The State of Wyoming’s Housing

Housing has always been central to the American dream, but today, it’s also one of the biggest barriers to economic growth. Across the country, supply isn’t keeping up with demand, which is driving up prices, straining affordability, and limiting the mobility of workers and families. This imbalance has cost states billions in lost economic output, income, and jobs.

To meet this challenge, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AEI Housing Center have created Strong Foundations: A Playbook for Housing and Economic Growth. This resource delivers more than 6,000 customized playbooks, offering community-specific data and practical strategies to address housing shortages. Covering all 50 states, over 500 metropolitan areas, 1,000 counties, and 4,500 cities, the playbooks shine a light on local trends in affordability, job growth, construction activity, migration, homelessness, and rent burden.

WY it matters: Housing isn’t just a personal milestone, it’s an economic imperative. Communities that fail to address supply shortages risk losing talent, jobs, and investment.

Wyoming’s current conditions and constraints:

• Supply shortage and affordability pressure

• Geographic and rural challenges

• Migration, economic growth, and job-housing balance

• Underused public and federal lands and land policy restraints

• Affordability and entry-level access

How this impact Wyoming:

• Economic competitiveness and talent retention: If housing is too expensive or unavailable, businesses may struggle to recruit or retain needed workers, particularly younger and lower-wage workers.

• Stabilizing local growth: Cities and counties that get ahead of housing constraints are more resilient and can grow in a managed way, rather than being held back by out-migration and high costs.

• Leveraging land assets: Wyoming’s unique land portfolio, especially public lands, provides an opportunity that many states don’t have: converting underused public land into residential supply (if aligned with conservation and infrastructure policies).

• Fiscal health: Building more housing supports property tax base growth, broader economic activity, and reduces pressures on subsidized housing or social services as displacement pressure rises.

• Affordability and equity: Without intervention, housing becomes increasingly out of reach for many working families, which can exacerbate inequality, force long commutes, and strain social cohesion.

Read Full Housing Report | Read Wyoming’s Housing Playbook