Teton County, Wyoming

Teton County
County
George Washington Memorial Park (Jackson, Wyoming)
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Wyoming
Wyoming's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°55′N110°34′W / 43.92°N 110.57°W / 43.92; -110.57
Country	United States
State	Wyoming
Founded	February 15, 1921 (authorized) 1922 (organized)
Named for	Teton Range
Seat	Jackson
Largest town	Jackson
Area
• Total	4,216 sq mi (10,920 km2)
• Land	3,995 sq mi (10,350 km2)
• Water	221 sq mi (570 km2)  5.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	23,331
• Density	5.5/sq mi (2.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	At-large
Website	www.tetonwyo.org

Teton County is a county in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 23,331. ^[1] Its county seat is Jackson. ^[2] Its west boundary line is also the Wyoming state boundary shared with Idaho and the southern tip of Montana. Teton County is part of the Jackson, WY-ID Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Teton County contains the Jackson Hole ski area, all of Grand Teton National Park, and 40.4% of Yellowstone National Park's total area, including over 96.6% of its water area (largely in Yellowstone Lake). ^[3]

History

Teton County was created February 15, 1921, from a portion of Lincoln County. Its governing organization was completed in 1922. ^[4] The county was named for the Teton Range. ^[5] The county was created because the inhabitants lived too far away from Kemmerer, the county seat of Lincoln County. The creation of the county required a special act of the Wyoming Legislature, because the area was too poor and had too few people to qualify for county status under the normal requirements.

Geography

Snake River Overlook and the Teton Range, Teton County

Fishing Cone Geyser and Yellowstone Lake

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,216 square miles (10,920 km²), of which 3,995 square miles (10,350 km²) is land and 221 square miles (570 km²) (5.2%) is water. ^[6]

Adjacent counties

• Park County – northeast
• Fremont County – east
• Sublette County – southeast
• Lincoln County – south
• Bonneville County, Idaho – southwest
• Teton County, Idaho – southwest
• Fremont County, Idaho – west
• Gallatin County, Montana – northwest

National protected areas

• Bridger-Teton National Forest (part)
• Caribou-Targhee National Forest (part)
• Grand Teton National Park
• John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway
• National Elk Refuge
• Shoshone National Forest (part)
• Yellowstone National Park (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1930	2,003		—
1940	2,543		27.0%
1950	2,593		2.0%
1960	3,062		18.1%
1970	4,823		57.5%
1980	9,355		94.0%
1990	11,172		19.4%
2000	18,251		63.4%
2010	21,294		16.7%
2020	23,331		9.6%
2023 (est.)	23,232	[7]	−0.4%
US Decennial Census [8] 1870–2000 [9] 2010–2016 [1]

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census ^[10] there were 18,251 people, 7,688 households, and 4,174 families in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile (1.9 people/km²). There were 10,267 housing units at an average density of 3 units per square mile (1.2 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.59% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.93% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. 6.49% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 19.2% were of German, 14.2% English, 11.7% Irish and 6.7% American ancestry.

There were 7,688 households, out of which 25.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.30% were married couples living together, 5.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.70% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.89.

The county population contained 19.90% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 38.30% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 6.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $54,614, and the median income for a family was $63,916. Males had a median income of $34,570 versus $29,132 for females. The per capita income for the county was $38,260. About 2.80% of families and 6.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.70% of those under age 18 and 4.40% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 21,294 people, 8,973 households, and 4,938 families in the county. ^[11] The population density was 5.3 people per square mile (2.0 people/km²). There were 12,813 housing units at an average density of 3.2 units per square mile (1.2 units/km²). ^[12] The racial makeup of the county was 88.4% white, 1.1% Asian, 0.5% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 8.1% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 15.0% of the population. ^[11] In terms of ancestry, 22.2% were German, 14.9% were English, 13.0% were Irish, and 11.1% were American. ^[13]

Of the 8,973 households, 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 45.0% were non-families, and 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 36.9 years. ^[11]

The median income for a household in the county was $70,271 and the median income for a family was $90,596. Males had a median income of $40,594 versus $36,715 for females. The per capita income for the county was $42,224. About 5.1% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 0.8% of those age 65 or over. ^[14]

Economy

Home prices by county (2021)
  <$100,000
  $200,000
  $300,000
  $400,000
  $500,000
  $600,000
  $700,000+

A 2019 Bloomberg L.P. report (citing Bureau of Economic Analysis figures) found that Teton had the highest average incomes per capita of any county in the United States, at $252,000. This was partly attributed to the high incomes of Jackson Hole residents, where property owners include Bill Gates. ^[15]

