In Natrona County, Wyoming, benefit checks make up only 16 cents of every dollar of income
In Natrona County, 15.8% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Natrona County's score
In Natrona County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 57.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 20.6. About one in seven adults aged 25 to 54 (15.1%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 83% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Natrona County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Natrona County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 57.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.3% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people135.1 · 202553rd percentile
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- 43.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.3% · Q4 202553rd percentile
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- 41.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line11.8% · 202421st percentile
- People with a disability16.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,774 · 202429th percentile
- People below the poverty line10.7% · 202428th percentile
- People without health insurance10.7% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 34.6 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.8% · fiscal year 202711th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.4% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
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- 20.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.1% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202624th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Natrona County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Natrona County
Wyoming
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Natrona County in 2024, pay from work was 61 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 23 cents. Benefit checks were 16 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 6 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Natrona County, benefit checks rose from 6 to 16 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Natrona County, Wyoming: 15.8% and 61.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 15.8% of all personal income in Natrona County, Wyoming (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Natrona County, 17.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Natrona County has changed
The number of people living in Natrona County grew by about 58% between 1969 and 2024, from 50,779 to 80,410. The number of jobs located there grew by about 44% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.9% in 1990 to 3.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 50,779 | 2024 80,410 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 27,763 | 2024 40,029 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.1% | 2024 10.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $27,098 | 2024 $74,774 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 6.1% | 2024 15.8% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Natrona County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 79,955, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1888
Created March 9, 1888 from Carbon County; organized 1890. Wikipedia
1889
Salt Creek Oil Field discovered 1889, first refinery built in Casper 1895. Wikipedia
2008
Dust devil: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Flash flood: $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Flash flood: $2,866,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1978
4 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Natrona County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Natrona County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Natrona County, one scores higher. Of the group, Natrona County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Fremont County gets the largest, at 26.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fremont County, WY | 41 | 12.5% | 26.6% |
| Natrona County, WY | 31 | 10.7% | 15.8% |
| Carbon County, WY | 18 | 10.8% | 16.6% |
| Converse County, WY | 11 | 9.8% | 17.8% |
| Washakie County, WY | 8 | 11.4% | 26.2% |
| Johnson County, WY | 3 | 8.0% | 19.8% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Natrona County the poorest county in Wyoming?
No, Natrona County's poverty rate was 10.7% in 2024, 9th highest of 23 in Wyoming (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Albany County, at 15.9%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Natrona County ranks 5th of 23 in the state.
Natrona County in photographs
Places in Natrona County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The Natrona County Courthouse at 200 N.
Advertisment for Seminole Mercantile Co in Bucknum, Wyoming.
Natrona County, Wyoming: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Natrona County, Wyoming?
10.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in nine people. Among children it was 11.8%.
Is Natrona County the poorest county in Wyoming?
No, Natrona County's poverty rate was 10.7% in 2024, 9th highest of 23 in Wyoming (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Albany County, at 15.9%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Natrona County ranks 5th of 23 in the state.
What is the population of Natrona County, Wyoming?
About 80,410 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 79,955, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Natrona County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Wyoming Housing Network, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Natrona County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Natrona County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.