Wyoming Higher Education Outcome Report

Wyoming At A Glance

State-Level Intelligence

Institutions

8

18,302 students enrolled
Graduates / Year

~2,195

Estimated annual completers
Median Earnings
10th pct

$40,706

45th of 50 states
Mobility Score
76th pct

1.9%

11th of 46 states
Talent Retention
14th pct

67%

First-year retention rate
Value Ratio
96th pct

4.8x

Earnings per net-price dollar

Top Industries Hiring Graduates:

Healthcare
Business
Trades

Executive Summary

Wyoming graduates earn a median of $40,706 a decade after entry, 17% below the national state average, ranking 45th of 50 states.
Upward mobility is a defining strength: the state's institutions move bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 1.9% rate, in the 76th percentile nationally.
Degree production is led by Healthcare and Business, which together account for 40% of graduates. That diversified mix sets what the state's labor pipeline can supply.
Humanities shows oversupply pressure: graduate earnings run 23.8% below the national median, suggesting the field produces more graduates than the local market rewards.
On value, Wyoming returns 4.8x earnings per dollar of net price, among the strongest cost-to-outcome efficiency in the country.
The state's strongest mobility engine is Eastern Wyoming College, which moves bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 2.8% rate, the highest in Wyoming.

Key Insights

Earnings vs National

-6.9%

Median graduate earnings in Wyoming are below the national average by 7%.
Cost vs National

-34.8%

Net price in Wyoming is lower than the national average by 35%.
Mobility Rate

+0.2pp

Upward mobility rate is 0.2 percentage points above the national average.
Completion Rate

-4.9pp

Wyoming's graduation rate is 4.9 percentage points below the national average.
Best Value

7.8x

Top value school: Eastern Wyoming College ($37,121 earnings vs $4,764 net price).
Low-Income Access

12.4%

12% of students come from bottom-quintile households, a measure of how open the state's colleges are to low-income students.

Education Output Profile

Healthcare (24% of graduates) and Business (16% of graduates) dominate Wyoming's higher education output. Graduates in the top field earn a weighted average of $41,304.

Healthcare

24%

$41,304 avg
Business

16%

$42,606 avg
Trades

13%

$39,801 avg
Social Sciences

9%

$44,656 avg
Humanities

8%

$39,823 avg

Concentration: diversified HHI: 13

Outcome Performance

Wyoming's highest-ROI degree cluster is Sciences (Biology & Biomedical), where graduates average $42,858 against a net cost of $8,675, a 4.9x return. That's -16.9% vs the national median.

Biology & Biomedical
4.9x

$42,858 earnings $8,675 net -16.9% vs natl
Precision Production
4.9x

$39,372 earnings $8,097 net -23.7% vs natl
Mechanic & Repair Tech
4.8x

$39,776 earnings $8,203 net -22.9% vs natl
Culinary & Personal Services
4.7x

$39,196 earnings $8,258 net -24% vs natl
Business & Marketing
4.7x

$41,561 earnings $8,785 net -19.4% vs natl
Health Professions
4.7x

$41,561 earnings $8,785 net -19.4% vs natl

State Talent Profile

Three lenses on Wyoming's talent pipeline: which fields produce the most graduates, which command the highest earnings, and where high-pay demand outruns local supply.

Dominant Fields

Health Professions 24%
Business & Marketing 16%
Humanities 7%
Education 7%
Mechanic & Repair Tech 7%

Highest-Earning Fields

Biology & Biomedical $50,643
Engineering $48,625
Psychology $44,922
Social Sciences $44,236
Computer Science & IT $43,694

Opportunity Gaps

High earnings, low local production — fields where demand may outrun Wyoming's graduate supply.

Biology & Biomedical $50,643 4% of grads
Engineering $48,625 4% of grads
Psychology $44,922 6% of grads
Social Sciences $44,236 4% of grads

Mobility & Retention

Opportunity Insights

Wyoming's colleges post an average mobility rate of 1.9%, which puts the state in the 76th percentile nationally. 12% of students arrive from bottom-quintile households, a larger share than most states enroll. Cross-class social connectedness averages 1.30, a proxy for the networks that help graduates convert a degree into mobility.

MOBILITY RATE

1.9%

▲ +0.27pp vs natl

Bottom 20% → Top 20%
LOW-INCOME ACCESS

12%

From bottom quintile
SUCCESS RATE

17%

If bottom 20% enroll
FIRST-GENERATION

40%

First-gen students
TALENT RETENTION

67%

First-year retention
SOCIAL CAPITAL

1.30

Economic connectedness

Mobility Leaders — Institutions Driving Upward Movement

Labor Market Alignment

Humanities graduates, however, earn 23.8% below the national median, a possible sign the state produces more of these degrees than its labor market absorbs.

