Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety47#494/924
Economy81#176/925
Housing78#208/925
Health38#575/925
Healthcare16#778/923
Environment74#241/917
Education49#474/925
Infrastructure58#393/925
Community69#291/925
Leisure & amenities68#295/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Rock Springs, WY micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.3 µg/m³
98/100Wyoming 4.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Public libraries · high2.4 /10k
98/100Wyoming 1.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Food insecurity · low9.9%
97/100Wyoming 10.3%United States 15.6%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Public transit commuters · high2.5%
96/100Wyoming 0.9%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Lack of reliable transportation · low6.6%
96/100Wyoming 6.9%United States 8.3%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Access to exercise opportunities · high92.6%
95/100Wyoming 76.5%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high36.4 /100k
2/100Wyoming 30.0 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Distance to an emergency room · high23.0 mi
3/100Wyoming 15.7 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Drought exposure · high99%
3/100Wyoming 75%United States 43%Nov 2025–Oct 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · high149 mi
4/100Wyoming 131 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Mammography screening · low33.0%
4/100Wyoming 40.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Grocery stores · low0.7 /10k
4/100Wyoming 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Hot daysWorsening
3 days (2011-2020) → 6 days (2016-2025)
+68%5 yearsUS 41 days → 42 days
PharmaciesImproving
0.9 /10k (2020) → 1.5 /10k (2025)
+53%5 yearsUS 1.9 /10k → 1.8 /10k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
83.1% (2010 & 2021) → 92.6% (2022 & 2024)
+9.5 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
New business applicationsImproving
11.2 /1k (2020) → 16.4 /1k (2025)
+47%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
New homes permittedWorsening
1.2 /1k (2021) → 0.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−44%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Drug overdose deathsWorsening
17.5 /100k (2021) → 24.2 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
+38%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k

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, Rock Springs, WY micropolitan area improved on 11 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 9 moved within the margin of error and 6 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved11

Pharmacies+53%0.9 /10k → 1.5 /10k
Violent crime−37%248 /100k → 156 /100k
Arts & recreation+21%3.8 /10k → 4.6 /10k
Unemployment−3.4 points7.2% → 3.8%
Firearm deaths−6%28.4 /100k → 26.7 /100k

Declined6

Commute+4.2 min19.6 min → 23.8 min
Inequality+0.0420.407 → 0.449
Uninsured+2.3 points12.6% → 14.9%
Homicides+31%2.9 /100k → 3.8 /100k
Traffic deaths+18%26.0 /100k → 30.8 /100k

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Rock Springs, WY micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.8 /10k2020	4.6 /10k2025	+21%	Improved	77%
Average commute time	19.6 min2015-2019	23.8 min2020-2024	+4.2 min	Declined	1%
Average weekly wage	$1,1402020	$1,3542025	+19%	Improved	14%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.5%2015-2019	20.9%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	2%
Broadband subscriptions	84.0%2015-2019	88.8%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Improved	8%
Child poverty rate	13.5%2015-2019	16.0%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Distance to an airport	149 mi2020	149 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	33.2 /100k2020	24.2 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−27%	Improved	53%
Effective property tax rate	0.65%2015-2019	0.63%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Firearm deaths	28.4 /100k2020	26.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−6%	Improved	59%
Grocery stores	0.7 /10k2020	0.7 /10k2025	+2.2%	Little change	60%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.2 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	+2.2%	Little change	49%
High school diploma or higher	92.8%2015-2019	92.8%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	33%
Homicide rate	2.9 /100k2020	3.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+31%	Declined	9%
Income adjusted for local prices	$59,5072019	$69,0712024	+16%	Improved	0%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4072015-2019	0.4492020-2024	+0.042	Declined	3%
Median household income	$74,8432015-2019	$75,0342020-2024	+0.3%	Within the margin of error	0%
New business applications	11.2 /1k2020	16.4 /1k2025	+47%	Improved	52%
Pharmacies	0.9 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+53%	Improved	100%
Poverty rate	11.5%2015-2019	12.9%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Property crime rate	1,086 /100k2020	838 /100k2025	−23%	Improved	29%
Public libraries	2.3 /10k2019	2.4 /10k2024	+3.8%	Little change	83%
Public transit commuters	2.9%2015-2019	2.5%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Rent as share of income	23.1%2015-2019	26.2%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Rent-burdened households	37.7%2015-2019	41.4%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Restaurants and bars	14.0 /10k2020	13.8 /10k2025	−1.2%	Little change	40%
Suicide rate	35.5 /100k2020	36.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+2.5%	Little change	55%
Traffic deaths	26.0 /100k2015-2019	30.8 /100k2020-2024	+18%	Declined	30%
Unemployment rate	7.2%2020	3.8%2025	−3.4 points	Improved	63%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.6%2015-2019	14.9%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Declined	6%
Violent crime rate	248 /100k2020	156 /100k2025	−37%	Improved	84%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Rock Springs, WY micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Rock Springs, WY micropolitan area 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, Rock Springs, WY micropolitan area itself moved −8.1 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

41,542 residents

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

17,502 households (±351)

Rock Springs, WY micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k14%2,499
$25k–50k18%3,179
$50k–75k18%3,068

Homes

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

Owners and renters

17,502 households (±351)

Rock Springs, WY micropolitan area
United States share

Own75%13,049
Rent25%4,453

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

20,184 workers (±549)

Rock Springs, WY micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone77%15,490
Carpool13%2,595
Public transit2.5%†500

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes no occupation wages for Rock Springs, WY micropolitan area.

