Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Wyoming?
Only a third of Wyomingites say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that folks in Wyoming don’t really have it too bad in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which Wyoming cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using Saturday Night Science and data.
After analyzing the 31 largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Equality State.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Most Miserable Places In Wyoming
- Glenrock
- Green River
- Mills
- Bar Nunn
- Evansville
- Evanston
- Greybull
- Newcastle
- Gillette
- Rock Springs
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.
Oh, and by the way, Cody is the happiest place in Wyoming.
For more Wyoming reading, check out:
The 10 Most Miserable Places In Wyoming For 2023
1. Glenrock
/10
Population: 2,914
Poverty Level: 7.3%
Median Home Price $196,500
Married Households 23.0%
Households With Kids 44.8%
More on Glenrock: Crime
/10
Population: 11,887
Poverty Level: 5.4%
Median Home Price $229,600
Married Households 18.0%
Households With Kids 36.61%
More on Green River: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
4. Bar Nunn
/10
Population: 2,897
Poverty Level: 2.7%
Median Home Price $257,600
Married Households 31.0%
Households With Kids 46.19%
More on Bar Nunn:
5. Evansville
/10
Population: 2,730
Poverty Level: 6.8%
Median Home Price $198,700
Married Households 20.0%
Households With Kids 41.14%
More on Evansville: Crime
/10
Population: 11,802
Poverty Level: 9.4%
Median Home Price $172,700
Married Households 14.0%
Households With Kids 31.31%
More on Evanston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
7. Greybull
/10
Population: 2,187
Poverty Level: 8.0%
Median Home Price $129,700
Married Households 19.0%
Households With Kids 29.02%
More on Greybull:
/10
/10
Population: 33,047
Poverty Level: 10.1%
Median Home Price $224,000
Married Households 15.0%
Households With Kids 41.23%
More on Gillette: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 23,505
Poverty Level: 10.4%
Median Home Price $218,400
Married Households 16.0%
Households With Kids 34.4%
More on Rock Springs: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In The Equality State
To rank the unhappiest places in Wyoming, we had to determine what criteria make people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress-free, and have a stable home life.
So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2017-2021 report for the happy criteria, flipped the list with Saturday Night Science, and it spit out the answer.
Like magic.
Here are the criteria we used to measure misery:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of families with kids
- Poverty rate
After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 31 places in Wyoming with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 31 for each of the seven criteria, with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).
Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index “earning” the title “Most Miserable City In Wyoming.”
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.
We updated this article for 2023, and it’s our tenth time ranking the most miserable cities in Wyoming.
There You Have It – The Least Happy Cities In Wyoming
As we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in Wyoming is usually a subjective matter.
But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in Wyoming, according to science:
- Cody
- Sheridan
- Laramie
For more Wyoming reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Wyoming
- Cheapest Places To Live In Wyoming
- Most Dangerous Cities In Wyoming
- Richest Cities In Wyoming
- Safest Places In Wyoming
- Worst Places To Live In Wyoming
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Wyoming
Miserable Cities In Wyoming For 2023
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Level | Median Home Value | % Married | % Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glenrock, WY | 2,914 | 7.3% | $196,500 | 23.0% | 44.8% |
| 2 | Green River, WY | 11,887 | 5.4% | $229,600 | 18.0% | 36.61% |
| 3 | Mills, WY | 4,106 | 13.3% | $129,700 | 18.0% | 33.16% |
| 4 | Bar Nunn, WY | 2,897 | 2.7% | $257,600 | 31.0% | 46.19% |
| 5 | Evansville, WY | 2,730 | 6.8% | $198,700 | 20.0% | 41.14% |
| 6 | Evanston, WY | 11,802 | 9.4% | $172,700 | 14.0% | 31.31% |
| 7 | Greybull, WY | 2,187 | 8.0% | $129,700 | 19.0% | 29.02% |
| 8 | Newcastle, WY | 3,283 | 9.4% | $151,300 | 16.0% | 30.26% |
| 9 | Gillette, WY | 33,047 | 10.1% | $224,000 | 15.0% | 41.23% |
| 10 | Rock Springs, WY | 23,505 | 10.4% | $218,400 | 16.0% | 34.4% |
| 11 | Lovell, WY | 2,176 | 15.3% | $162,600 | 32.0% | 33.37% |
| 12 | Rawlins, WY | 8,382 | 14.9% | $186,300 | 12.0% | 32.99% |
| 13 | Pinedale, WY | 2,058 | 4.2% | $252,300 | 5.0% | 31.41% |
| 14 | Torrington, WY | 6,196 | 9.9% | $162,900 | 17.0% | 28.08% |
| 15 | Douglas, WY | 6,330 | 11.4% | $206,900 | 18.0% | 32.21% |
| 16 | Wheatland, WY | 3,567 | 7.9% | $185,500 | 15.0% | 19.78% |
| 17 | Kemmerer, WY | 2,632 | 11.8% | $142,400 | 15.0% | 24.94% |
| 18 | Cheyenne, WY | 64,610 | 8.7% | $241,100 | 15.0% | 27.22% |
| 19 | Star Valley Ranch, WY | 2,168 | 2.4% | $340,100 | 14.0% | 23.47% |
| 20 | Afton, WY | 2,181 | 11.5% | $246,800 | 18.0% | 31.59% |
| 21 | Jackson, WY | 10,728 | 5.9% | $836,300 | 5.0% | 33.73% |
| 22 | Riverton, WY | 10,619 | 13.5% | $167,900 | 19.0% | 26.41% |
| 23 | Powell, WY | 6,385 | 12.4% | $211,900 | 16.0% | 26.59% |
| 24 | Worland, WY | 4,843 | 7.0% | $162,700 | 21.0% | 31.35% |
| 25 | Casper, WY | 58,547 | 10.9% | $215,400 | 19.0% | 29.54% |
| 26 | Thermopolis, WY | 2,826 | 10.2% | $159,900 | 20.0% | 23.92% |
| 27 | Lander, WY | 7,551 | 8.8% | $250,300 | 17.0% | 30.46% |
| 28 | Buffalo, WY | 4,389 | 18.1% | $232,600 | 11.0% | 16.55% |
| 29 | Laramie, WY | 31,501 | 25.3% | $234,500 | 10.0% | 20.22% |
| 30 | Sheridan, WY | 18,660 | 10.8% | $250,400 | 17.0% | 22.76% |
| 31 | Cody, WY | 10,055 | 8.9% | $260,300 | 19.0% | 29.68% |