The 10 Best Small Towns In Wyoming For 2022


We used science and data to determine which small towns in Wyoming are the best of the best.

You've seen these lists before: Best places to live in Wyoming, Most Beautiful Downtowns, etc., etc. But all of them focus on major cities and towns in the Equality State and no one pays attention to the little guy.

Well, that's all about to change as we put together a list of the best small towns in Wyoming based on numbers--not opinions or hearsay.

We'll dive right into our methodology in the next section; but first, we thought you might just want to know which places in Wyoming ranked the based--you know, based on science.

Before we get to the top 15, here's a look at the 10 Best Small Towns To Live in Wyoming for 2022.

What's the best small town in Wyoming? Rafter J Ranch is the best small town in Wyoming based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Rafter J Ranch, chances are, you're not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.

But for the rest of you--keep reading and we'll get to just why these small towns made our list.

For more reading on the Equality State check out:

The 15 Best Small Towns In Wyoming For 2022

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 1,412
Median Income: $123,992 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $799,200 (5th Best)
More on Rafter J Ranch: Data | Homes For Sale

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,999
Median Income: $96,831 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $1,211,500 (1st Best)
More on South Park: Data | Homes For Sale

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,492
Median Income: $114,423 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $851,400 (3rd Best)
More on Wilson: Data | Homes For Sale

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,289
Median Income: $112,593 (5th Best)
Median Home Value: $1,154,400 (2nd Best)
More on Moose Wilson Road: Data | Homes For Sale

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,187
Median Income: $117,011 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $219,100 (15th Best)
More on Sleepy Hollow: Data | Homes For Sale

Pinedale, WY

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 2,173
Median Income: $86,447 (9th Best)
Median Home Value: $235,900 (9th Best)
More on Pinedale: PhotosData | Homes For Sale

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 2,103
Median Income: $125,804 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $801,900 (4th Best)
More on Hoback: Data | Homes For Sale

Lyman, WY

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,723
Median Income: $86,600 (8th Best)
Median Home Value: $210,900 (17th Best)
More on Lyman: PhotosData | Homes For Sale

Saratoga, WY

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,591
Median Income: $81,304 (12th Best)
Median Home Value: $212,600 (16th Best)
More on Saratoga: Data | Homes For Sale

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,786
Median Income: $95,294 (7th Best)
Median Home Value: $243,900 (8th Best)
More on Bar Nunn: Data | Homes For Sale

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,191
Median Income: $84,524 (10th Best)
Median Home Value: $308,900 (6th Best)
More on Star Valley Ranch: Data | Homes For Sale

Kemmerer, WY

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 2,758
Median Income: $63,861 (19th Best)
Median Home Value: $143,000 (28th Best)
More on Kemmerer: PhotosData | Homes For Sale

Buffalo, WY

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 4,606
Median Income: $53,428 (25th Best)
Median Home Value: $227,800 (12th Best)
More on Buffalo: PhotosData | Homes For Sale

Thermopolis, WY

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 2,747
Median Income: $62,228 (20th Best)
Median Home Value: $157,600 (26th Best)
More on Thermopolis: PhotosData | Homes For Sale

Afton, WY

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,984
Median Income: $46,000 (35th Best)
Median Home Value: $235,400 (10th Best)
More on Afton: PhotosData | Homes For Sale

Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Wyoming

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent data from the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (Higher is better)
  • Lowest Unemployment Rates
  • Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
  • Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
  • Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
  • Commute Times (Lower is better)

We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which, there were a lot - 38 to be exact.

We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 38, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Wyoming. Top of that list -- Rafter J Ranch. You can download the data here.

Keep reading to find out more about our top 15 best small towns in Wyoming.

Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones

We said it once and we'll say it again -- this list: it's just science. We did the research, we crunched the numbers, and it turns out, these 15 small towns in Wyoming are the best, in which to live.

And who can argue with that?

If you're curious, here are the worst small towns in Wyoming:

  1. Arapahoe
  2. Ethete
  3. Fort Washakie

For more Wyoming reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Small Towns In Wyoming

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Value
1 Rafter J Ranch, WY 1,412 $123,992.0 $799,200.0
2 South Park, WY 1,999 $96,831.0 $1,211,500.0
3 Wilson, WY 1,492 $114,423.0 $851,400.0
4 Moose Wilson Road, WY 1,289 $112,593.0 $1,154,400.0
5 Sleepy Hollow, WY 1,187 $117,011.0 $219,100.0
6 Pinedale, WY 2,173 $86,447.0 $235,900.0
7 Hoback, WY 2,103 $125,804.0 $801,900.0
8 Lyman, WY 1,723 $86,600.0 $210,900.0
9 Saratoga, WY 1,591 $81,304.0 $212,600.0
10 Bar Nunn, WY 2,786 $95,294.0 $243,900.0
11 Star Valley Ranch, WY 2,191 $84,524.0 $308,900.0
12 Kemmerer, WY 2,758 $63,861.0 $143,000.0
13 Buffalo, WY 4,606 $53,428.0 $227,800.0
14 Thermopolis, WY 2,747 $62,228.0 $157,600.0
15 Afton, WY 1,984 $46,000.0 $235,400.0
16 Wheatland, WY 3,543 $66,250.0 $172,800.0
17 Mountain View, WY 1,042 $56,923.0 $187,200.0
18 Ranchester, WY 1,062 $54,196.0 $225,600.0
19 Sundance, WY 1,438 $54,886.0 $234,600.0
20 Pine Bluffs, WY 1,409 $56,192.0 $226,000.0
21 Guernsey, WY 1,025 $43,125.0 $137,500.0
22 Newcastle, WY 3,395 $51,250.0 $136,700.0
23 Evansville, WY 2,974 $69,250.0 $194,800.0
24 Lovell, WY 2,322 $49,628.0 $162,000.0
25 Wright, WY 1,835 $79,593.0 $179,700.0
26 Greybull, WY 2,145 $50,956.0 $117,900.0
27 Marbleton, WY 1,296 $65,417.0 $157,900.0
28 Glenrock, WY 2,576 $70,114.0 $194,400.0
29 Upton, WY 1,232 $44,115.0 $139,500.0
30 Basin, WY 1,421 $48,846.0 $110,600.0
31 South Greeley, WY 4,473 $46,548.0 $63,600.0
32 Mills, WY 3,955 $46,431.0 $126,200.0
33 North Rock Springs, WY 2,727 $84,151.0 $246,900.0
34 Hartrandt, WY 1,016 $52,188.0 $185,300.0
35 Lusk, WY 1,589 $41,250.0 $105,700.0
36 Fort Washakie, WY 1,732 $46,845.0 $122,500.0
37 Ethete, WY 1,644 $66,641.0 $96,800.0
38 Arapahoe, WY 1,701 $50,313.0 $149,000.0

This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. This is our ninth time ranking the best small places to live in Wyoming.
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.