What is Rural?

Wyoming has 17 (of 23) counties with fewer than six people per square mile (the most widely accepted definition for ‘Frontier’ by federal agencies); and the overall state averages 5.9 people per square mile (2020 Census).  Forty-seven percent of Wyoming’s residents live in frontier areas of the state.  With the exception of people living in Cheyenne and Casper, the remaining population lives in rural areas.  As a result of our vast expanses of land and sparse population centers, healthcare access issues in Wyoming must be closely and seriously addressed.  The Wyoming Department of Health has created the Rural and Frontier Health Section to respond to existing healthcare issues and build a frontier and rural healthcare system for Wyoming’s future.