Wyoming

State of Wyoming

ORIGIN OF STATE NAME: Derived from the Delaware Indian words maugh-wau-wa-ma, meaning "large plains."

NICKNAME: The Equality State; The Cowboy State.

CAPITAL: Cheyenne.

ENTERED UNION: 10 July 1890 (44th).

SONG: "Wyoming."

MOTTO: Equal Rights.

FLAG: A blue field with a white inner border and a red outer border (symbolizing, respectively, the sky, purity, and the Native Americans) surrounds a bison with the state seal branded on its side.

OFFICIAL SEAL: A female figure holding the banner "Equal Rights" stands on a pedestal between pillars topped by lamps symbolizing the light of knowledge. Two male figures flank the pillars, on which are draped banners that proclaim "Livestock," "Grain," "Mines," and "Oil." At the bottom is a shield with an eagle, star, and Roman numerals XLIV, flanked by the dates 1869 and 1890. The whole is surrounded by the words "Great Seal of the State of Wyoming."

BIRD: Western meadowlark.

FISH: Cutthroat trout.

FLOWER: Indian paintbrush.

TREE: Cottonwood.

GEM: Jade.

LEGAL HOLIDAYS: New Year's Day, 1 January; Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and Wyoming Equality Day, 3rd Monday in January; Presidents' Day, 3rd Monday in February; Memorial Day, last Monday in May; Independence Day, 4 July; Labor Day, 1st Monday in September; Veterans' Day, 11 November; Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thursday in November; Christmas Day, 25 December. Special observances are made on Arbor Day, last Monday in April; Native American Day, 2nd Friday in May; Juneteenth, 3rd Saturday in June; Birthday of Nellie Tayloe Ross, 29 November; Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 7 December; Wyoming Day, 10 December.

TIME: 5 AM MST = noon GMT.

LOCATION, SIZE, AND EXTENT

Located in the Rocky Mountain region of the northwestern United States, Wyoming ranks ninth in size among the 50 states.

The total area of Wyoming is 97,809 sq mi (253,325 sq km), of which land comprises 96,989 sq mi (251,201 sq km) and inland water 820 sq mi (2,124 sq km). Shaped like a rectangle, Wyoming has a maximum e-w extension of 365 mi (587 km); its extreme distance n-s is 265 mi (426 km).

Wyoming is bordered on the n by Montana; on the e by South Dakota and Nebraska; on the s by Colorado and Utah; and on the w by Utah, Idaho, and Montana. The boundary length of Wyoming totals 1,269 mi (2,042 km). The state's geographic center lies in Fremont County, 58 mi (93 km) ene of Lander.

TOPOGRAPHY

The eastern third of Wyoming forms part of the Great Plains; the remainder belongs to the Rocky Mountains. Much of western Wyoming constitutes a special geomorphic province known as the Wyoming Basin. It represents a westward extension of the Great Plains into the Rocky Mountains, separating the Middle and Southern Rockies. Extending diagonally across the state from northwest to south is the Continental Divide, which separates the generally eastward-flowing drainage system of North America from the westward-flowing drainage of the Pacific states.

Wyoming's mean elevation is 6,700 ft (2,044 m), second only to Colorado's among the 50 states. Gannett Peak, in western Wyoming, at 13,804 ft (4,210 m), is the highest point in the state. With the notable exception of the Black Hills in the northeast, the eastern portion of Wyoming is generally much lower. The lowest point in the state—3,099 ft (945 m)—occurs in the northeast, on the Belle Fourche River.

Wyoming's largest lake—Yellowstone—lies in the heart of Yellowstone National Park. In Grand Teton National Park to the south are two smaller lakes, Jackson and Jenny. All but one of Wyoming's major rivers originate within its boundaries and flow into neighboring states. The Green River flows into Utah; the Yellowstone, Big Horn, and Powder rivers flow into Montana; the Snake River, into Idaho; the Belle Fourche and Cheyenne rivers, into South Dakota; and the Niobrara and Bear rivers, into Nebraska. The lone exception, the North Platte River, enters Wyoming from Colorado and eventually exits into Nebraska.

CLIMATE

Wyoming is generally semiarid, with local desert conditions. Normal daily temperatures in Cheyenne range from 15°f (−9°c) to 38°f (3°c) in January, and 54°f (12°c) to 83°f (28°c) in July. The record low temperature, −66°f (−54°c), was set 9 February 1933 at Riverside; the record high, 114°f (46°c), 12 July 1900 at Basin. In Cheyenne, average annual precipitation is about 14.5 in (36 cm) a year, most of that falling between April and September; the snowfall in Cheyenne averages 51.2 in (130 cm) annually.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Wyoming has more than 2,000 species of ferns, conifers, and flowering plants. Prairie grasses dominate the eastern third of the state; desert shrubs, primarily sagebrush, cover the Great Basin in the west. Rocky Mountain forests consist largely of pine, spruce, and fir. In April 2006, three species were listed as threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, including Colorado butterfly plant, Ute ladies' tresses, and desert yellowhead; no plant species were listed as endangered.

The mule deer is the most abundant game mammal; others include the white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope, elk, and moose. The jackrabbit, antelope, and raccoon are plentiful. Wild turkey, bobwhite quail, and several grouse species are leading game birds; more than 50 species of non-game birds also inhabit Wyoming all year long. There are 78 species of fish, of which rainbow trout is the favorite game fish. In April 2006, nine Wyoming animal species (vertebrates and invertebrates) were listed as threatened or endangered, including the black-footed ferret, grizzly bear, razorback sucker, Kendall Warm Springs dace, and Wyoming toad.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

The Environmental Quality Council, a seven-member board appointed by the governor, hears and decides all cases arising under the regulations of the Department of Environmental Quality, which was established in 1973 and reorganized in 1992. The department enforces measures to prevent pollution of Wyoming's surface water and groundwater, and it administers 21 air-monitoring sites to maintain air quality.

Wyoming typically spends the most money per capita on the environment and natural resources relative to all the states in the union. The state's principal environmental concerns are conservation of scarce water resources and preservation of air quality. Programs to dispose of hazardous waste and assure safe drinking water are administered by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); in 2002–05, the federal program to fund infrastructure for safe drinking water allocated 1% of its budget to Wyoming.

Wetlands cover about 1.25 million acres (505,857 hectares) of Wyoming and are administered and protected by the Wyoming Wetlands Act.

In 2003, 19.3 million lb of toxic chemicals were released in the state. Also in 2003, Wyoming had 42 hazardous waste sites listed in the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) database, two of which, F.E. Warren Air Force Base and Mystery Bridge (US Highway 20 in Evansville), were on the National Priorities List as of 2006. In 2005, the EPA spent over $38,000 through the Superfund program for the cleanup of hazardous waste sites in the state. The same year, federal EPA grants awarded to the state included $8 million for the drinking water state revolving fund and $5.2 million for the water pollution control revolving fund.

