties, each at 2.6%.

Current Employment Statistics (CES) estimates a total of nonfarm employment in Wyoming rose from 291,400 in November 2023 to 295,100 in November 2024, an increase of 3,700 jobs (1.3%). A December unemployment data will be published on January 29, 2025.