Southwest Region
Ray Sarcletti, Regional Director
Wyoming Business Council
1400 Dewar Drive, Suite 208A
Rock Springs, Wyoming 82901
Phone: 307.382.3163
Or Elaina Zempel, Deputy Director
1100 Pine Avenue, Suite 3F
Kemmerer, Wyoming 83101
Phone: 307.877.2203
Mountains and desert make up the Southwest Region of Wyoming, an area including Sweetwater, Uinta, Lincoln and Sublette Counties. The high desert, red dunes and colorful badlands stretch across the region to the green Bridger Valley and the Uinta and Bridger-Teton National Forest, creating a mixture of unique landscapes. The ancient wetland produces millions of fossils and wild horses still run across the plains of the southwest. Despite the arid condition, the large Green River flows through the region into the 91-mile Flaming Gorge in Sweetwater County.
The region has a population of 71,957 with a median age of 35.4. The percentage of the population that has education beyond high school is 51.8. Median household incomes range from $43,880 in Lincoln County to $50,179 in Sweetwater County. Household values range from $83,799 in Uinta County to $92,882 in Sweetwater County.
The region produces nearly one-third of the world’s trona, a mineral that becomes soda ash after processing. The region also has power plants, mining and support industries. The major employer in the region is natural resource extraction and its related services. Manufacturing is a growth sector in the region. One of today’s major retailers, J.C. Penney, had its very first store in Kemmerer. Rock Springs Offers a community college that specializes in manufacturing and vocational training, in addition to its college curriculum.
Business and industrial parks are located in Sweetwater, Uinta and Lincoln Counties. Rock Springs offers commercial air service. Afton, Evanston, Big Piney, Pinedale and Kemmerer have public airports. Interstate 80 cuts through Sweetwater and Uinta Counties and many of the major state highways intersect the region. The city of Evanston is just over 70 miles from Salt Lake City.
Flaming Gorge Recreation Area offers world-class fishing and water sports. Other activities in the region include hunting, golf courses, mountain activities, wildlife and community recreational facilities.
Demographics by County
County |
Lincoln |
Uinta |
Sweetwater |
Sublette |
| Total Population (2000) |
14,573 |
19,742 |
37,613 |
5,920 |
| Total Employment (2000) |
6,519 |
9,362 |
18,796 |
3,041 |
| Owner-Occupied (2000) |
4,280 |
5,136 |
10,586 |
1,737 |
| Renter-Occupied (2000) |
986 |
1,687 |
3,519 |
634 |
| Total Households (2000) |
5,266 |
6,823 |
14,105 |
2,371 |
| Pop/Sq. mi |
3.6 |
9.5 |
3.6 |
1.2 |
| Annual Unemployment Rate (2005) |
3.5 |
3.6 |
3.1 |
2 |
Population by County
County |
Lincoln |
Uinta |
Sweetwater |
Sublette |
| Population (1990) |
12,626 |
18,705 |
38,823 |
4,843 |
| Population (2000) |
14,573 |
19,742 |
37,613 |
5,920 |
| Projected population (2005) |
15,651 |
19,787 |
36,923 |
6,629 |
| Population per square mile (2000) |
3.6 |
9.5 |
3.6 |
1.3 |
| Population rank 2000 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Population growth (1990-2000) |
15.4 |
5.5 |
-3.1 |
22.2 |
| Projected population growth (2005-2010) |
6.4 |
0.4 |
-1.6 |
10.2 |
| Median age (1990) |
29.8 |
27.3 |
30.4 |
35.4 |
| Median age (2000) |
36.7 |
31.4 |
34.2 |
39.7 |
| Projected Median age (2005) |
37.3 |
32.8 |
36 |
41.8 |
| 19 and under (1990) |