POPULATION

Wyoming ranked 51st in population among the United States and the District of Columbia with an estimated total of 509,294 in 2005, an increase of 3.1% since 2000. Between 1990 and 2000, Wyoming's population grew from 453,588 to 493,782, an increase of 8.9%. The population was projected to reach 528,005 by 2015 and 529,031 by 2025.

In 2004 the median age was 38.4. Persons under 18 years old accounted for 23.1% of the population while 12.1% was age 65 or older.

Wyoming has the second-lowest population density in the country (5.2 persons per sq mi/2 persons per sq km in 2004); only Alaska is more sparsely populated. However, during the 1970s Wyoming was the third-fastest-growing state; its population grew by 41%, from 332,416 at the 1970 census to 469,557 according to the 1980 census, largely from in-migration. The growth rate reversed during the 1980s, shrinking the population to 453,588 in 1990 (−3.4%).

Leading cities, all with populations of less than 100,000, are Cheyenne, Casper, and Laramie. The Cheyenne metropolitan area had an estimated population of 85,296 in 2004; the Casper metropolitan area had an estimated population of 69,010.

ETHNIC GROUPS

There were some 11,133 American Indians residing in Wyoming in 2000, up from 9,000 at the 1990 census. In 2004, 2.4% of the state's total population was American Indian. The largest tribe is the Arapaho. Wind River (2000 population 23,250) is the state's only reservation; tribal lands covered 1,793,000 acres (726,000 hectares) in 1982.

The black population was 3,722 in 2000. In 2004, blacks made up 0.9% of the state's population. In 2000, the Asian population was 2,771; the largest group was the Chinese, who numbered 609. In 2004, 0.6% of the population was Asian and 0.1% Pacific Islander. That year, 6.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino origin. In 2004 as well, 1.2% of the population reported origin of two or more races. In 2002 about 95% of the population was white and mostly of European descent, the largest groups being German, English, and Irish.

LANGUAGES

Some place-names—Oshoto, Shoshoni, Cheyenne, Uinta—reflect early contacts with regional Indians.

Some terms common in Wyoming, like comforter (tied quilt) and angleworm (earthworm), evidence the Northern dialect of early settlers from New York State and New England, but generally Wyoming English is North Midland with some South Midland mixture, especially along the Nebraska border. Geography has changed the meaning of hole, basin, meadow, and park to signify mountain openings.

In 2000, over 433,000 Wyomingites—93.6% of the residents five years old or older (down slightly from 94.3% in 1990)—spoke only English at home.

The following table gives selected statistics from the 2000 Census for language spoken at home by persons five years old and over. The category "Other Native North American languages" includes Apache, Cherokee, Choctaw, Dakota, Keres, Pima, and Yupik.

RELIGIONS

The religiously active population in Wyoming is somewhat closely split between Protestants and Catholics. In 2004, the Roman Catholic Church had about 50,979 members. The next largest single denomination is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), with 56,665 members reported in 2006. Other leading denominations include the Southern Baptist Convention, with 17,101 members in 2000 (and 232 newly baptized members reported in 2002); the United Methodist Church. 11,431 members in 2000; the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, 11,113; and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 10,038. Wyoming also had an estimated 430 Jews and 263 Muslims in 2000. That year, there were 263,057 people (about 53% of the population) who were not counted as members of any religious organization.

TRANSPORTATION

Wyoming as of 2003 was served by four railroads. Two of the largest were the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Union Pacific, both Class I lines. Out of a total of 1,882 mi (3,030 km) of railroad track these two companies accounted for nearly all of it at 1,846 mi (2,972 km). This was due to the double and triple-tracking, of their respective mainlines, primarily to haul coal from the Powder River Basin. In 2003, coal was the top commodity carried by rail that originated and terminated within the state. As of 2006, there was no Amtrak service in or through the state.

As of 2004, there were 27,594 mi (44,426 km) of public highways and roads in the state. In that same year, there were some 651,000 registered motor vehicles and 380,180 licensed drivers in the state.

In 2005, Wyoming had a total of 113 public and private-use aviation-related facilities. This included 90 airports and 23 heliports. Jackson Hole Airport in Jackson was the state's main airport. In 2004, the airport had 212,247 passenger enplanements.

HISTORY

The first human inhabitants of what is now Wyoming probably arrived about 11,500 bc. The forebears of these early Americans had most likely come by way of the Bering Strait and then worked their way south. Sites of mammoth kills south of Rawlins and near Powell suggest that the area was well populated. Artifacts from the period beginning in 500 bc include, high in the Big Horn Mountains of northern Wyoming, the Medicine Wheel monument, a circle of stones some 75 ft (23 m) in diameter with 28 "spokes" that were apparently used to mark the seasons.

The first Europeans to visit Wyoming were French Canadian traders. The Vérendrye brothers, Francois and Louis-Joseph, probably reached the Big Horn Mountains in 1743; nothing came of their travels, however. The first effective discovery of Wyoming was made by an American fur trader, John Colter, earlier a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. In 1806–07, Colter traversed much of the northwestern part of the state, probably crossing what is now Yellowstone Park, and came back to report on the natural wonders of the area. After Colter, trappers and fur traders crisscrossed Wyoming. By 1840, the major rivers and mountains were named, and the general topography of the region was well documented.

Between 1840 and 1867, thousands of Americans crossed Wyoming on the Oregon Trail, bound for Oregon or California. Migration began as a trickle, but with the discovery of gold in California in 1848, the trickle became a flood. In 1849 alone it is estimated that more than 22,000 "forty-niners" passed through the state via the Oregon Trail. Fort Laramie in the east and Fort Bridger in the west were the best-known supply points; between the two forts, immigrants encountered Independence Rock, Devil's Gate, Split Rock, and South Pass, all landmarks on the Oregon Trail. Although thousands of Americans crossed Wyoming during this period, very few stayed in this harsh region.

The event that brought population as well as territorial status to Wyoming was the coming of the Union Pacific Railroad. Railroad towns such as Cheyenne, Laramie, Rawlins, Rock Springs, and Evanston sprang up as the transcontinental railroad leapfrogged across the region in 1867 and 1868; in the latter year, Wyoming was organized as a territory. The first territorial legislature distinguished itself in 1869 by passing a women's suffrage act, the first state or territory to do so. Wyoming quickly acquired the nickname the Equality State.

After hostile Indians had been subdued by the late 1870s, Wyoming became a center for cattlemen and foreign investors who hoped to make a fortune from free grass and the high price of cattle. Thousands of Texas longhorn cattle were driven to the southeastern quarter of the territory. In time, blooded cattle, particularly Hereford, were introduced. As cattle "barons" dominated both the rangeland and state politics, the small rancher and cowboy found it difficult to go into the ranching business. However, overgrazing, low cattle prices, and the dry summer of 1886 and harsh winter of 1886/87 all proved disastrous to the speculators. The struggle between the large landowners and small ranchers culminated in the so-called Johnson County War of 1891–92, in which the large landowners were arrested by federal troops after attempting to take the law into their own hands.

