Platte
Wyoming

What stands out

Three things set Platte County apart from the other 3,142 counties: the school test score is among the highest in America (3.82 where 3.0 is grade level), rainfall is in the bottom 4% of American counties (13 inches a year), and the restaurant count per person is in the top 4% of American counties (1.6 per 1,000). Within Wyoming it ranks 2nd of 23 counties for the school test score.

Where you are

You live in Platte County, Wyoming. 8,618 people live here with you, so most faces are familiar. The population shrank 1.2% last year, and more Americans moved out than in (net -45).

Wyoming has no income tax, no estate tax and low property taxes, funded by mineral severance taxes and a sovereign wealth fund. It has the smallest population of any state, and Teton County around Jackson has the highest average income of any county in the country, with home prices to match. Winters are long and wind is constant; most of the state is more than an hour from a commercial airport.

Money

The typical household here brings in $64,753 a year, higher than 62% of American counties. Employers pay an average wage of $53,265. Unemployment runs 3.5%, higher than 53% of American counties. 7% of workers work from home.

Wyoming has no state income tax, so none of that goes to the state.

Home

The median home costs $273K, pricier than 63% of American counties, about 2.7 years of the median household's income. A two-bedroom rents for around $865 a month. Property tax is 0.59% of home value, roughly $1,391 a year on that median home, lower than 79% of American counties. 74% of households own rather than rent.

Safety and health

Violent crime here is 3.5 per 1,000 residents, lower than 70% of American counties. Drug overdoses killed 14 people per 100,000 in 2024.

A child born here can expect to live 76.0 years, longer than 53% of American counties. There are 7 active physicians in the county, about 8.1 per 10,000 people. Medicare rates the local hospitals 4.0 of 5 stars. 14.6% of people under 65 have no health insurance.

School

Local students test at grade level 3.76 where 3.0 is national grade level, higher than almost every county in America. 94% of adults finished high school.

Neighbors and politics

In 2024 your neighbors voted Republican by 66 points, among the most lopsided counties in the country. 72% of eligible voters turned out. Under Wyoming law you can carry a concealed handgun without a permit, abortion is banned with narrow exceptions, and marijuana is illegal.

Weather and risk

The year averages 49°F, highs near 64 and lows near 35, colder than 77% of American counties. About 13 inches of rain and snow fall a year. FEMA puts natural-hazard risk at 10 out of 100, safer than 90% of American counties; the county has had 8 federal disaster declarations since 1953.

Getting around, going out

Home internet averages 115 Mbps down, slower than 83% of American counties. There are 5 airports in the county, counting general aviation. For a night or a weekend out: 1.6 full-service restaurants per 1,000 people.