CHEYENNE — The elderly population (age 65 and over) in the state grew 2.9% between July 2024 and July 2025, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. In comparison, Wyoming’s total population only grew 0.3% during the year. The median age (half of the population is younger, and the other half older) rose 0.3 to 40.2 years, while it increased from 39.2 to 39.4 in the U.S. from 2024 to 2025. The new data indicate that the aging of Wyoming’s population continued to be speedy, and the pace since 2020 was the most rapid in the country.

 “The primary reason was the impact of aging Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), but the decline in the fertility rate also contributed to the situation,” said Dr. Wenlin Liu, chief economist with the State of Wyoming, Economic Analysis Division. 

Since the initial Baby Boomer cohort reached the age of 65 in 2011, there has been a precipitous increase in the size of the older population. With the quick aging, Wyoming’s median age increased to the 17th highest compared to other states in 2025 and eclipsed all neighboring states except Montana.    

Park County is part of the trend, with the fifth highest pecentage of the population of adults age 65 and older in the state at 27.7% — the state average is 20.7%. The median age in the county is 45.9 (state average 40.2).

Wyoming has one of the highest proportions of the Baby Boom population (age 61-79 in 2025), and one of the lowest proportions of Generation X (age 45 to 60 in 2025) in the country. For example, the number of residents aged 50-59 was 12,800 (or 16.8%) less than the age 60-69 group.  

“The state has been facing a labor shortage as the number of resident workers is insufficient to fill the positions vacated by retiring Baby Boomers under normal economic circumstances,” Liu commented. 

Wyoming’s population age 65 and older increased from 101,843 in 2020 to 121,648 in 2025, or 19.4%, while the population under age 18 decreased by 6% during the same period. The share of the state’s elderly population (65 and over) grew to 20.7% in 2025, compared to the proportion of 21.6% for children.  

“The population age 65 and older in Wyoming is expected to expand by another 10% from 2025 to 2030, while the number of total residents is projected to increase approximately 1% during that period.”

The sex ratio, defined as the number of males per 100 females was 102.8 in 2025, the third highest in the U.S., just behind Alaska (108.7) and North Dakota (104.9).

“The prominence of the mining industry in these states’ economies is the main reason for the rankings,” commented Dr. Liu. Generally speaking, there are more males than females at younger ages and more females than males at older ages. The 2025 sex ratio for Wyoming was 106.3 for population under 55 years. However, the number of females surpassed the males for all older age groups, and the females (6,517) were 43.2% more than males (4,550) for residents age 85 and over.

• The state’s oldest county was Hot Springs. With a median age of 49.4 years, 30.9% of its population was 65 and over in 2025. Other counties with a higher proportion of elderly population (65 and over) were Johnson (29.7%), Niobrara (31.7%), and Platte (29.2%). These counties also tend to have the smallest proportion of children population, and their median ages were all higher than 48 years.

• The youngest county was Albany, with a median age of 28.7 in 2025, followed by Campbell (36.7), Sweetwater (38.4), and Uinta (39.3).  The median age in the state’s two largest counties, Laramie and Natrona, were 39.2 and 39.3 years each.

• Campbell and Uinta counties had the highest percentage of children (under 18 years), at 25.9% and 25.2%, each, in 2025, followed by Crook (24.6%), and Converse (24.0%). The statewide proportion in 2025 was 21.6%.     

· Albany and Campbell counties had the lowest percentage of population age 65 or older, 14.8% and 15.1%, each, followed by Sweetwater County (16.9%).