Wyoming became a state in 1890, but growth remained slow. Attempts at farming proved unsuccessful in this high, arid region, and Wyoming to this day remains a sparsely settled ranching state. What growth has occurred has been primarily through the minerals industry, especially the development of coal, oil, and natural gas resources during the 1970s because of the national energy crisis. However, the world's oil glut in the early 1980s slowed the growth of the state's energy industries; in 1984, the growth of the state's nonfuel mineral industry slowed as well.

Wyoming's population, which had risen 41% during the minerals boom of the 1970s, declined, leaving the state ranking 50th in population in the 1990 census, having ceded 49th place to Alaska in the decade since 1980. In the 1990s, Wyoming's economy was spurred by a rise in oil prices and expanding coal production, as well as increased tourism. As of the 2000 census, the population stood at nearly 500,000, still ranking 50th in the nation.

In the summer of 1988, wild fires raged through Yellowstone National Park, damaging nearly one-third of the park's total area. Gray wolves, eradicated from the mountains of Wyoming and Idaho in the 1930s, were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1995 and 1996 as part of the US Fish and Wildlife Service's wolf reintroduction program. The program was initiated to fulfill a goal of the Endangered Species Act, passed in 1973. It was subjected to legal challenge in 1997, but the wolf reintroduction program was ruled legal in 2000. In 2003, the US Fish and Wildlife Service reclassified the gray wolves in the northern Rockies from an "endangered" to a "threatened" species, due to the growing wolf populations in those areas. In 2005, Governor Dave Freudenthal, elected in 2002, signed a petition requesting the Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the gray wolf from the list of threatened and endangered species. The final decision on whether to delist the species must be made by the Fish and Wildlife Service no later than July 2006.

Unlike most of the nation, Wyoming in 2003 had a $169 million budget surplus, largely due to an increase in mineral revenues. Rising health care costs and the need to pay for new state buildings and schools caused Democratic Governor Freudenthal to call for increases in property taxes.

STATE GOVERNMENT

Wyoming's state constitution was approved by the voters in November 1889 and accepted by Congress in 1890. By January 2005 it had been amended 94 times. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds vote of the legislature and ratification by the voters at the next general election.

The legislature consists of a 30-member Senate and a 60-member House of Representatives. Senators are elected to staggered four-year terms. The entire House of Representatives is elected every two years for a two-year term. Legislators must be US citizens, citizens and residents of Wyoming, qualified voters, and residents of their districts for at least one year prior to election. The minimum age for senators is 25 and for representatives 21. Regular sessions begin in January or February and are limited to 40 legislative days in odd-numbered years and 20 legislative days in even-numbered years. The legislature may call special sessions by a petition of a majority of the members of each house. In 2004 the legislative salary was $125 per diem during regular sessions, unchanged from 1999.

Heading the executive branch are the following elected officials: the governor, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, comptroller, commissioner of finance, and superintendent of public instruction. Each serves a four-year term. The governor is limited to serving two consecutive terms. His successor is the secretary of the Senate, as there is no lieutenant governor. A governor must be at least 30 years old, a US citizen, a state citizen, and at least a five-resident of the state. As of December 2004, the governor's salary was $130,000.

A bill passed by the legislature becomes law if signed by the governor, if left unsigned by the governor for three days while the legislature is in session (or 15 days after it has adjourned), or if passed over the governor's veto by two-thirds of the elected members of each house.

Voters must be US citizens, at least 18 years old, and bona fide residents of Wyoming. Convicted felons and those adjudicated as mentally incompetent may not vote.

POLITICAL PARTIES

The Republicans traditionally dominate Wyoming politics at the federal and state level, although the state elected a Democratic governor, Dave Freudenthal, in 2002. There were 246,000 registered voters in 2004. Both of Wyoming's senators, Craig Thomas (reelected in 2000) and Mike Enzi (elected in 1996 to succeed Alan Simpson and reelected in 2002), are Republicans, as is Wyoming's US Representative, Barbara Cubin, reelected in 2004.

As of mid-2005, there were 23 Republicans and 7 Democrats in the state Senate and 46 Republicans and 14 Democrats in the

state House. Republican George W. Bush received 69% of the vote in the 2000 presidential election, while Democratic candidate Al Gore won 28%. Bush garnered the same percentage (69%) in his 2004 bid for a second term, defeating Democrat John Kerry, who won just 29% of the vote. In 1998, 30% of registered voters were Democratic, 59% Republican, and 11% unaffiliated or members of other parties. The state had three electoral votes in the 2004 presidential election.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

In 2005, Wyoming was subdivided into 23 counties, 98 municipal governments, 48 public school districts, and 546 special districts and authorities.

Counties, which can be geographically vast and include a relatively small population, are run by commissioners. Each county has a clerk, treasurer, assessor, sheriff, attorney, coroner, district court clerk, and from one to five county judges or justices of the peace. Municipalities may decide their own form of government, including mayor-council and council-manager.

In 2005, local government accounted for about 32,026 full-time (or equivalent) employment positions.

STATE SERVICES

To address the continuing threat of terrorism and to work with the federal Department of Homeland Security, homeland security in Wyoming operates under state statute; a homeland security director is designated as the state homeland security advisor.

The Board of Education has primary responsibility for educational services in Wyoming. Transportation services are provided by the Wyoming Department of Transportation; health and welfare matters fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health and the Department of Family Services. Among the many state agencies concerned with natural resources are the Department of Environmental Quality, Land Quality Advisory Board, Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, and Water Development Commission. The Department of Employment is responsible for labor services.

JUDICIAL SYSTEM

Wyoming's judicial branch consists of a supreme court with a chief justice and four other justices, district courts with a total of 222 judges, and county judges and justices of the peace. Supreme court justices are appointed by the governor but must stand for retention at the next general election. Once elected, they serve eight-year terms.

As of 31 December 2004, a total of 1,980 prisoners were held in Wyoming's state and federal prisons, an increase from 1,872 of 5.8% from the previous year. As of yearend 2004, a total of 210 inmates were female, up from 175 or 20% from the year before. Among sentenced prisoners (one year or more), Wyoming had an incarceration rate of 389 per 100,000 population in 2004.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wyoming in 2004, had a violent crime rate (murder/nonnegligent manslaughter; forcible rape; robbery; aggravated assault) of 229.6 reported incidents per 100,000 population, or a total of 1,163 reported incidents. Crimes against property (burglary; larceny/theft; and motor vehicle theft) in that same year totaled 16,889 reported incidents or 3,334.3 reported incidents per 100,000 people. Wyoming has a death penalty, of which lethal injection is the sole method of execution. However, if that method is declared unconstitutional, the use of lethal gas has been authorized. From 1976 through 5 May 2006, the state has carried out only one execution, in January 1992. As of 1 January 2006, Wyoming had only two inmates on death row.

In 2003, Wyoming spent $13,404,443 on homeland security, an average of $24 per state resident.

ARMED FORCES

In 2004, there were 5,125 active-duty military personnel and 524 civilian personnel stationed in Wyoming, nearly all of whom were at Wyoming's only US military installation—the Francis E. Warren Air Force Base at Cheyenne. The Air National Guard was stationed at Cheyenne Municipal Airport. Total defense contracts awarded in 2004 totaled more than $115 million, the lowest in the nation. Total defense payroll outlays for that same year were $302 million, second lowest only to Utah.

