America at 250: Wyoming Uncovered — 20 Facts About the Equality State, the First to Let Women Vote and Home of Yellowstone

America at 250: Wyoming Uncovered — 20 Facts About the Equality State, the First to Let Women Vote and Home of Yellowstone

As the United States celebrates 250 years of independence, a state-by-state journey — from Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons to cowboys, coal and wide-open range — through the numbers, the history and the emergency lifelines every traveler should carry.

As the United States marks the landmark 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026 — its semiquincentennial — our state-by-state journey reaches Wyoming: the least-populated state in the nation, a vast expanse of mountains, plains and high desert that embodies the American West. It is the “Equality State,” the first place in the world to grant women the right to vote, and home to Yellowstone, the world’s first national park.

A land of cowboys and coal, of towering peaks and endless range, Wyoming pairs frontier heritage with some of the most spectacular scenery on Earth. What follows is a fact-checked portrait drawn from official sources — the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, state agencies and federal registries — followed by the safety information every visitor to the Cowboy State should keep close at hand.

In a state where cattle outnumber people and a single county can be larger than some Eastern states, Wyoming embodies the wide-open spirit of the American West more completely than perhaps anywhere else. It is a land defined by scale and solitude — of ranches measured in square miles, of highways that run for an hour between towns, and of natural wonders, from geysers to granite peaks, that helped give birth to the very idea of the national park.

How Big Is Wyoming? About 587,000 People Across 97,813 Square Miles

Wyoming is the least-populated state in the country. The U.S. Census Bureau put its population at about 587,618 in 2024 — fewer people than many single cities — spread across roughly 97,813 square miles, the 10th-largest state by area. That makes it one of the most sparsely settled places in America, with vast stretches of empty range and mountain.

The largest city is Cheyenne, the capital, in the southeast, followed by Casper and the university town of Laramie. Wyoming is a state of small cities, ranch towns and wide-open spaces, where the frontier ethos of self-reliance and independence still runs deep.

Wyoming’s geography is dramatic: the Rocky Mountains and the jagged Grand Tetons in the west, the geysers and canyons of Yellowstone in the northwest corner, the high plains and Great Divide Basin in the center and south, and the Black Hills and Devils Tower — America’s first national monument — in the northeast. It is a land of high elevation, big skies and wild landscapes.

A Frontier History: The 44th State, Admitted in 1890

Home to the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Shoshone, Crow and other nations, Wyoming was crossed by the Oregon, Mormon and California trails, the Pony Express and the transcontinental railroad, which spurred its towns. As a territory in 1869, it made history by becoming the first government in the world to grant women the right to vote and hold office — earning the nickname the “Equality State.” It became the 44th state on July 10, 1890.

Wyoming would go on to more firsts: Nellie Tayloe Ross, elected in 1924, became the first woman governor in U.S. history. The state’s history is bound up with cattle ranching, the Johnson County range wars, mining, and the creation in 1872 of Yellowstone — the world’s first national park, most of which lies within Wyoming.

The Economy: About $50 Billion GDP From Energy and Tourism

Wyoming has the smallest state economy by total output, with a GDP of roughly $50 billion, but it is an energy giant relative to its size. Wyoming is consistently the nation’s largest coal-producing state, and a major producer of natural gas, oil, uranium and trona (soda ash) — mineral extraction has long funded much of state government, which levies no personal or corporate income tax.

Beyond energy, tourism is a pillar — Yellowstone and Grand Teton draw millions of visitors — alongside cattle ranching and agriculture. In recent years Wyoming has courted new industries, positioning itself as a friendly jurisdiction for finance and digital assets. Its no-income-tax, low-regulation model is central to its economic identity, though it leaves the state heavily dependent on volatile mineral revenues.

Schools and Universities: About 94,000 Pupils and the Cowboys

Wyoming’s public schools enroll roughly 94,000 K-12 students, and thanks to mineral revenues the state has historically funded its schools relatively generously on a per-pupil basis, despite the challenges of educating children across enormous rural distances.

