{"schema_version": 1, "id": "cheyenne-wy-msa/human-resources/2026-10", "product": "Labor Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 184, "label": "Cheyenne, WY MSA", "slug": "cheyenne-wy-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "human_resources", "slug": "human-resources", "label": "Human Resources"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T02:10:33.895023+00:00", "headline": "Cheyenne jobs shrink while recruiter pay surges to compete.", "headline_summary": "Laramie County shed 300 jobs year-over-year even as unemployment held at 3.0%, while Cheyenne's advertised Recruiter pay jumped to $81,027 against a flat $67,234 national median.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Laramie County unemployment", "value": "3.0%", "context": "vs 4.2% U.S. rate, Sept 2026"}, {"label": "Cheyenne nonfarm employment change", "value": "-300 jobs", "context": "First YoY decline since Dec 2022"}, {"label": "Recruiter advertised pay, metro", "value": "$81,027", "context": "vs $67,234 national median"}, {"label": "Wyoming mineral severance tax growth", "value": "+18.6%", "context": "YoY, highest since Q4 2023"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Cheyenne employment is shrinking while unemployment stays flat.", "body": "Laramie County lost 300 nonfarm jobs year-over-year even as the unemployment rate held at 3.0%, a combination consistent with workers exiting the labor force or shifting roles without evidence of mass displacement. Workforce planning should account for a shallower applicant pool even where headline unemployment looks favorable."}, {"headline": "Recruiter pay is spiking locally against a flat national trend.", "body": "Advertised Recruiter pay in Cheyenne rose significantly to a $81,027 median versus a stable $67,234 nationally, suggesting local employers are paying up to secure scarce talent acquisition expertise. Treat this as a signal to benchmark recruiter compensation against current demand."}, {"headline": "HRIS Analyst pay softened despite a national premium holding.", "body": "Metro HRIS Analyst advertised pay moved down to $115,635 while remaining well above the $95,000 national median, pointing to a market still paying a scarcity premium even as near-term postings cool. Compensation strategy should distinguish between a cooling signal and a structural repricing before adjusting offer ranges downward."}, {"headline": "Mining's uranium rebound could reshape rural hiring pressure.", "body": "Statewide mining employment fell 2.5% even as uranium added more than 100 jobs year-over-year, a divergence that could tighten competition for technical and skilled-trade talent if energy prices sustain. Employers near affected counties should watch for wage pressure spillover into adjacent skilled roles."}], "local_conditions": "Laramie County's unemployment rate held at 3.0% in September, roughly a point below the national rate of 4.2%, even as the county recorded its first year-over-year decline in nonfarm employment since December 2022, shedding 300 jobs to 49,100. State government, healthcare and education continue to anchor Cheyenne's labor base while mining-linked softness and tighter national hiring conditions filter into a historically resilient metro economy.", "implications": "Low unemployment paired with declining headcount is consistent with employers managing through attrition, a pattern that keeps local competition for scarce skilled talent elevated even as job growth cools. Recruiter advertised pay rose sharply this month in Cheyenne against a flat national Recruiter market, which appears to reflect employers investing in talent acquisition capacity to compete for a thin, slow-moving candidate pool. Consider reviewing recruiter staffing and compensation levels now, since this signal suggests organizations are betting on sourcing capability to fill 2027 workforce plans, with broader hiring volume taking a back seat.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Expected release", "body": "October unemployment data for Wyoming and the Cheyenne MSA publish November 23 and mid-November respectively, offering the first read on whether September's nonfarm employment dip continued. A second consecutive decline would sharpen the case for retention-focused budgeting over expansion hiring."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Housing affordability continues to surface as a stated reason candidates decline Wyoming job offers, a constraint likely to bind hardest on entry-level and relocating hires into Cheyenne. Recruiting teams may need to factor relocation or housing assistance into offer packages for harder-to-fill roles."}, {"category": "Compliance watch", "body": "Federal restoration of the $35,568 overtime exemption threshold changes the classification math for Cheyenne employers who adjusted salaries under the earlier $58,656 standard. Review exempt/nonexempt classifications made during 2025 for potential reclassification back to overtime eligibility."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Mineral severance tax receipts are up 18.6% year-over-year on higher oil prices, a trend that could translate into mining rehiring if sustained through year-end. Employers competing for skilled trades near energy-producing counties should monitor severance data as a leading indicator of wage competition."}], "roles": [{"role": "Compensation Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 76086.0, "metro_p50": 100589.0, "metro_p75": 108348.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 100798.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Business Partner", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 77500.0, "metro_p50": 96327.8, "metro_p75": 109687.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 83900.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Benefits Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 107607.0, "metro_p50": 107607.0, "metro_p75": 114573.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 118618.2, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HRIS Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 91637.25, "metro_p50": 115634.6, "metro_p75": 115760.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 95000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Coordinator", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 46592.0, "metro_p50": 55000.0, "metro_p75": 74176.5, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 50460.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Recruiter", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 69218.0, "metro_p50": 81026.8, "metro_p75": 86930.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 67234.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Payroll Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 54410.25, "metro_p50": 70000.0, "metro_p75": 73768.25, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 61103.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}], "industry_snapshot": [], "citations": [{"source_name": "Wyoming Department of Workforce Services", "source_url": null, "statement": "Laramie County unemployment rate and nonfarm employment decline"}, {"source_name": "Bureau of Labor Statistics", "source_url": null, "statement": "National unemployment rate of 4.2% for comparison"}, {"source_name": "Wyoming Department of Workforce Services", "source_url": null, "statement": "Wyoming mining employment decline and uranium job growth"}, {"source_name": "U.S. Department of Labor", "source_url": null, "statement": "Federal overtime exemption threshold restored to $35,568"}, {"source_name": "Wyoming Department of Workforce Services", "source_url": null, "statement": "Wyoming mineral severance tax receipts up 18.6% year-over-year"}, {"source_name": "Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization / local economic index", "source_url": null, "statement": "Cheyenne Economic Health Index and first YoY employment decline since 2022"}], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "November 2026", "files": {"html": "cheyenne-wy-msa/human-resources/2026-10.html", "pdf": "cheyenne-wy-msa/human-resources/2026-10.pdf"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:19:53.288073+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/cheyenne-wy-msa/human-resources/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/cheyenne-wy-msa/human-resources/2026-10.pdf"}