In 2003, there were 54,941 military veterans living in Wyoming. Of these, 6,344 were veterans of World War II; 5,477 of the Korean conflict; 18,625 of the Vietnam era; and 9,840 of the Gulf War. In 2004, the Veterans Administration expended more than $168 million in pensions, medical assistance, and other major veterans' benefits.

As of 31 October 2004, the Wyoming Highway Patrol employed 174 full-time sworn officers.

MIGRATION

Many people have passed through Wyoming, but relatively few have come to stay. Not until the 1970s, a time of rapid economic development, did the picture change. Between 1970 and 1983, Wyoming gained a net total of 45,500 residents through migration. In the 1980s, the state's total population grew only by 1.1%, primarily offset by the net loss from migration of 52,000 persons. The urban population increased from 62.8% of the state's total in 1980 to 65% in 1990. Between 1990 and 1998, Wyoming had a net loss of less than 500 in domestic migration but a net gain of 2,000 in international migration. In 1998, the state admitted 159 foreign immigrants. Between 1990 and 1998, the state's overall population increased 6%. In the period 2000–05, net international migration was 2,264 and net internal migration was 1,771, for a net gain of 4,035 people.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL COOPERATION

Emblematic of Wyoming's concern for water resources is the fact that it belongs to seven compacts with neighboring states concerning the Bear, Belle Fourche, Colorado, Upper Colorado, Snake, Upper Niobrara, and Yellowstone rivers.

Wyoming has also joined the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact, the Western Interstate Energy Compact, the Western States Water Council, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, and numerous other multistate bodies, including the Council of State Governments. Federal grants in fiscal year 2001 totaled over $1.2 billion. Mirroring a national trend, that figure declined significantly by 2005, to $675 million. Federal grants totaled an estimated $697 million in fiscal year 2006, and an estimated $713 million in fiscal year 2007.

ECONOMY

The economic life of Wyoming is largely sustained by agriculture, chiefly feed grains and livestock, and mining, including petroleum and gas production. Mining and petroleum production mushroomed during the 1970s, leading to a powerful upsurge in population. In the early 1980s, unemployment remained low, per capita income was high, and the inflation rate declined. The absence of personal and corporate income taxes helped foster a favorable business climate during the 1990s. The state economy's annual growth rate accelerated coming into the 21st century, from 1.1% in 1998 to 3.6% in 1999 to 12.3% in 2000. Not heavily involved in the information technology (IT) boom of the 1990s, Wyoming was relatively unaffected by its bust in 2001, registering annual growth of 6.8% for the year. The main growth sectors have been various service categories, with output from general services up 37.9% from 1997 to 2001; from trade, up 29.1%; from the government sector, up 24.3%; and from financial services, up 23.6%.

In 2004, Wyoming's gross state product (GSP) was $23.979 billion, of which mining accounted for $5.997 billion or 25% of GSP, while real estate accounted for $2.101 billion (8.7% of GSP) and construction at $1.272 billion (5.3% of GSP). In that same year, there were an estimated 56,740 small businesses in Wyoming. Of the 20,071 businesses that had employees, an estimated total of 19,388 or 96.6% were small companies. An estimated 2,519 new businesses were established in the state in 2004, up 4.1% from the year before. Business terminations that same year came to 2,737, down 6.3% from 2003. There were 65 business bankruptcies in 2004, up 47.7% from the previous year. In 2005, the state's personal bankruptcy (Chapter 7 and Chapter 13) filing rate was 484 filings per 100,000 people, ranking Wyoming as the 30th highest in the nation.

INCOME

In 2005 Wyoming had a gross state product (GSP) of $27 billion which accounted for 0.2% of the nation's gross domestic product and placed the state at number 49 in highest GSP among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2004 Wyoming had a per capita personal income (PCPI) of $34,279. This ranked 15th in the United States and was 104% of the national average of $33,050. The 1994–2004 average annual growth rate of PCPI was 5.3%. Wyoming had a total personal income (TPI) of $17,341,215,000, which ranked 51st in the United States and reflected an increase of 7.0% from 2003. The 1994–2004 average annual growth rate of TPI was 5.8%. Earnings of persons employed in Wyoming increased from $11,534,759,000 in 2003 to $12,448,030,000 in 2004, an increase of 7.9%. The 2003–04 national change was 6.3%.

The US Census Bureau reports that the three-year average median household income for 2002 to 2004 in 2004 dollars was $43,641 compared to a national average of $44,473. During the same period an estimated 9.6% of the population was below the poverty line as compared to 12.4% nationwide.

LABOR

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in April 2006 the seasonally adjusted civilian labor force in Wyoming 292,000, with approximately 9,400 workers unemployed, yielding an unemployment rate of 3.2%, compared to the national average of 4.7% for the same period. Preliminary data for the same period placed nonfarm employment at 271,900. Since the beginning of the BLS data series in 1976, the highest unemployment rate recorded in Wyoming was 10.1% in May 1983. The historical low was 1.9% in February 1979. Preliminary nonfarm employment data by occupation for April 2006 showed that approximately 7.9% of the labor force was employed in construction; 19.7% in trade, transportation, and public utilities; 6% in professional and business services; 12% in leisure and hospitality services; and 24.2% in government. Data for manufacturing, financial activities, and education and health services were unavailable.

The BLS reported that in 2005, a total of 18,000 of Wyoming's 228,000 employed wage and salary workers were formal members of a union. This represented 7.9% of those so employed, down slightly from 8% in 2004, and below the national average of 12%. Overall in 2005, a total of 22,000 workers (9.5%) in Wyoming were covered by a union or employee association contract, which includes those workers who reported no union affiliation. Wyoming is one of 22 states with a right-to-work law.

As of 1 March 2006, Wyoming had a state-mandated minimum wage rate of $5.15 per hour. In 2004, women in the state accounted for 46.1% of the employed civilian labor force.

AGRICULTURE

Agriculture—especially livestock and grain—is one of Wyoming's most important industries. In 2004, Wyoming had about 9,200 farms and ranches covering almost 34.4 million acres (13.9 million hectares). The state's acreage of 3,743 acres (1,514 hectares) per farm ranked second in the United States after Arizona. The value of the lands and buildings of Wyoming's farms and ranches in 2004 was over $10.8 billion. Total farm marketings in 2005 amounted to $1.1 billion, ranking 38th among the 50 states. Of this, livestock and animal products accounted for $984 million; crops, $146 million.

Field crops in 2004 included barley, 6,900,000 bu; wheat, 3,750,000 bu; oats, 795,000 bu; sugar beets, 812,000 tons; dry beans, 541,000 cwt; and hay, 2,016,000 tons.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

For most of Wyoming's territorial and state history, cattle ranchers have dominated the economy, even though the livestock industry is not large by national standards. In 2005, Wyoming had an estimated 1.35 million cattle and calves, valued at $1.38 billion. During 2004, there were 114,000 hogs and pigs, valued at $13.7 million. Wyoming farms and ranches produced 28.8 million lb (13.1 million kg) of sheep and lambs in 2003, and an estimated 3.64 million lb (1.7 million kg) of shorn wool in 2004 (second after Texas). In 2003, Wyoming farmers sold 28,000 lb (12,700 kg) of chicken and produced 54 million lb (24.5 million kg) of milk.

FISHING

There is no important commercial fishing in Wyoming. Fishing is largely recreational, and fish hatcheries and fish-planting programs keep the streams well stocked. Wyoming's streams annually provide 1.3 million angler days and 3.4 million fish; lakes generate 1.6 million angler days and a harvest of 4.1 million fish. There are two national fish hatcheries in the state (Saratoga and Jackson) that stock native cutthroat trout into high mountain wilderness lakes to enhance the native stocks. In 2004, the state issued 247,583 sport fishing licenses.

FORESTRY

Wyoming has 10,995,000 acres (4,450,000 hectares) of forested land, equal to 17.8% of the state's land area. Of this, 5,739,000 acres (2,323,000 hectares) are usable as commercial timberland. As of 2003, the state's four national forests—Bighorn, Bridger-Teton, Medicine Bow, and Shoshone—covered a total of 9,238,000 acres (3,739,000 hectares). In 2004, lumber production totaled 165 million board feet. Ponderosa pine accounts for about 50% of the annual cut, and lodgepole pine most of the rest. The remainder consists of Douglas fir, larch, Engelmann spruce, and other species.

MINING

According to preliminary data from the US Geological Survey (USGS), the estimated value of nonfuel mineral production by Wyoming in 2003 was $1.01 billion, which was unchanged from estimated values for 2002. The USGS data ranked Wyoming as 13th among the 50 states by the total value of its nonfuel mineral production, accounting for over 2.5% of total US output.

According to preliminary data for 2003, soda ash was the state's top nonfuel mineral, followed by bentonite, Grade-A helium and portland cement, by value. Collectively, these four commodities accounted for almost 93% of all nonfuel mineral output, by value. By volume, Wyoming in 2003, was the nation's leading producer of soda ash and bentonite, and ranked second in the output of Grade-A helium. The state also ranked ninth in the production of gypsum.

Data for 2003 showed the production of bentonite as totaling 3.34 million metric tons, with a value of $145 million, construction sand and gravel output that year came to 7.5 million metric tons, with a value of $31.5 million. Crushed stone output in 2003 totaled 4 million metric tons and was valued at $19 million.

Major uses of Wyoming bentonite were as pet waste absorbent, in drilling mud, in the pelletizing of iron ore, in foundry sand, and as a waterproof sealant. Soda ash (sodium carbonate) is produced mostly from trona ore, of which Wyoming contains the largest known deposit of natural trona. Soda ash is used in the manufacturing of a number of products including glass, soap, detergents, and textiles, as well as in food products as sodium bicarbonate

Wyoming is also known to have deposits of gold and silver, diamonds, copper, and of metals belonging to the platinum group.

ENERGY AND POWER

As of 2003, Wyoming had 35 electrical power service providers, of which 13 were publicly owned and 15 were cooperatives. Of the remainder, five were investor owned, one was federally operated and one was the owner of an independent generator that sold directly to customers. As of that same year there were 290,971 retail customers. Of that total, 177,304 received their power from investor-owned service providers. Cooperatives accounted for 83,933 customers, while publicly owned providers had 29,730 customers. There were three federal customers and one independent generator or "facility" customer.

Total net summer generating capability by the state's electrical generating plants in 2003 stood at 6.562 million kW, with total production that same year at 43.626 billion kWh. Of the total amount generated, 96.9% came from electric utilities, with the remainder coming from independent producers and combined heat and power service providers. The largest portion of all electric power generated, 42.341 billion kWh (97.1%), came from coalfired plants, with hydroelectric plants in second place at 593.555 million kWh (1.4%). Other renewable power sources, petroleum and natural gas fired plants accounted for the remaining output.

Wyoming is comparatively energy-rich, ranking first among the states in coal production and seventh in output of crude oil.

As of 2004, Wyoming had proven crude oil reserves of 628 million barrels, or 3% of all proven US reserves, while output that same year averaged 141,000 barrels per day. Including federal offshore domains, the state that year ranked sixth (fifth excluding federal offshore) in proven reserves and eighth (seventh excluding federal offshore) in production among the 31 producing states. In 2004 Wyoming had 9,468 producing oil wells and accounted for 3% of all US production. As of 2005, the state's five refineries had a combined crude oil distillation capacity of 152,000 barrels per day.

In 2004, Wyoming had 20,244 producing natural gas and gas condensate wells. In that same year, marketed gas production (all gas produced excluding gas used for repressuring, vented and flared, and nonhydrocarbon gases removed) totaled 1,592.203 billion cu ft (45.21 billion cu m). As of 31 December 2004, proven reserves of dry or consumer-grade natural gas totaled 22,632 billion cu ft (642.74 billion cu m).

Wyoming has the three largest producing coal mines in the United States and had total recoverable coal reserves estimated at 7.053 billion tons in 2004. In 1970, Wyoming's coal production accounted for only 1% of the US total. By 1998 the state's production had risen to 28% of national production. In 2004, Wyoming had 20 producing coal mines, all of which, except one, were surface operations. Coal production that year totaled 396,493,000 short tons, up from 376,270,000 short tons in 2003. Of the total produced in 2004, the state's lone underground mine accounted for 43,000 short tons. One short ton equals 2,000 lb (0.907 metric tons).

INDUSTRY

Although manufacturing has increased markedly in Wyoming over the last three decades, it remains insignificant by national standards.

According to the US Census Bureau's Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM) for 2004, Wyoming's manufacturing sector was largely centered on only two product subsectors, chemicals and fabricated metal products. The shipment value of all products manufactured in the state that same year was $5.010 billion. Of that total, chemical manufacturing accounted for the largest share at $1.414 billion. It was followed by fabricated metal product manufacturing at $177.298 million.

In 2004, a total of 8,675 people in Wyoming were employed in the state's manufacturing sector, according to the ASM. Of that total, 6,472 were actual production workers. In terms of total employment, the chemical manufacturing industry accounted for the largest portion of all manufacturing employees with 1,531 (1,165 actual production workers). It was followed by fabricated metal product manufacturing, with 1,057 (780 actual production workers).

ASM data for 2004 showed that Wyoming's manufacturing sector paid $352.411 million in wages. Of that amount, the chemical manufacturing sector accounted for the largest share at $90.685 million and was followed by fabricated metal product manufacturing at $35.410 million.

COMMERCE

According to the 2002 Census of Wholesale Trade, Wyoming's wholesale trade sector had sales that year totaling $3.3 billion from 789 establishments. Wholesalers of durable goods accounted for 475 establishments, followed by nondurable goods wholesalers at 286 and electronic markets, agents, and brokers accounting for 28 establishments. Sales by durable goods wholesalers in 2002 totaled $1.3 billion, while wholesalers of nondurable goods saw sales of $1.6 billion. Electronic markets, agents, and brokers in the wholesale trade industry had sales of $283.01 million.

In the 2002 Census of Retail Trade, Wyoming was listed as having 2,861 retail establishments with sales of $5.7 billion. The leading types of retail businesses by number of establishments were: miscellaneous store retailers (410); gasoline stations (401); motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts dealers (371); building material/garden equipment and supplies dealers (289); and food and beverage stores (278). In terms of sales, motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts dealers accounted for the largest share of retail sales at $1.5 billion, followed by gasoline stations at $1.04 billion; general merchandise stores at $887.7 million; and food and beverage stores at $775.3 million. A total of 28,796 people were employed by the retail sector in Wyoming that year.

Wyoming's exports of products to other countries were valued at $669.07 million in 2005, ranking 50th among all states.

CONSUMER PROTECTION

The Attorney General's Consumer Protection Unit enforces the Wyoming Consumer Protection Act, which includes provisions regulating the promotional advertising of prizes and telephone solicitation, and creates a telemarketer "no-call" list. The unit also enforces statutes prohibiting price discrimination and other anticompetitive practices, as well as laws regarding pyramid schemes.

When dealing with consumer protection issues, the state's Attorney General's Office can initiate civil but not criminal proceedings. It can also: represent the state before state and federal regulatory agencies; administer consumer protection and education programs; and handle formal consumer complaints. However, the office has limited subpoena powers. In antitrust actions, the Attorney General's Office can act on behalf of those consumers who are incapable of acting on their own and initiate damage actions on behalf of the state in state courts. However, the office cannot initiate criminal proceedings or represent other governmental entities in recovering civil damages under state or federal law.

The office of the Consumer Protection Unit of the Office of the Attorney General is located in the state capitol, Cheyenne.

BANKING

As of June 2005, Wyoming had 44 insured banks, savings and loans, and saving banks, in addition to 33 federally chartered credit unions (CUs). Excluding the CUs, the Cheyenne market area accounted for the largest portion of the state's financial institutions and deposits in 2004, with 14 institutions and $1.066 billion in deposits, followed by the Casper market area with seven institutions and $1.048 billion in deposits. As of June 2005, CUs accounted for 16.9% of all assets held by all financial institutions in the state, or some $1.186 billion. Banks, savings and loans, and savings banks collectively accounted for the remaining 83.1% or $5.830 billion in assets held.

The median net interest margin) (the difference between the lower rates offered to savers and the higher rates charged on loans) for the state's insured institutions stood at 4.21% as of fourth quarter 2005, down from 4.34% for all of 2004and 4.225 for all of 2003. The median percentage of past-due/nonaccrual loans to total loans stood at 1.42% as of fourth quarter 2005, down from 1.73% for all of 2004 and 2% for all of 2003.

Regulation of Wyoming's state-chartered banks and other state-chartered financial institutions is the responsibility of the Department of Audit's Division of Banking.

INSURANCE

In 2004, there were 233,000 individual life insurance policies in force in Wyoming with a total value of $18.7 billion; total value for all categories of life insurance (individual, group, and credit) was $28.4 billion. The average coverage amount is $80,500 per policy holder. Death benefits paid that year totaled $82.2 million.

As of 2003, there were two property and casualty and no life and health insurance companies domiciled in the state. In 2004, direct premiums for property and casualty insurance totaled $763 million. That year, there were 2,159 flood insurance policies in force in the state, with a total value of $306 million.

In 2004, 53% of state residents held employment-based health insurance policies, 7% held individual policies, and 23% were covered under Medicare and Medicaid; 15% of residents were uninsured. In 2003, employee contributions for employment-based health coverage averaged at 16% for single coverage and 20% for family coverage. The state offers a 12-month health benefits expansion program for small-firm employees in connection with the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA, 1986), a health insurance program for those who lose employment-based coverage due to termination or reduction of work hours.

In 2003, there were 444,587 auto insurance policies in effect for private passenger cars. Required minimum coverage includes bodily injury liability of up to $25,000 per individual and $50,000 for all persons injured in an accident, as well as property damage liability of $20,000. In 2003, the average expenditure per vehicle for insurance coverage was $617.46.

SECURITIES

Wyoming has no securities exchanges. In 2005, there were 110 personal financial advisers employed in the state and 170 securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents. In 2004, there were over 12 publicly traded companies within the state, with over five NASDAQ companies: Altair Intl., US Energy Corp., Crazy Woman Creek Bancorp, Double Eagle Petroleum Co., and Great Lakes Aviation Ltd.

PUBLIC FINANCE

Wyoming's biennial budget is prepared by the governor and submitted to the legislature at the beginning of each even-numbered calendar year. The fiscal year is 1 July through 30 June.

Fiscal year 2006 general funds were estimated at $1.25 billion for resources and $1.24 billion for expenditures. In fiscal year 2004, federal government grants to Wyoming were $1.6 billion.

In the fiscal year 2007 federal budget, Wyoming was slated to receive: $7.3 million in State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) funds to help the state provide health coverage to low-income, uninsured children who do not qualify for Medicaid. This funding is a 23% increase over fiscal year 2006; and $3.9 million for the HOME Investment Partnership Program to help Wyoming fund a wide range of activities that build, buy, or rehabilitate affordable housing for rent or homeownership, or provide direct rental assistance to low-income people. This funding is an 11% increase over fiscal year 2006.

TAXATION

In 2005, Wyoming collected $1,740 million in tax revenues or $3,418 per capita, which placed it third among the 50 states in per capita tax burden. The national average was $2,192 per capita.

Property taxes accounted for 10.4% of the total, sales taxes 30.0%, selective sales taxes 6.9%, and other taxes 52.7%.

As of 1 January 2006, Wyoming had no state income tax, a distinction it shared with Alaska, Washington, Nevada, Florida, Alaska, and South Dakota.

In 2004, state and local property taxes amounted to $683,963,000 or $1,352 per capita. The per capita amount ranks the state 10th highest nationally. Local governments collected $544,154,000 of the total and the state government $139,809,000.

Wyoming taxes retail sales at a rate of 4%. In addition to the state tax, local taxes on retail sales can reach as much as 2%, making for a potential total tax on retail sales of 6%. Food purchased for consumption off-premises is taxable, although an income tax credit is allowed to offset sales tax on food. The tax on cigarettes is 60 cents per pack, which ranks 31st among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Wyoming taxes gasoline at 14 cents per gallon. This is in addition to the 18.4 cents per gallon federal tax on gasoline.

According to the Tax Foundation, for every federal tax dollar sent to Washington in 2004, Wyoming citizens received $1.11 in federal spending.

