In Sweetwater County, Wyoming, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Sweetwater County, 15.6% of the median household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom at HUD's fair market rent (HUD and Census Bureau, HUD rent fiscal year 2027; household income 2024). That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sweetwater County's score
In Sweetwater County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 69.3. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 25.1. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 15.6% of the median household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 94% 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.
Even so, Sweetwater County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (12.8%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Sweetwater 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.
- 69.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.1% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people181.8 · 202570th percentile
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- 47.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score22.7% · Q4 202547th percentile
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- 41.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.5% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202653rd percentile
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- 35.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line8.9% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability15.6% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,906 · 202425th percentile
- People below the poverty line9.1% · 202415th percentile
- People without health insurance12.8% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
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- 25.2 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 income15.6% · fiscal year 20275th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.3% · 2020 to 202445th 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 Sweetwater 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
Sweetwater County
Wyoming
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sweetwater County in 2024, pay from work was 68 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 17 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 8 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Sweetwater County, benefit checks rose from 8 to 17 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Sweetwater County, Wyoming: 17.4% and 67.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 17.4% of all personal income in Sweetwater 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 Sweetwater County, 14.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Sweetwater County has changed
The number of people living in Sweetwater County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 18,362 to 41,273. The number of jobs located there grew by about 13% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.1% in 1990 to 3.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 18,362 | 2024 41,273 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 18,278 | 2024 20,698 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.1% | 2024 9.1% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $36,394 | 2024 $76,906 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 7.8% | 2024 17.4% |
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 Sweetwater County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 43,806. The 2020 Census counted 42,272, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
1867
Created December 17, 1867, from Laramie County, originally named Carter County. Wikipedia
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Since 1977
4 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sweetwater County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Sweetwater County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Sweetwater County, in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sweetwater County ranks 5th of the nine; Fremont County is highest, at 26.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fremont County, WY | 41 | 12.5% | 26.6% |
| Sweetwater County, WY | 39 | 9.1% | 17.4% |
| Moffat County, CO | 37 | 10.1% | 25.0% |
| Uinta County, WY | 27 | 10.7% | 24.1% |
| Daggett County, UT | 23 | 8.1% | 24.1% |
| Carbon County, WY | 18 | 10.8% | 16.6% |
| Sublette County, WY | 6 | 7.1% | 16.2% |
| Summit County, UT | 2 | 5.0% | 3.4% |
| Lincoln County, WY | 1 | 6.9% | 15.8% |
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 Sweetwater County the poorest county in Wyoming?
No, Sweetwater County's poverty rate was 9.1% in 2024, 15th 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, Sweetwater County ranks 2nd of 23 in the state.
Sweetwater County in photographs
Places in Sweetwater County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Little larkspur (Delphinium bicolor), Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae).
Photo: Andrey Zharkikh from Salt Lake City, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
A camp on Henry's Fork.
Sweetwater County, Wyoming: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Sweetwater County, Wyoming?
9.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 11 people. Among children it was 8.9%.
Is Sweetwater County the poorest county in Wyoming?
No, Sweetwater County's poverty rate was 9.1% in 2024, 15th 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, Sweetwater County ranks 2nd of 23 in the state.
What is the population of Sweetwater County, Wyoming?
About 41,273 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 42,272, 96% of the county's peak of 43,806 in 2010.
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 Sweetwater 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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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 Sweetwater 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 Sweetwater County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.