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.

Rock Springs, WY has 1,219 employer establishments, 295 for every 10,000 residents (1.19× the US rate of 248), with 15,361 paid employees at an average annual pay of $70,279. The Census Bureau also counts 2,616 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,219; 2,616 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 295; US 248
Paid employees: 15,361
Average annual pay: $70,279; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Rock Springs, WY by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	84	20.3	0.98×About typical	506	$50,146	82
Specialty trade contractors	82	19.9	1.28×More than typical	691	$62,201	168
Restaurants and other eating places	80	19.4	1.05×About typical	1,439	$19,548	7
Lessors of real estate	54	13.1	1.06×About typical	131	$37,092	359
Truck transportation	52	12.6	2.49×More than typical	420	$85,579	76
Offices of other health practitioners	45	10.9	1.79×More than typical	194	$41,557	39
Building equipment contractors	40	9.7	1.61×More than typical	329	$69,204	31
Full-service restaurants	35	8.5	1.10×About typical	600	$21,262	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	35	8.5	1.26×More than typical	148	$39,419	137
Limited-service restaurants	33	8	1.00×About typical	757	$17,626	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	32	7.7	1.54×More than typical	174	$45,603	40
Construction of buildings	32	7.7	1.02×About typical	165	$84,297	50

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 41,294 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $4.5M on contracts performed in Rock Springs, WY micropolitan area: $109 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $4.5M; +125% vs FY2025
Per resident: $109; US $2,007
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 8.9%; US 8.7%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Bureau of Land Management$3.6M80%
Bureau of Reclamation$345.6K7.7%
Federal Aviation Administration$312.9K7.0%
Forest Service$220.9K4.9%
Federal Bureau of Investigation$19.1K0.4%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

2.5MFY2017
5.7MFY2018
1.6MFY2019
2.1MFY2020
10.5MFY2021
12.1MFY2022
1.6MFY2023
2.8M

Top industries (NAICS)

Support activities for mining · 2131$1.5M33%
Other crop farming · 1119$867.2K19%
Waste collection · 5621$351.2K7.8%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$345.6K7.7%
Utility system construction · 2371$301.3K6.7%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$200.3K4.5%

Largest awards

BIG SANDY DAM RESERVOIR ENLARGEMENT$14.8M
EWS-RSCI LLC· Sweetwater County, WY· Construction & real property· Apr 16, 2021 – Jul 15, 2026· 140R4021C0003
FEDERAL ORPHANED WELL PROGRAM - PLUGGING AND ABANDONMENT SERVICES IDIQ REGION 3$1.5M
NORTH WIND SITE SERVICES LLC· Sweetwater County, WY· Construction & real property· Sep 23, 2026 – Sep 23, 2026· 140L0626F0059
ALFALFA HAY -ROCK SPRINGS WILD HORSE AND BURRO FACILITY$871.9K
MCDANIEL FARMS INC· Sweetwater County, WY· Other equipment & supplies· Jul 30, 2026 – Jul 30, 2026· 140L6226C0002
ROCK SPRING WH&B HAY PURCHASE (1000T GRASS HAY, 2000T ALFALFA)

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $274M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Rock Springs, WY micropolitan area: $6,639 per resident (US $12,975).

Assistance · FY2026: $274M; −14% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,639; US $12,975
Loan face value: $16.3M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.6%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$150.8M55%
20.271 · Emergency Relief (ER) Program$22.8M8.3%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$22.6M8.3%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$20.9M7.6%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$17M6.2%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$11.5M4.2%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$6.3M2.3%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$3.8M1.4%

Top recipients (organizations)

WYOMING DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$38.8M14%
CHEYENNE, WY
GREEN RIVER CITY WY$1.7M0.6%
GREEN RIVER, WY
SWEETWATER COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT NUMBER ONE$1.7M0.6%
ROCK SPRINGS, WY
WESTERN WYOMING COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT$1.5M0.5%
ROCK SPRINGS, WY
CITY OF ROCK SPRINGS

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$192.5M70%
Federal Highway Administration$38.8M14%
Department of Transportation
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$24.9M9.1%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Railroad Retirement Board$6.3M2.3%
Department of Education$1.7M

Assistance by fiscal year

249.3MFY2021
261.5MFY2022
259.8MFY2023
260MFY2024
317.5MFY2025
274MFY2026

County aggregates

82%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Rock Springs, WY

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Sweetwater CountyCentral county7441,267

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Rock SpringsPrincipal city23,127

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Wyoming

Areas based in Wyoming, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M40540

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved11

Declined6

Metro and micro areas like Rock Springs, WY micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Rock Springs, WY

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Wyoming

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved11

Declined6

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought