Wyoming GDP Decrease in 2020 was the Worst Since 1987
According to a release from the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information, Wyoming's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) decreased 8.3% in 2020, while nationally, GDP decreased 2.2%.
"The coronavirus pandemic ravaged businesses and households due to government restrictions and demand reduction," said Dr. Wenlin Liu, Chief Economist with the Economic Analysis Division.
Hawaii’s GDP decreased the most at 9.7%, followed by Alaska at 8.7%, Wyoming at 8.3%, Oklahoma at 7.7%, and Louisiana at 7.5%, while Idaho grew the most at 1.7%.
"States, where the worst downfalls were reported, tend to be those that rely heavily on industries that were hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 virus – energy and leisure and hospitality," said Liu.
In Wyoming, the mining industry suffered the largest decline of 25.7%, and contributed to nearly half of all GDP decline in the state in 2020, while leisure and hospitality saw a 16.4% decrease, and manufacturing had a 16.3% decrease.
Wyoming’s economy in 2020, at $36.3 billion, ranked second to last, surpassing only Vermont with $33.4 billion.
However, so far in 2021, Wyoming's GDP has been increasing, going from $39.7 billion in the first quarter, up to $41.2 billion in the second quarter.
At the same time, unemployment has continued to fall, going from a high of 8.5% in May 2020, down to 5.1% in January 2021, up to 5.4% in May 2021, and currently sits at 4.1% as of October 2021.
"As one of the least diversified economies in the nation, Wyoming’s economic structure has profoundly changed during the past dozen years," Liu said.
Of Wyoming’s 23 counties, 18 experienced decreases in GDP between 2019 and 2020, with Sublette and Converse counties declining the fastest at 27.5% and 23% respectively, while Natrona County declined 10.5%.
Only five counties with little energy production in their economies demonstrated an increase, led by Crook (3.4%), and followed by Sheridan (2.1%), Albany (1.4%), Big Horn (1.1%), and Lincoln (0.5%).
The top five counties, Laramie, Natrona, Campbell, Sweetwater, and Teton, combined for 60.8 percent of Wyoming’s total GDP in 2020.