Unemployment in Albany County, Wyoming, is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties
In Albany County, 2.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Albany County's score
In Albany County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 60.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 9.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Albany County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Albany County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (28.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 60.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent28.8% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.4% · fiscal year 202725th percentile
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- 38.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.9% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.8% · 202412th percentile
- People with a disability11.5% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- People without health insurance7.3% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,303 · 202454th percentile
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- 27.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.5% · second quarter of 202617th percentile
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- 25.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.0% · August 202530th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people70.6 · 202519th percentile
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- 9.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20266th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.9% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Albany County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Albany County, 13.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Albany County
Wyoming
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Albany County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 16.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Albany County, Wyoming, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Albany County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 5.2% in 2014 to 4.4% in 2015.
The share of households in Albany County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 3.2% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Albany County, Wyoming.
How Albany County has changed
Albany County's population rose by about half to 39,288, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 39,288. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Albany County, Wyoming.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Albany County rose 42% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 17,110. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Albany County, Wyoming.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.3% | 2024 15.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,167 | 2024 $65,303 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 2.7% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Albany County's history
1869
Government formally organized May 19, 1869 as Wyoming Territory county. Wikipedia
1886
University of Wyoming established in 1886, opened 1887. Wikipedia
1999
Lightning in July 1999 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 37,066, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 2011
4 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Albany County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Albany County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Albany County, in Wyoming and Colorado, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Albany County ranks 5th of the seven; Platte County is highest, at 28.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, CO | 25 | 13.0% | 18.2% |
| Larimer County, CO | 24 | 10.5% | 15.1% |
| Laramie County, WY | 21 | 8.4% | 19.9% |
| Albany County, WY | 19 | 15.9% | 16.7% |
| Carbon County, WY | 18 | 10.8% | 16.6% |
| Platte County, WY | 14 | 10.7% | 28.0% |
| Converse County, WY | 9 | 9.8% | 17.8% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Albany County the poorest county in Wyoming?
Yes, Albany County's poverty rate was 15.9% in 2024, the highest of 23 counties in Wyoming (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Albany County ranks 11th of 23 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Albany County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Aid of Wyoming, Inc.
Legal aid
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Equal Justice Wyoming
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Albany County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Albany County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.