A new report has shone a bright light on the harsh state of living in Wyoming.
The Wyoming Squeeze
Life in Wyoming is getting tougher, and for many residents, the cost of living is becoming downright unmanageable.
Wallets Under Siege
A recent report paints a concerning picture: the cost of living is outpacing wages at an alarming rate, leaving many families struggling to keep their heads above water.
The 159-Hour Work Week
Imagine being a single parent in Campbell County, trying to raise two kids on a minimum-wage job. You’d need to earn over $60,000 a year to cover just the basics – an impossible feat at $7.25 an hour unless you somehow work 159 hours a week.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
The Wyoming Women’s Foundation (WYWF) recently released its 2024 Self-Sufficiency Standard, and the numbers speak for themselves.
Bare Necessities or Pipe Dreams?
This report breaks down exactly how much money you need to live without needing outside help in Wyoming. Spoiler alert: It’s a lot more than most people make.
Sweetwater’s Sour Reality
Take Sweetwater County, for instance. A single adult needs to pull in around $30,000 a year just to scrape by. But if that person has two kids, that figure jumps to over $64,000.
Housing and Child Care
And it’s not just wages that are the problem – housing and child care are eating up a huge chunk of family budgets.
Where Half Your Paycheck Goes
In some places, like Albany County, a family with two kids spends 45% of their income on just these two things. That’s nearly half their earnings gone before even thinking about food, transportation, or even health care.
The Statewide Struggle
This is happening all over the state. In Teton County, you’d need to earn nearly $76,000 a year to take care of yourself and a preschooler. And in Goshen County, where the cost of living is the lowest, you still need to make more than $21 an hour just to get by.
The Childcare Conundrum
Wyoming’s childcare crisis isn’t new, but it’s becoming increasingly dire. The state has a massive gap in childcare availability, with nearly 28% of children who need care unable to access it.
5000 Kids Left Behind
That’s over 5000 kids left without proper childcare options, forcing many parents to choose between their jobs and their children.
Caught Between a Rock and a Daycare
The cost alone is driving families to the brink, and finding a spot in a decent childcare facility is a rarity. Even if parents manage to find an available space, most can’t afford it.
Home Sweet Unaffordable Home
Then there’s the housing crisis. Between now and 2030, Wyoming needs to add tens of thousands of new housing units just to keep up with demand. But that’s not happening fast enough, and as a result, prices are already through the roof. Many people in Wyoming are being priced out of their own state.
Capitol Hill to the Rescue?
Lawmakers know this is a big problem, and during the current legislative off-season, they’re looking into potential solutions. Child care and housing are top priorities for several committees, but whether they’ll be able to make a real difference remains to be seen.
Sheridan’s Cost Of Living Surge
What’s really crazy is how much the cost of living has exploded in recent years. According to the WYWF report, living expenses in Sheridan County have more than doubled since 2005 – far outpacing inflation.
When Costs Double Overnight
Living expenses for a family of four have increased by 118% since 2005, compared to inflation’s modest 68% rise.
The Savings Mirage
It’s making it impossible for people to save or even get by without some kind of federal assistance.
Top Jobs, Bottom Dollar
The reality is that Wyoming’s wages just aren’t keeping up with these rising costs. Only two of the top ten most common jobs in the state pay enough for a single parent to support two kids on their own, especially in places like Laramie County. For everyone else, the math just isn’t adding up.
Surviving, Not Thriving
Wyoming families are stuck in a cycle of just trying to survive in a place where making ends meet is becoming increasingly out of reach. Costs are rising, but wages aren’t – and the gap between the two is growing by the day.
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