In higher education, the University of Wyoming in Laramie is the state’s only four-year public university and the flagship, home to the Cowboys and Cowgirls who command statewide sports loyalty. A network of community colleges serves the far-flung towns of this vast, sparsely populated state.

Hospitals and Health Care: About 30 Hospitals

Wyoming has roughly 30 hospitals, most of them small rural and critical-access facilities serving communities separated by long distances. Delivering health care across such a large, sparsely populated state is a defining challenge, and many residents travel far — sometimes to neighboring states — for specialized care.

The Wyoming Department of Health coordinates statewide public-health services, and telemedicine and air-ambulance services are especially important given the state’s geography and remoteness.

Getting Around: Small Airports and Wide-Open Highways

Wyoming’s airports are modest — Jackson Hole Airport (the gateway to Grand Teton and Yellowstone, and the only commercial airport located within a national park) and Casper are among the busiest, with Cheyenne, Gillette, Cody and others offering limited service. Many travelers connect through Denver.

On the ground, Interstates 80 (across the southern tier), 25 and 90 carry traffic across enormous distances, often through open range and mountain passes subject to fierce winter weather and wind closures. Driving is the way of life here, and stretches of highway can run for many miles between towns.

Culture: Cowboys, Rodeo and the Spirit of the West

Wyoming’s culture is the culture of the American West — cattle ranching, cowboys, rodeo and rugged individualism. Cheyenne Frontier Days, billed as the “Daddy of ’em All,” is one of the largest outdoor rodeos in the world, and the bucking-horse-and-rider symbol appears on the state’s license plates and everywhere in its identity.

The state’s cultural landmarks include the frontier heritage of Cody (founded by Buffalo Bill, and home to the acclaimed Buffalo Bill Center of the West), the art and Western tradition of Jackson Hole, historic trail sites and forts, and Devils Tower, the striking rock formation featured in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Wyoming celebrates its cowboy heritage more visibly than almost any state.

Sport and the Outdoors: The Cowboys and Two Legendary National Parks

With no major professional franchise, University of Wyoming Cowboys and Cowgirls athletics — played at the highest-elevation stadium in Division I — are the focus of statewide sports pride, along with rodeo, which is arguably the true state sport.

But Wyoming’s greatest arena is the outdoors. Yellowstone National Park — the world’s first, with Old Faithful, its geysers, hot springs and abundant wildlife — and Grand Teton National Park draw millions of visitors for hiking, wildlife-watching, fishing and photography. Beyond the parks lie world-class skiing at Jackson Hole, hunting, fly-fishing on blue-ribbon rivers, and endless backcountry across the Rockies and high plains.

Faith and Places of Worship: Hundreds of Congregations

Wyoming’s religious landscape is predominantly Christian, spread thinly across a vast, sparsely populated state. Protestant traditions and the Roman Catholic Church are the largest, with a notable presence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, especially in the western counties near Utah and Idaho.

Because no single official registry counts every congregation, the closest reliable measures come from religious censuses and the U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns data on religious organizations, which together point to several hundred congregations across the state.

The Justice System: About 2,000 People Incarcerated

The Wyoming Department of Corrections holds roughly 2,000 people — one of the smallest prison populations of any state, in keeping with its tiny population. The department operates a handful of correctional facilities across the state.

Given the small numbers and the vast distances, Wyoming coordinates corrections, probation and parole services statewide, with an emphasis on reentry and treatment programming appropriate to a rural state.

5 Wyoming Laws and Distinctions That Set It Apart

Wyoming’s frontier heritage and small population produce several notable features:

1. First to let women vote: Wyoming Territory granted women the right to vote and hold office in 1869 — the first government in the world to do so — and produced the first woman governor in U.S. history in 1925.

2. No income tax: Wyoming levies no personal or corporate income tax, funding government largely through mineral revenues.

3. America’s coal and energy leader: Wyoming is consistently the nation’s top coal producer and a major energy state, central to its economy.

4. Digital-asset pioneer: Wyoming has enacted some of the nation’s most permissive laws for cryptocurrency and blockchain businesses, including a novel bank charter.

