Town · Niobrara County, Wyoming

Lusk, Wyoming

Lusk is a town in Niobrara County, Wyoming. It has 1,311 residents. Lusk, Wyoming has a quality-of-life score of 40 out of 100 (low), ranking #9,467 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Wyoming it ranks #51 of 56 cities and towns. It ranks best on suicide rate (low), pharmacies (high) and firearm deaths (low). It ranks worst on flu vaccinations (low), social associations (low) and mammography screening (low).

40Low

Quality-of-life score: #9,467 of 15,651 cities and towns
Wyoming: #51 of 56 in WY
Population: 1,311 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 633.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 5648530

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety39#9,558/15,637
Economy39#9,470/15,631
Housing88#1,763/14,977
Health54#7,154/15,609
Healthcare13#13,538/15,650
Environment76#3,662/15,453
Education33#10,458/15,649
Infrastructure41#9,235/15,650
Community9#14,195/15,651
Leisure & amenities50#7,788/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Lusk, Wyoming ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Niobrara County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Suicide rate · low0.0 /100k
100/100Wyoming 30.0 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataNiobrara County value
Pharmacies · high4.3 /10k
99/100Wyoming 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsNiobrara County value
Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Wyoming 25.3 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataNiobrara County value
Average commute time · low10.3 min
99/100Wyoming 18.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.3 µg/m³
99/100Wyoming 4.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyNiobrara County value
Restaurants and bars · high21.4 /10k
99/100Wyoming 12.3 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsNiobrara County value

Weaknesses

Flu vaccinations · low14.0%
0/100Wyoming 37.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNiobrara County value
Social associations · low0.0 /10k
0/100Wyoming 13.7 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNiobrara County value
Mammography screening · low23.0%
0/100Wyoming 40.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNiobrara County value
Traffic deaths · high59.1 /100k
1/100Wyoming 21.4 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataNiobrara County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.0 /10k
1/100Wyoming 8.5 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsNiobrara County value
Distance to an airport · high204 mi
1/100Wyoming 131 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauNiobrara County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
1,558 (2015-2019) → 1,311 (2020-2024)
−16%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
53.7% (2015-2019) → 28.8% (2020-2024)
−25 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
28.5% (2015-2019) → 5.5% (2020-2024)
−23 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
64.2% (2015-2019) → 86.3% (2020-2024)
+22 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.6 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent as share of incomeImproving
32.5% (2015-2019) → 14.1% (2020-2024)
−18 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Lusk, Wyoming improved on 4 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 7 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Poverty−15 points25.1% → 10.3%
Household income+78%$38,477 → $68,507
Rent burden−25 points53.7% → 28.8%
Broadband+22 points64.2% → 86.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Lusk, Wyoming between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	12.6 min2015-2019	10.3 min2020-2024	−2.3 min	Within the margin of error	73%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.8%2015-2019	19.5%2020-2024	+6.7 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Broadband subscriptions	64.2%2015-2019	86.3%2020-2024	+22 points	Improved	93%
Effective property tax rate	0.60%2015-2019	0.60%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	16%
High school diploma or higher	85.6%2015-2019	94.9%2020-2024	+9.2 points	Within the margin of error	94%
Home price to income ratio	3.4×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	−0.3×	Within the margin of error	88%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4402015-2019	0.4312020-2024	−0.009	Within the margin of error	59%
Median household income	$38,4772015-2019	$68,5072020-2024	+78%	Improved	96%
Poverty rate	25.1%2015-2019	10.3%2020-2024	−15 points	Improved	97%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent-burdened households	53.7%2015-2019	28.8%2020-2024	−25 points	Improved	96%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Lusk, Wyoming five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lusk, Wyoming in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Lusk, Wyoming itself moved +20.6 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,311 residents (±182)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

687 households (±120)

Lusk, Wyoming
Wyoming share

Under $25k26%†180
$25k–50k15%†102
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

687 households (±120)

Lusk, Wyoming
Wyoming share

Own51%349
Rent49%†338

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−19.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

548 workers (±151)

Lusk, Wyoming
Wyoming share

Drive alone89%†485
Carpool0.7%†4
Public transit

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Niobrara County, the county holding most of Lusk's residents.

Niobrara County has 69 employer establishments, 297 for every 10,000 residents (1.20× the US rate of 248; 0.73× Wyoming's), with 334 paid employees at an average annual pay of $35,392. The Census Bureau also counts 247 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 69; 247 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 297; US 248 · Wyoming 408
Paid employees: 334
Average annual pay: $35,392; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Niobrara County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	5	21.6	1.39×Too few to compare	5	$58,000	20
Construction of buildings	4	17.2	2.28×Too few to compare	7	$28,571	—
Limited-service restaurants	4	17.2	2.15×Too few to compare	30	$12,733	—
Restaurants and other eating places	4	17.2	0.94×Too few to compare	30	$12,733	—
Truck transportation	4	17.2	3.41×Too few to compare	16	$51,375	6
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	3	12.9	4.10×Too few to compare	2	$42,000	4
Heavy and civil engineering construction	3	12.9	11.3×Too few to compare	17	$37,647	—
Lessors of real estate	3	12.9	1.05×Too few to compare	8	$37,250	20
Services to buildings and dwellings	3	12.9	1.92×Too few to compare	2	$29,000	7
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	7
Advertising, public relations and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Ambulatory health care services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	5

Rank places for an industry Open Niobrara County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 2,320 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Lusk is mostly in Niobrara County.

See federal money in Niobrara County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Lusk, Wyoming is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Harriet M. HagemanR-WY · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 0.3%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Niobrara County43100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Niobrara County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5648530

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends