Mountain West · Updated October 2026
Wyoming in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$1,094/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
17.4%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
None
on wage income
One of 9 states with no wage income tax
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
0.57%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
98.5
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
37th
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
Where Wyoming stands out: no state income tax on wages, the lightest state and local tax bill, the 5th lowest violent crime, the 4th cheapest two-bedroom rent and the 2nd smallest rent-to-income bite among the 50 states.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 3.2% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the lowest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Cheyenne (Cheyenne station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 40°F | 18°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 56°F | 32°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 81°F | 53°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 60°F | 35°F |
$1,683/mo two-bedroom · $1,287 one-bedroom (Teton County, WY)
Jackson sits beneath the Tetons next to Yellowstone — spectacular, wealthy, and with the widest gap between local wages and housing costs in the country. No state income tax, brutal winters, and most workers commute from Idaho.
$1,228/mo two-bedroom · $963 one-bedroom (Cheyenne, WY MSA)
Cheyenne is Wyoming's capital, with an Air Force base, government jobs, no income tax and cheap housing. Flat, windy, cold, and within ninety minutes of Denver.
$1,045/mo two-bedroom · $804 one-bedroom (Casper, WY MSA)
Casper is central Wyoming's energy hub on the North Platte River, with a mountain at the edge of town and excellent fly fishing. Cheap, windy, and tied closely to oil and gas cycles.
$1,016/mo two-bedroom · $777 one-bedroom (Park County, WY)
Cody is a small western town at Yellowstone's eastern gate, founded by Buffalo Bill, with a superb western museum. Remote, seasonal, and squarely tourism- and ranching-based.
$999/mo two-bedroom · $806 one-bedroom (Albany County, WY)
Laramie is home to the University of Wyoming, a high, windy college town between the Snowy Range and the plains. No state income tax, low costs and harsh winters.
$1,168/mo two-bedroom · $893 one-bedroom (Sheridan County, WY)
Sheridan is a western ranching town at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains, with a well-kept historic Main Street. No state income tax, a strong outdoors culture and rising prices.
$1,039/mo two-bedroom · $851 one-bedroom (Campbell County, WY)
Gillette is a coal-mining city in northeast Wyoming's Powder River Basin, with high mining wages and an uncertain future as coal declines. Remote and windy, with no state income tax.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
No. Wyoming is one of nine states that don’t tax wage income. Sales and property taxes still apply: a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 3.2% of income in state and local income, property and sales tax (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $1,094 a month and a one-bedroom for about $865, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $665 less than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 98.5 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 94.1 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 17.4% of the state’s median household income of $75,532.
Wyoming recorded 203.4 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 5th lowest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are wildfires. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wyoming’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 37th percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Jackson, Cheyenne, Casper, Cody and Laramie. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.