Wyoming dropped its latest Wyoming Insight—the state’s monthly mash-up of energy prices and business indicators—and it’s a mixed bag, Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports.
Natural gas is the climber. August prices averaged $2.91/MMBtu at Henry Hub (down 29 cents from July, but 93 cents higher than a year ago) and $2.56/MMBtu at Opal (down 24 cents month over month, up 99 cents year over year). Crude cooled: WTI averaged $64.86/bbl, off 5.2% from July and 15.4% below August 2024. Drilling activity stayed subdued with 9 active oil rigs and 4 conventional gas rigs (vs. 14 oil and 4 gas this time last year).
State sales & use tax collections totaled $80.6 million, down $1.8 million (-2.1%) from August 2024—the sixth year-over-year drop of 2025. Mining was the big drag, down $5.4 million (-74.5%), largely due to a tax refund—marking 16 straight months of year-over-year declines. Retail trade did the heavy lifting, up $2 million (+6%) and still the state’s largest contributor.
“Sales & use tax collections in August declined year-over-year for the sixth time in 2025,” noted Dylan Bainer, the state’s principal economist.
Employment continues to inch higher. Wyoming counted 296,000 jobs in July 2025, 3,000 (+1%) more than a year earlier. Leisure & hospitality led gains (+1,600 jobs), while mining shed the most (-1,200).
The full Wyoming Insight report is available from the state’s Economic Analysis Division.
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