Healthcare
24% of enrollment

$41,561 -19.4% vs natl

8 schools
Business
16% of enrollment

$41,561 -19.4% vs natl

8 schools
Trades
13% of enrollment

$39,776 -22.9% vs natl

6 schools
Humanities
8% of enrollment

$39,284 -23.8% vs natl

5 schools
Education
7% of enrollment

$46,915 -9% vs natl

2 schools

Potential Oversupply Signals

Humanities: -23.8% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Trades: -22.9% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Healthcare: -19.4% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Institutional Landscape

Wyoming's higher education system includes 1 research-oriented, 7 regional institutions. Each group plays a different role in the state's outcomes.

1

Research Universities
7

Regional Universities

Research Universities

University of Wyoming $56,880

Cost & Access Corridors

100% of Wyoming's colleges charge under $15K net. Graduates of those schools average $41,561 at 10 years.

NET PRICE UNDER $15K

8

100% of schools
Avg earnings: $41,561

Top Earners

Schools ranked by median graduate earnings 10 years after enrolling.

Higher education in Wyoming

Wyoming is home to 11 colleges and universities, from 8 public institutions to 0 private nonprofits. University of Wyoming anchors the public system, and graduates across the state earn a median of about $40,811 ten years after enrolling.

Higher education clusters around Cheyenne, Laramie and Casper, and the strongest programs by enrollment are Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Mechanic & Repair Tech. We rank every school here by what its graduates actually earn and how far they move up — not by reputation or sticker price.

What college costs in Wyoming

The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — runs about $11,778 a year across Wyoming. Laramie County Community College stands out on return: strong graduate earnings against a comparatively low net price. Public universities and in-state tuition remain the clearest path to a low-debt degree, while need-based aid can make selective private schools surprisingly competitive.

Most Affordable Schools

Jobs & industries

Wyoming's economy leans on energy & mining, tourism and agriculture, which shapes which degrees pay off fastest in-state. Programs in Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Mechanic & Repair Tech feed directly into those employers, and graduates who stay in-region benefit from established hiring pipelines and alumni networks.

Licensure & transfer

Licensure and articulation are state-specific: nursing, teaching, law, and the health professions are regulated at the Wyoming level, so an in-state program is often the most direct route to practicing here. Community-college transfer agreements with public universities can also cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

Cost vs Return

What graduates in Wyoming earn relative to what they pay for college.

MEDIAN EARNINGS (10YR)

$40,811

▼ $-3,026 vs natl

AVG NET PRICE

$11,778

▲ $-6,298 vs natl

EARNINGS / COST RATIO

3.5x

Return per dollar invested

Best Value Schools

Is Wyoming Right for You?

Wyoming is a strong fit if you want to build a career in energy & mining and tourism, value in-state tuition, or plan to work in the region after graduation. Use the rankings and filters below to weigh earnings, cost, and mobility for every school in the state.

Every figure on this page is derived from public federal data and read within its regional and economic context. Information Gain Policy →

FAQ

How many colleges are in Wyoming?

There are 11 colleges and universities in Wyoming in our dataset — 8 public, 0 private nonprofit.

What is the highest-earning college in Wyoming?

By median graduate earnings 10 years out, University of Wyoming leads, followed by schools like WyoTech and Laramie County Community College.

How much does college cost in Wyoming?

The average net price — tuition and living costs after grants — is about $11,778 per year. In-state public tuition is typically the lowest-cost path.

What are the best-paying career fields in Wyoming?

Wyoming's economy is anchored by energy & mining, tourism and agriculture, so degrees feeding those industries tend to pay off fastest in-state.

Is it worth going to college in Wyoming?

For most students, yes — especially at in-state public universities and high-value private schools. Laramie County Community College, for example, pairs strong earnings with a low net price. Weigh earnings against net price using the data on this page.

All 11 schools in Wyoming

Data Behind This Page Updated 2026

11 institutions in Wyoming

2026 Last updated

100% Public / federal sources

Source datasets

Methodology

States are graded on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost — each drawn from federal data and Opportunity Insights research, then normalized into a single Outcomes Index (0–100).

See the full methodology and weights →

Confidence notes

Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.

Limitations

Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.