Riverton, WY

Micro Area Profile

39,533 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Riverton, WY micropolitan area.

48out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 18% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 9 sources
Opportunity516th of 835 metro and micro areas measured45
Growth783rd of 834 metro and micro areas measured20
Housing affordabilityTop 19% of 835 metro and micro areas measured80
Climate807th of 835 metro and micro areas measured51
Physical resilience653rd of 835 metro and micro areas measured32
AccessTop 18% of 835 metro and micro areas measured95
Economic stabilityTop 49% of 835 metro and micro areas measured53
The quick read

Unemployment is 3.5% and median household income $64,904, putting employment conditions in the middle range of metro and micro areas measured.

Residential permitting has slowed: 16 units authorized over the past twelve months, 24% below the prior year. That follows a longer stretch moving the other way, through 2025.

Housing is more affordable relative to local incomes than in most metro and micro areas measured: rent takes 25% of renter income and the median home is 3.5 times what its owners earn.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
39,533
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$64,904
Bottom 43% nationally
Density
4/sq mi
9,183.6 sq mi of land
Median age
39.7
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Micropolitan area
Wyoming
Nearest major airport
RIW
8 mi · Central Wyoming Rgnl
Median home value
$268,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.5%, lower than in 77% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment fell 1.9% over the past year, to 16,189 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$2,6062024 ACS 5-Year$64,904Bottom 43%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,1212024 ACS 5-Year$32,793Bottom 32%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year12.3%Top 44%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.8 min2024 ACS 5-Year18.5 minTop 7%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year26.5%Top 45%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year73.9%28th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202616,189Bottom 15%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−6.6%Bottom 3%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−1.9%Bottom 24%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202616,77315th percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year77.1%Top 45%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.5%2024 ACS 5-Year0.8%77th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.2%Top 48%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20263.5%Top 23%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year9.7%59th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/075.72.8
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.5% in July 2026. It has been rising, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

38% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 45% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 10.8 students for every full-time teacher across 30 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
32
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
10.8
across 30 of them
Math proficiency
37.9%
2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency
44.7%
2018-19 school year
The 12 largest of 32 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Riverton High SchoolFremont County School District #2570116.726%45%
Riverton Middle SchoolFremont County School District #2555913.041%49%
Lander Valley High SchoolFremont County School District # 153813.151%57%
Gannett Peak ElementaryFremont County School District # 143610.652%62%
Arapahoe ElementaryFremont County School District #383928.75%14%
Lander Middle SchoolFremont County School District # 132412.557%67%
Rendezvous ElementaryFremont County School District #2532411.657%50%
Aspen Elementary SchoolFremont County School District #2528610.2——
Willow Creek ElementaryFremont County School District #2526911.752%57%
Ft. Washakie ElementaryFremont County School District #212557.122%22%
Wyoming Indian ElementaryFremont County School District #142509.612%8%
Shoshoni ElementaryFremont County School District #2422010.567%57%

53.4% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Wyoming’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,671 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.62% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $963, close to the $898 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $963 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $38,500 a year, about 59% of the median household income here of $64,904.

The typical renter household here spends 25% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $898 a month.

A median home at $268,800 costs 3.5 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $77,551, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Rent as a share of income
24.5%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.5×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$963
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$898
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$268,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Riverton’s median household income of $64,904, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year3.5Bottom 23%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year70.1%52nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±452024 ACS 5-Year17,46919th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$753Top 17%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,320Top 33%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$963Top 20%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$382024 ACS 5-Year$898Top 34%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$12,0052024 ACS 5-Year$268,80068th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$622024 ACS 5-Year$1,67140th percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$4,2802024 ACS 5-Year$77,551Bottom 39%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.04%2024 ACS 5-Year0.62%28th percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year24.5%Top 7%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±1722024 ACS 5-Year1,01150th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year5.8%78th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year8.1%55th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±2442024 ACS 5-Year2,43227th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

20/ 100
Ranks 783 of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was upward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 1% since 2020, reaching 39,721 in 2024.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 16 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.

At 0.4 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
16
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
0.4
Bottom 6% nationally
Year over year
−24%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202440k39k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been holding roughly steady, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

Weather & climate

4 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 88°F and January a low of 8°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 8.6 inches.

0°20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station RIVERTON, 6.7 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND1.9"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals8.6"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals8°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals88°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals41991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals53°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

32 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, earthquake and wildfire, with inland flooding alone responsible for 54% of it.

WildfireElevated
EarthquakeHigh
AvalancheModerate
Cold waveModerate
Inland floodingModerate
Heat waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: landslide, winter weather, lightning, hail, drought, strong wind, volcanic activity, tornado, ice storm, tsunami, hurricane, coastal flooding.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Central Wyoming Rgnl at 8 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year88.8%Top 47%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle8 miTop 8%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle2Bottom 16%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year8.9%Bottom 45%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Central Wyoming RgnlRIW8 mi8,204 ft
Ralph Wenz FldPNA63 mi8,900 ft
Yellowstone RgnlCOD103 mi8,268 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
48
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

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