ECONOMIC POLICY

State policy in Wyoming has traditionally favored fiscal, social, and political conservatism. A pro-business and pro-family climate has generally prevailed. For example, Wyoming does not have a state personal income tax, a state business income tax, nor a business inventory tax. Not until 1969 was the minerals industry compelled to pay a severance tax on the wealth it was extracting from Wyoming soils. The state's leading industry is tourism, (the federal government owns over 50% of Wyoming's land), and Wyoming is first among US states in coal and iron production. The Wyoming Department of Commerce's Business Council encourages entre-preneurship, emphasizes community development, and supports retention and expansion of existing Wyoming businesses. Grant and loan programs also assist Wyoming communities and businesses. In 2006, the Wyoming Business Council maintained six regional offices around the state to provide personalized and localized technical assistance. These were part of a statewide network of partners, offering one-on-one business assistance.

HEALTH

The infant mortality rate in October 2005 was estimated at 5.8 per 1,000 live births. The birth rate in 2003 was 13.4 per 1,000 population. The abortion rate stood at 0.9 per 1,000 women in 2000. In 2003, about 86.4% of pregnant woman received prenatal care beginning in the first trimester. In 2004, approximately 83% of children received routine immunizations before the age of three.

The crude death rate in 2003 was 8.3 deaths per 1,000 population. As of 2002, the death rates for major causes of death (per 100,000 resident population) were: heart disease, 201.5; cancer, 172.2; cerebrovascular diseases, 48.7; chronic lower respiratory diseases, 65; and diabetes, 29.1. Wyoming had the highest suicide rate in the nation at 21.1 per 100,000 population. The mortality rate from HIV infection was not available that year. In 2004, the reported AIDS case rate was at about 3.6 per 100,000 population. In 2002, about 54.5% of the population was considered overweight or obese. As of 2004, about 21.6% of state residents were smokers.

In 2003, Wyoming had 23 community hospitals with about 1,800 beds. There were about 53,000 patient admissions that year and 900,000 outpatient visits. The average daily inpatient census was about 900 patients. The average cost per day for hospital care was $943. Also in 2003, there were about 39 certified nursing facil-ities in the state with 3,061 beds and an overall occupancy rate of about 80.9%. In 2004, it was estimated that about 68.1% of all state residents had received some type of dental care within the year. Wyoming had 191 physicians per 100,000 resident population in 2004 and 774 nurses per 100,000 in 2005. In 2004, there was a total of 266 dentists in the state.

About 15% of state residents were enrolled in Medicaid programs in 2003; 14% were enrolled in Medicare programs in 2004. Approximately 15% of the state population was uninsured in 2004. In 2003, state health care expenditures totaled $709,000.

SOCIAL WELFARE

In 2004, about 14,000 people received unemployment benefits, with the average weekly unemployment benefit at $238. In fiscal year 2005, the estimated average monthly participation in the food stamp program included about 25,482 persons (10,422 households); the average monthly benefit was about $88.22 per person. That year, the total of benefits paid through the state for the food stamp program was about $26.9 million.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the system of federal welfare assistance that officially replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) in 1997, was reauthorized through the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. TANF is funded through federal block grants that are divided among the states based on an equation involving the number of recipients in each state. Wyoming's TANF program is called POWER (Personal Opportunities With Employment Responsibility). In 2004, the state program had 1,000 recipients; state and federal expenditures on this TANF program totaled $17 million in fiscal year 2003.

In December 2004, Social Security benefits were paid to 82,510 Wyoming residents. This number included 54,890 retired workers, 7,340 widows and widowers, 9,370 disabled workers, 4,720 spouses, and 6,190 children. Social Security beneficiaries represented 15.8% of the total state population and 94.5% of the state's population age 65 and older. Retired workers received an average monthly payment of $955; widows and widowers, $926; disabled workers, $896; and spouses, $491. Payments for children of retired workers averaged $516 per month; children of deceased workers, $637; and children of disabled workers, $270. Federal Supplemental Security Income payments in December 2004 went to 5,645 Wyoming residents, averaging $368 a month. An additional $56,000 of state-administered supplemental payments were distributed to 2,769 residents.

HOUSING

In 2004, there were an estimated 232,637 housing units in Wyoming, ranking the state as having the smallest housing stock in the country. About 202,496 units were occupied; 69.9% were owner-occupied. About 65.4% of all units were single-family, detached homes; 14.4% were mobile homes. It was estimated that 11,242 units lacked telephone service, 1,229 lacked complete plumbing facilities, and 1,198 lacked complete kitchen facilities. Utility gas was the most common energy source for heating. The average household had 2.43 members.

In 2004, 3,300 new privately owned housing units were authorized for construction. The median home value was $119,654. The median monthly cost for mortgage owners was $954. Renters paid a median of $534 per month. In 2006, the state received over $3.2 million in community development block grants from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

EDUCATION

In 2004, 91.9% of Wyoming residents age 25 and older were high school graduates, well above the national average of 84%. Approximately 22.5% had obtained a bachelor's degree or higher; the national average was 22.5%.

The total enrollment for fall 2002 in Wyoming's public schools stood at 88,000. Of these, 60,000 attended schools from kindergarten through grade eight, and 28,000 attended high school. Approximately 86% of the students were white, 1.4% were black, 8.2% were Hispanic, 1% were Asian/Pacific Islander, and 3.5% were American Indian/Alaskan Native. Total enrollment was estimated at 85,000 by fall 2003 and expected to be 89,000 by fall 2014. Expenditures for public education in 2003/04 were estimated at $947.5 million. In fall 2003 there were 2,079 students enrolled in 35 privates schools. The resulting report, The Nation's Report Card, stated that in 2005, eighth graders in Wyoming scored 282 out of 500 in mathematics compared with the national average of 278.

As of fall 2002, there were 32,605 students enrolled in college or graduate school; minority students comprised 7.8% of total post-secondary enrollment. In 2005 Wyoming had nine degree-granting institutions. Wyoming has seven community colleges. The state controls and funds the University of Wyoming in Laramie, as well as the seven community colleges. There are no private colleges or universities, although the National Outdoor Leadership School, based in Lander, offers courses in mountaineering and ecology.

ARTS

The Wyoming Arts Council helps fund local activities and organizations in the visual and performing arts, including painting, music, theater, and dance. In 2005, the Wyoming Arts Council and other Wyoming arts organizations received five grants totaling $655,200 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). In 2005, the National Endowment for the Humanities contributed $503,322 for five state programs. Contributions to the arts also came from state and private sources.

The Grand Teton Music Festival (formerly the Jackson Hole Fine Arts Festival) has continued to present an annual program of symphonic and chamber music performed by some of the nation's top artists; in summer 2006, the festival celebrated its 45th season. The Cheyenne Civic Center serves as a venue for a variety of musical and theatrical groups, including the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra. Cheyenne is also home to the Cheyenne Little Theater Players, a community theater group that marked a 75-year anniversary in 2005.

The University of Wyoming Art Museum houses a permanent collection that includes over 7,000 pieces. The diverse collection showcases European and American paintings, 19th century Japanese prints, and African and Native American artifacts, among other artwork.

LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS

In 2001, Wyoming was served by 23 public library systems, with a total of 74 libraries, of which 51 were branches. In the same year, the state's library systems had a combined 2,415,000 volumes of books and serial publications, and a total circulation of 3,757,000. The system also had 78,000 audio and 65,000 video items, 8,000 electronic format items (CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, and disks), and four bookmobiles. The University of Wyoming, in Laramie, had 1,227,000 volumes and 12,960 periodical subscriptions in 2000. In fiscal year 2001, operating income for the state's public library system totaled $15,740,000 and included $14,427,000 in local funding and $73,000 in federal funds. Operating expenditures that year totaled $14,852,000, of which 70.4% was spent on staff and 10.6% on the collection.

There are at least 53 museums and historic sites, including the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne; the Buffalo Bill Historical Center (Cody), which exhibits paintings by Frederic Remington; and the anthropological, geological, and art museums of the University of Wyoming at Laramie.

COMMUNICATIONS

In 2004, 94.6% of all Wyoming households had telephones. In addition, by June of that same year there were 277,658 mobile wireless telephone subscribers. In 2003, 65.4% of Wyoming households had a computer and 57.7% had Internet access. By June 2005, there were 55,884 high-speed lines in Wyoming, 49,585 residential and 6,299 for business.

In 2005, Wyoming had 28 major radio stations, 7 AM and 21 FM, plus 3 television stations. A total of 7,279 Internet domain names were registered in the state by 2000.

PRESS

There were nine daily newspapers and five Sunday newspapers in Wyoming in 2005. The major daily and its 2005 circulation was the Casper Star-Tribune, 30,790 (33,289 on Sunday).

ORGANIZATIONS

In 2006, there were over 825 nonprofit organizations registered within the state, of which about 590 were registered as charitable, educational, or religious organizations.

National organizations with headquarters within the state include the Dude Ranchers' Association, the National Park Academy of the Arts, and the Yellowstone Association. Local arts, history, and the environment are represented in part through the Arts Council (in Cheyenne) and the Wyoming Council for the Humanities. Outdoor sports and recreation organizations include the Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association, Wyoming Ranch and Recreational Services, and the Wyoming Campgrounds Association.

TOURISM, TRAVEL, AND RECREATION

In 2004, the state hosted 8 million overnight visitors and 17.9 million day trip travelers. The tourism and travel industry, the state's second-leading industry, supports over 37,823 full-time and part-time jobs. In 2002–03, Wyoming tourism increased by 6.5%, the highest increase in travel and tourism of any US state.

There are two national parks in Wyoming—Yellowstone and Grand Teton—and 9 national forests. Devils Tower and Fossil Butte are national monuments, and Fort Laramie is a national historic site. Yellowstone National Park, covering 2,219,791 acres (898,349 hectares), mostly in the northwestern corner of the state, is the oldest (1 March 1872) and largest national park in the United States. The park features some 3,000 geysers and hot springs, including the celebrated Old Faithful. Just to the south of Yellowstone is Grand Teton National Park, 309,993 acres (125,454 hectares). Wyoming is home to major emigrant trails: Oregon, Mormon, California, and Pony Express. Devil's Tower National Monument, in the Black Hills National Forest, is a much-photographed landmark. The town of Cody was founded by Buffalo Bill Cody. The town of Kaycee was the home of the famous outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Adjacent to Grand Teton is the National Elk Refuge, the feeding range of the continent's largest known herd of elk. Devils Tower, a rock formation in the northeast, looming 5,117 feet (1,560 meters) high, is the country's oldest national monument (24 September 1906).

SPORTS

There are no major professional sports teams in Wyoming, but there is a minor league baseball team in Casper. Participation sports in Wyoming are typically Western. Skills developed by ranch hands in herding cattle are featured at rodeos held throughout the state. Cheyenne Frontier Days is the largest of these rodeos. Skiing is also a major sport, with Jackson Hole being the largest, best-known resort.

In collegiate sports, the University of Wyoming competes in the Mountain West Conference. They won the Sun Bowl in 1956 and 1958, and they appeared in, but lost, the Holiday Bowl in 1987 and 1988.

FAMOUS WYOMINGITES

The most important federal officeholder from Wyoming was Willis Van Devanter (b.Indiana, 1859–1941), who served on the US Supreme Court from 1910 to 1937. Many of Wyoming's better-known individuals are associated with the frontier: John Colter (b.Virginia, 1775?–1813), a fur trader, was the first white man to explore northwestern Wyoming; and Jim Bridger (b.Virginia, 1804–81), perhaps the most famous fur trapper in the West, centered his activities in Wyoming. Late in life, William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody (b.Iowa, 1846–1917) settled in the Big Horn Basin and established the town of Cody. A number of outlaws made their headquarters in Wyoming. The most famous were "Butch Cassidy" (George Leroy Parker, b.Utah, 1866–1908) and the "Sundance Kid" (Harry Longabaugh, birthplace in dispute, 1863?–1908), who, as members of the Wild Bunch, could often be found there.

Two Wyoming women, Esther Morris (b. New York, 1814–1902) and Nellie Taylor Ross (b.Missouri, 1880–1979), are recognized as the first woman judge and the first woman governor, respectively, in the United States; Ross also was the first woman to serve as director of the US Mint. Few Wyoming politicians have received national recognition, but Francis E. Warren (b.Massachusetts, 1844–1929), the state's first governor, served 37 years in the US Senate and came to wield considerable influence and power.

Without question, Wyoming's most famous businessman was James Cash Penney (b.Missouri, 1875–1971). Penney established his first "Golden Rule" store in Kemmerer and eventually built a chain of department stores nationwide. The water-reclamation accomplishments of Elwood Mead (b.Indiana, 1858–1936) and the botanical work in the Rocky Mountains of Aven Nelson (b.Iowa, 1859–1952) were highly significant. Jackson Pollock (1912–56), born in Cody, was a leading painter in the abstract expressionist movement.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Council of State Governments. The Book of the States, 2006 Edition. Lexington, Ky.: Council of State Governments, 2006.

Dubois, Muriel L. Wyoming Facts and Symbols. Mankato, Minn.: Hilltop Books, 2000.

Gottberg, John. Hidden Wyoming. Berkeley, Calif.: Ulysses Press, 1999.

Huser, Verne. Wyoming's Snake River: A River Guide's Chronicle of People and Places, Plants and Animals. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2001.

Lakes, Arthur. Discovering Dinosaurs in the Old West: The Field Journals of Arthur Lakes. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2001.

Newby, Rick (ed.). The Rocky Mountains. Vol. 6 in The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional Cultures. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2004.

Parzybok, Tye W. Weather Extremes in the West. Missoula, Mont.: Mountain Press, 2005.

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Preston, Thomas. Rocky Mountains: Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico. 2nd ed. Vol. 3 of The Double Eagle Guide to 1,000 Great Western Recreation Destinations. Billings, Mont.: Discovery Publications, 2003.

Rees, Amanda (ed.). The Great Plains Region. Vol. 1 in The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional Cultures. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2004.

US Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, US Census Bureau. Wyoming, 2000. Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics: 2000 Census of Population and Housing. Washington, D.C.: US Government Printing Office, 2003.