County Wages Drop
1998 Average Annual Wage of $21,860 is $3,000 less than statewide average, and down from 1997
by Rob Shaul

The average annual wage in Sublette County dropped between 1997 and 1998, according to a report titled, 1998 Annual Covered Wages and Employment, published by the Wyoming Department of Employment.

Sublette was one of just six Wyoming counties to see a decrease in wages between 1997 and 1998. In 1998, the county's average annual wage of $21,860 was approximately $3,000 less than the statewide average.

Sweetwater County, with its abundance of well-paying mining jobs, had the highest wages in the state. The 1998 average annual wage in Sweetwater County was $32,484. Niobrara County had the lowest average annual wages in the state - just $17,634.

Overall, Wyoming's employment was healthy in 1998. The State's total employment was the highest ever with 220,664 jobs statewide. The lowest employment in recent history occurred during the "bust" of 1987, when there were just 178,077 jobs available.

Laramie County had the largest average number of jobs in 1998 with 34,619. Niobrara County had an average annual employment of just 814 jobs. Sublette County had an averaged 2,052 jobs that year.

Sublette County Specific

The industry sector with the largest employment in Sublette County was Retail Trade with 412 jobs. Wholesale Trade, which employed just 31 people, was the smallest.

Over a quarter (26.9%) of Sublette County's jobs are in government. Federal, State, and Local Government agencies employ 551 people in Sublette County with an average annual wage of $25,116 - approximately $3,500 higher than the countywide average.

In private industry, the largest employer is the Retail Trade sector, which employed 412 locals on average in 1998.

The lowest paid jobs in Sublette County were in theRetail Trade sector. The 412 locals on average employed in retail trade in 1998 made an average of just $11,380.

Locals working in the Oil and Gas industry are by far the best paid. In 1998, the 304 Sublette County residents working in the oilfield made an average annual wage of $37,416 - $15,556 more than the countywide average.

Analysis

It's important to note that these numbers come from employees who are covered by unemployment insurance. The wages and jobs of self-employed people are not factored into the data.

Based on these numbers, the best paying jobs in Sublette County are in the Oil and Gas industry and Federal Government.

Finally, it's clear there's room for growth in Sublette County's economy. Our wages are lower than the statewide average, which is disappointing in itself. That Sublette was one of just six Wyoming counties whose average annual wage decreased from 1997-1998 in this supposed "robust" economy is sad.