5. Home of the first national park and monument: Yellowstone (1872), the world’s first national park, and Devils Tower (1906), America’s first national monument, are both in Wyoming.

State Symbols by the Numbers: “Equal Rights” and the Bucking Bronco

Wyoming’s official symbols reflect its frontier and ranching heritage. Admitted on July 10, 1890, as the 44th state, it is governed from the capital, Cheyenne, and carries two proud nicknames — the “Equality State,” for being first to grant women the vote, and the “Cowboy State.” Its motto is “Equal Rights.”

The state bird is the western meadowlark, the state tree the plains cottonwood, and the state flower the Indian paintbrush. The state mammal is the American bison, and the state dinosaur is the Triceratops, reflecting Wyoming’s rich fossil beds. Most famous of all is the bucking-horse-and-rider symbol — the image of a cowboy astride a rearing bronco — which appears on the state’s license plates and is one of the most recognizable state emblems in the country.

The People: America’s Smallest Population, Spread Thin

Wyoming has the smallest population of any state — fewer than 600,000 people — spread across the 10th-largest land area, giving it one of the lowest population densities in the nation, with just a handful of people per square mile. The median age is around 39, and the state is overwhelmingly white, with a Hispanic community that is its largest minority, Native American residents (many associated with the Wind River Reservation, shared by the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho), and small Black and Asian populations.

Wyoming is a young-adult exporter and an energy-worker importer, its towns shaped by boom-and-bust mineral cycles. With no state income tax and a government funded largely by mineral revenues, Wyoming’s median household income sits near the national average, and its residents prize the self-reliance and privacy that come with living in America’s emptiest state.

That emptiness is central to the Wyoming identity. With more pronghorn antelope than people and enormous tracts of federal land open to the public, residents enjoy an outdoor freedom rare in the modern United States — hunting, fishing and roaming country that stretches unbroken to the horizon. It is a way of life that draws newcomers seeking space and solitude even as the state works to keep its young people from leaving for opportunity elsewhere.

Tourism by the Numbers: Millions Drawn to Yellowstone and the Tetons

Tourism is one of Wyoming’s largest industries, generating billions of dollars in annual visitor spending in a state with few people of its own. Yellowstone National Park — the world’s first, established in 1872 — draws roughly four million visitors a year to its geysers, hot springs, canyons and abundant wildlife, while neighboring Grand Teton National Park attracts millions more to its dramatic peaks and valleys.

The resort town of Jackson Hole serves as a glamorous gateway, with world-class skiing at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort drawing winter crowds. Beyond the parks, Cheyenne Frontier Days packs the capital each July for the “Daddy of ’em All” rodeo, and Devils Tower, the Wind River Range and countless ranches and trails draw those seeking the wide-open West. For a state so sparsely populated, Wyoming’s pull on the American and global imagination is remarkable.

The state’s appeal stretches well beyond its two marquee parks. Fossil hunters flock to the quarries around Kemmerer and Fossil Butte National Monument; history travelers follow the ruts of the Oregon Trail and visit frontier forts; and stargazers prize Wyoming’s dark, unpolluted skies. Dude ranches offer visitors a working taste of cowboy life, and the state’s hot springs — including the world’s largest mineral hot spring at Thermopolis — round out a tourism economy that turns Wyoming’s vast, empty spaces into its greatest asset.

Famous Wyomingites: Notable Talent From the Cowboy State

Despite its tiny population, Wyoming has produced notable figures. Painter Jackson Pollock, a giant of American abstract art, was born in Cody, and former Vice President Dick Cheney built his political career representing the state in Congress. Nellie Tayloe Ross, the nation’s first woman governor, served here.

The state has also been home and inspiration to countless writers and artists of the West, and its landscapes have shaped the American imagination — from the founding of the national-park idea to the enduring myth of the cowboy. Few states so small have loomed so large in the story of the American frontier.

Who Runs Wyoming? Governor Mark Gordon and State Leadership

Wyoming’s executive branch is led by Governor Mark Gordon, a Republican who became the 33rd governor in January 2019 and won re-election in 2022. A rancher and former state treasurer, Gordon has focused on energy, fiscal restraint, protecting the state’s no-income-tax model, and defending Wyoming’s interests in federal land and energy policy while pursuing carbon-capture and diversification initiatives.

