Campbell County, a Northeast Wyoming community, is rich with opportunities in energy, industry, integrated technology, family-oriented activities, educational choices, career diversity, recreation, wildlife and national tourism destinations.
Who we are
In 2014, CCEDC introduced the county through a compact set of facts. It reported a population of 46,000 and a median family income of $75,244. Those figures date from 2014 and are not current estimates. CCEDC described the Powder River Basin as the nation’s largest coal-producing region, then accounting for more than forty percent of United States coal production. Oil and gas production were also presented as major contributors to Campbell County’s prosperity.
For current population and economic measures, use the United States Census Bureau’s Campbell County profile.
Round-the-clock industries gave the county’s working life a rhythm beyond the production figures. Mines and power plants belonged to an economy in which work extended beyond a conventional daytime business day. Equipment needed attention between production tasks, and transport connected industrial sites with places beyond the county. The historical emphasis on technical skills therefore concerned the continuity of industrial activity as well as the scale of employment.
Those patterns also connected the workplace with the household. A change of shift meant a journey between home and an industrial site, while meals, errands and family time had to fit around working commitments. A discussion of shift work in Campbell County’s energy economy places that daily rhythm beside the county’s employment and training history. It adds a human timescale to economic figures: a working week was experienced through recurring departures, returns and periods away from the job.
Successes recorded in 2010–2012
Projects included a $1.3 billion power plant, a $38 million technical education center measuring 97,700 square feet, a $55 million recreation center and a $68 million hospital expansion. It also noted a new uranium mine at Christensen Ranch.
An earlier invitation to live and work in Wyoming
In 2006, CCEDC said Campbell County continued to prosper while energy prices remained high. It described a tight housing market, approved subdivisions, growing coal and natural-gas work, secondary companies serving those industries, plans for power plants and construction across banking, insurance, medical and retail sectors. Its projection of strong growth for the next decade reflected a view expressed in 2006, not a present forecast.
A message to business owners
The 2001 home content thanked business owners for their interest on behalf of CCEDC, the county, Gillette and Wright. The information was aimed at owners considering relocation or expansion in northeast Wyoming. It described a mineral-centered economy, skills from mining and support work that could transfer to manufacturing, an attractive western lifestyle, available commercial and industrial properties, and technical training through the local college campus.