5,102 |
7,917 |
14,319 |
1,477 |
| 20 to 34 years (1990) |
2,272 |
4,183 |
8,697 |
909 |
| 35 to 54 years (1990) |
3,109 |
4,652 |
10,673 |
1,455 |
| 55 to 74 years (1990) |
1,690 |
1,557 |
4,011 |
760 |
| 75 years and older (1990) |
452 |
396 |
1,124 |
242 |
| 19 and under (2000) |
4,920 |
7,280 |
12,223 |
1,637 |
| 20 to 34 years (2000) |
2,055 |
3,450 |
6,950 |
850 |
| 35 to 54 years (2000) |
4,397 |
6,276 |
12,462 |
2,070 |
| 55 to 74 years (2000) |
2,404 |
2,155 |
4,568 |
1,079 |
| 75 years and older (2000) |
797 |
581 |
1,410 |
284 |
| 19 and under (2005) |
4,602 |
6,485 |
10,674 |
1,661 |
| 20 to 34 years (2005) |
2,871 |
3,861 |
7,368 |
1,111 |
| 35 to 54 years (2005) |
4,366 |
5,490 |
11,312 |
2,078 |
| 55 to 74 years (2005) |
2,904 |
2,821 |
6,106 |
1,424 |
| 75 years and older (2005) |
908 |
680 |
1,463 |
355 |
| Male (1990) |
6,423 |
9,510 |
19,604 |
2,511 |
| Female (1990) |
6,203 |
9,195 |
19,219 |
2,332 |
| Male (2000) |
7,360 |
10,054 |
19,026 |
3,023 |
| Female (2000) |
7,213 |
9,688 |
18,587 |
2,897 |
| Male (2005) |
7,927 |
10,010 |
18,715 |
3,388 |
| Female (2005) |
7,724 |
9,777 |
18,208 |
3,241 |
| White (1990) |
12,431 |
18,278 |
36,563 |
4,750 |
| Black (1990) |
10 |
25 |
289 |
5 |
| Hispanic origin (1990) |
252 |
773 |
3,470 |
57 |
| Asian or Pacific Islander (1990) |
38 |
66 |
254 |
13 |
| American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut (1990) |
65 |
128 |
305 |
70 |
| White (2000) |
14,157 |
18,621 |
34,461 |
5,771 |
| Black (2000) |
15 |
22 |
275 |
1,566 |
| Hispanic origin (2000) |
315 |
1,055 |
3,545 |
112 |
| Asian or Pacific Islander (2000) |
41 |
67 |
256 |
19 |
| American Indian, Eskimo or Aleut (2000) |
83 |
172 |
380 |
29 |
| White (2005) |
15,202 |
18,659 |
33,818 |
6,461 |
| Black (2005) |
16 |
22 |
267 |
13 |
| Hispanic origin (2005) |
398 |
1,203 |
3,756 |
156 |
| Asian or Pacific Islander (2005) |
44 |
66 |
250 |
22 |
| American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut (2005) |
90 |
174 |
376 |
32 |
| Percent non-white (2000) |
2.8 |
5.7 |
8.4 |
2.5 |
| Net domestic migration (1990-2000) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Median household income (1990) |
28,541 |
33,130 |
36,664 |
26,768 |
| Median household income (2000) |
40,776 |
44,606 |
46,618 |
39,096 |
| Median household income (2005) |
44,437 |
48,401 |
50,876 |
42,131 |
| Median household income growth (1990-2000) |
42.9 |
34.6 |
27.1 |
46.1 |
| Median household income growth (2005-2010) |
11.2 |
10.9 |
11 |
11.5 |
| Percent median household income <$35,000 (2000) |
40.7 |
38 |
35.8 |
45 |
| Percent median household income >$75,000 (2000) |
15.5 |
16 |
20.8 |
15.4 |
| Per capita personal income (1990): |
10,583 |
12,142 |
13,594 |
12,522 |
| Per capita personal income (2000): |
17,370 |
16,905 |
19,416 |
19,827 |
| Per capita personal income (2005): |
21,142 |
22,023 |
24,916 |
20,610 |
| Per capita personal income percent change (1990-2000) |
64.1 |
39.2 |
42.8 |
58.3 |
| Per capita personal income percent change (2005-2010) |
16.5 |
15.7 |
15.1 |
9.9 |
Unemployment Rate by County
County |
Lincoln |
Uinta |
Sweetwater |
Sublette |
| Labor Force |
6,783 |
10,016 |
19,971 |
3,200 |
| Total Employment |
6,519 |
9,362 |
18,796 |
3,041 |
| Unemployed |
257 |
640 |
1,141 |
152 |
| Unemployment Rate (2005) |
3.5 |
3.6 |
3.1 |
2 |
Other Resources
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Regional Demographics 
