CHEYENNE (WNE) — Wyoming’s labor market showed improvement in the second quarter of 2026, with a moderate decrease in the unemployment rate and increase in job numbers.

Private education and health services led employment growth (up 2.5%), while the mining industry continued to decline, losing 2.5% of its workforce.

“While the state’s unemployment rate remains significantly lower than the U.S. average of 4.3%, the state’s modest job growth is similar to the national trend,” said Wenlin Liu, chief economist with the Wyoming Division of Economic Analysis, in a news release.

Total taxable sales in the state rose by 9.6%, reaching $6.4 billion in the second quarter, marking the second consecutive quarter of year-over-year near double-digit growth. The strong performance was primarily attributed to the mining industry (26.7%) and retail trade services (7.1%) Out of 23 counties, 15 reported increases in taxable sales year-over-year, with Converse County leading at 44.2% growth.

Laramie (20.9%) and Johnson (19.3%) also demonstrated strong expansions.

The statewide single-family home price in Wyoming increased 3.2% in the second quarter of 2026 compared to one year ago.

Mineral severance taxes generated in the second quarter were 18.6% higher than the previous year, marking the highest amount since the fourth quarter of 2023. This increase primarily reflects the surging oil prices since March due to the supply restrictions from the military conflict in the Middle East. The state’s investment income that was initially distributed to the state general fund reached $666.4 million in the second quarter, denoting the peak amount ever achieved.

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