As of the fourth quarter of 2021, the median home price in Teton County was $1,060,093, an increase of 17.8% from the prior year. ^[16]

Communities

The Jackson Hole Mountain Academy, Jackson campus

Town

• Jackson (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Alta
• Hoback
• Kelly
• Moose Wilson Road
• Rafter J Ranch
• South Park
• Teton Village
• Wilson

Unincorporated communities

• Moran
• Moose

Politics

Liz Skalka of the Huffpost described Teton as a "liberal county" in August 2022. ^[17] Previously a staunchly Republican county, which produced Governor and U.S. Senator Clifford Hansen, a mass immigration of wealthy liberals from the West Coast has made Teton County the most Democratic county in Wyoming, which is one of the most Republican states in the nation. The only Republican presidential candidate since 1992 to win Teton County was George W. Bush in 2000 who had county resident Dick Cheney on the ticket. In the 2008 election, Barack Obama carried Teton County by a 23.6 percentage point margin over John McCain, with McCain winning statewide by a 32.2 percentage point margin over Obama, his widest margin in any state. Albany County, which includes the University of Wyoming at Laramie, was the only other county in the state to have backed Obama. In 2004, Teton was the only Wyoming county won by John F. Kerry over George W. Bush. ^[18] In the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by 57.9%–31.1%. ^[19] In 2020, Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by 37.5%, the largest margin for a Democrat ever in the county. ^[20] The county has, however, voted at times for Republican candidates for the governorship and United States Senate. Most recently, the county voted for Republican Mark Gordon for governor in 2022, although by the slimmest margin of any county in Wyoming.

United States presidential election results for Teton County, Wyoming ^[21]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	4,341	29.58%	9,848	67.10%	488	3.32%
2016	3,921	31.05%	7,314	57.92%	1,392	11.02%
2012	4,858	42.38%	6,213	54.20%	393	3.43%
2008	4,565	37.07%	7,472	60.67%	279	2.27%
2004	5,124	45.11%	5,972	52.58%	263	2.32%
2000	5,454	52.29%	4,019	38.53%	958	9.18%
1996	3,918	43.54%	4,042	44.92%	1,038	11.54%
1992	2,854	34.05%	3,120	37.22%	2,408	28.73%
1988	3,616	61.02%	2,217	37.41%	93	1.57%
1984	3,487	67.85%	1,565	30.45%	87	1.69%
1980	3,004	57.64%	1,361	26.11%	847	16.25%
1976	2,667	67.40%	1,204	30.43%	86	2.17%
1972	2,182	70.03%	810	25.99%	124	3.98%
1968	1,419	69.25%	461	22.50%	169	8.25%
1964	1,081	52.76%	968	47.24%	0	0.00%
1960	1,158	66.51%	583	33.49%	0	0.00%
1956	1,089	77.73%	312	22.27%	0	0.00%
1952	1,166	78.62%	317	21.38%	0	0.00%
1948	719	55.78%	556	43.13%	14	1.09%
1944	637	56.07%	499	43.93%	0	0.00%
1940	623	46.05%	728	53.81%	2	0.15%
1936	501	37.06%	795	58.80%	56	4.14%
1932	406	36.41%	699	62.69%	10	0.90%
1928	495	64.29%	270	35.06%	5	0.65%
1924	342	54.63%	173	27.64%	111	17.73%

Education

Teton County School District Number 1 is the school district for the entire county. ^[22]

In prior eras, a portion of the county was not in any school district. ^[23]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Teton County, Wyoming
• Wyoming
  • List of cities and towns in Wyoming
  • List of counties in Wyoming
  • Wyoming statistical areas

References

1. "HISTORICAL DECENNIAL CENSUS POPULATION FOR WYOMING COUNTIES, CITIES, AND TOWNS". Wyoming Economic Analysis Division. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
3. "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
4. Long, John H., ed. (2004). "Wyoming: Individual County Chronologies". Wyoming Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library . Retrieved August 19, 2015.
5. Urbanek, Mae (1988). Wyoming Place Names. Missoula MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. ISBN   0-87842-204-8.
6. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
7. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
8. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
9. "Historical Decennial Census Population for Wyoming Counties, Cities, and Towns". Wyoming Department of Administration & Information, Division of Economic Analysis. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
10. "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
11. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
12. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
13. "Selected Social Characteristics in the US – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
14. "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
15. Tanzi, Alexandre; Lu, Wei; Sasso, Michael (November 29, 2019). "The Richest U.S. Counties Are Getting Even Richer". