Albany County unemployment falls to 2.3% as summer hiring begins

Albany County’s unemployment rate fell to 2.3% in May, putting Laramie, Centennial and Rock River employers in one of Wyoming’s tightest labor markets just as summer hiring picked up. For restaurants, shops, construction crews and seasonal outdoor businesses, that kind of rate usually means fewer available workers, faster hiring decisions and more pressure to compete on pay, hours and scheduling.

The county tied Crook County for the lowest unemployment rate in the state, and the figure sat well below Wyoming’s 3.4% rate in May, according to USAFacts. The state rate later eased to 3.2% in June, the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services said, as seasonal job gains typically showed up in construction, leisure and hospitality, and professional and business services. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.2% in June.

In Albany County, the monthly trend points to a labor market that tightened quickly heading into summer. The county’s unemployment rate was 3.8% in January, 3.3% in February, 2.7% in March and 2.5% in April before reaching 2.3% in May, according to the Federal Reserve’s FRED series. USAFacts said the May rate was also lower than it was in May 2025.

That matters in a county where the economy leans on the University of Wyoming, city government, business services and recreation tied to nearby outdoor destinations. A 2.3% rate usually leaves employers with a smaller pool of jobseekers to draw from, especially when warm-weather business ramps up in Laramie and along the routes that serve visitors heading toward the Snowy Mountains. In practical terms, workers can gain leverage on wages, hours or even the choice of which job to take, while businesses may struggle to keep enough people on the floor or on a job site during busy periods.

The long view shows how unusual the current level is. Trading Economics lists Albany County’s unemployment rate at a record high of 5.6% in January 1990 and a record low of 1.3% in October 1999. May’s 2.3% reading sits much closer to the bottom of that range than the top, underscoring how tight hiring conditions remain as summer demand builds across Albany County.