County maintains better-than-average employment levels

After last year returning to “normal” employment levels in the wake of the pandemic, Crook County’s statistics have improved a little more during the busiest season of 2023.

According to the latest figures from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Crook County is still one of the most employed counties in the state.

In July, just 2.1% of residents of this county were unemployed. This was a drop of 0.5% from June, when the unemployment rate was 2.6%.

The unemployment rate was significantly lower than the overall Wyoming average of 3.1% in June and 3% in July.

These numbers were similar – although slightly better – than at the same time last year, when Crook County’s unemployment rate dropped from 2.6% to 2.2% between June and July. This was again better than the overall state unemployment rate of 3% in July.

These numbers are overall a marked improvement from the height of the pandemic, when Crook County’s unemployment rate increased from 3.4% in June, 2020 to 4.4% in July. The overall state unemployment rate in July, 2020 was 7.1%, after peaking earlier that year at 9.6% in April.

Unemployment generally falls between June and July due to the latter month marking the peak of the tourist season. Large job gains are generally seen in leisure and hospitality, and employment also typically rises in construction.

Crook County was among the top six decreases in unemployment between June and July in Wyoming this year, along with Uinta, Lincoln, Sublette, Sheridan and Albany. Platte County was the only county to see an increase in unemployment rates from 2.6% to 2.9%.