Wyoming’s government features several independently elected statewide officials alongside the Governor, plus appointed agency directors. Key members of state leadership include:

As listed by the State of Wyoming and the Office of the Governor (governor.wyo.gov), key members of state leadership include:

Source: State of Wyoming and the Office of the Governor (governor.wyo.gov). Wyoming has no lieutenant governor; several statewide officials are independently elected and agency directors are appointed. Officeholders change over time.

Traveling to Wyoming? 1 App for Every Emergency Number

Whether you are exploring Wyoming during this 250th-anniversary year, following its history, or simply passing through, one piece of preparation matters more than any other: knowing who to call in an emergency. The free InfoCons app puts that information in your pocket. Its dedicated SOS section gathers the essential emergency and consumer-protection numbers for the United States and for the individual states, so travelers and residents alike can reach the right service instantly — without searching, without roaming confusion, and without wasting the precious minutes that matter most in a crisis.

Nationwide Emergency Numbers (as listed in the InfoCons app)

Across the United States, the single universal emergency number is 911, which connects callers to police, firefighters, and ambulance services alike. For non-emergency municipal services and information in many cities, 311 is available. The app also lists 1-800-342-3377 for telecommunications complaints and 202-326-2180 for consumer-protection matters at the federal level.

Wyoming Emergency and Assistance Numbers (as listed in the InfoCons app)

For Wyoming specifically, the InfoCons SOS section provides a detailed directory. The core lifelines are:

Police, Ambulance, and Firefighters: 911. Highway Patrol: 307-777-4301. Road conditions: 511 and 888-996-7623. Electricity emergency: 888-221-7070. Gas emergency: 800-563-0012.

Consumer protection: Office of the Attorney General — Consumer Protection Unit: 307-777-6397 and 1-800-438-5799. Identity theft: 1-877-438-4338. Division of Banking: 307-777-7797. Department of Insurance: 307-777-7401. Public Service Commission: 307-777-7427.

Support: Child abuse reporting: 307-777-3570. Domestic violence and sexual assault hotline: 800-656-4673. Animal protection: 307-777-7515. (The nationwide Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached at any time by dialing 988.)

These numbers are provided for convenience and may change over time; in any life-threatening situation, always dial 911 first.

The InfoCons Travel Passport: 1 App, 33 Languages, Every Destination

The InfoCons app is more than an emergency directory — it is designed to function as a genuine “travel passport” for the modern consumer. Available free of charge and offered in 33 internationally spoken languages, it gives users access to accurate, transparent, and independent information wherever they go. For a traveler moving between states — or between countries — that means the emergency numbers, consumer-protection contacts, and practical guidance for each destination are all gathered in a single place, ready before you even land.

The idea is simple but powerful: your safety information should travel with you as reliably as your passport does. Whether you are exploring Wyoming during this 250th-anniversary year or planning a trip abroad next month, the InfoCons app aims to be the first thing you check when you arrive somewhere new — helping you make informed decisions, protect your rights as a consumer, and know exactly whom to call if something goes wrong. Download the free InfoCons app and let your phone become your travel passport for a safer, smarter 250th-anniversary year and beyond.

A Fitting Way to Celebrate 250 Years of Independence

Wyoming’s story — of Shoshone and Arapaho homelands, of the trails and the transcontinental railroad, of women winning the vote first, of Yellowstone’s geysers and the Tetons’ peaks, of cowboys, coal and wide-open range — is a wild, independent Western chapter of the American story. As the nation marks 250 years of independence, the Equality State stands for freedom, self-reliance and the untamed beauty of the American West.

To visit Wyoming is to stand before Old Faithful, ride its range and lose yourself in its vast skies. And to visit it prepared — with the InfoCons app and its emergency lifelines close at hand, valuable in a state of long distances, remote highways and mountain weather — is simply to travel wisely. Here is to the next 250 years — happy semiquincentennial, America.

InfoCons Communication Department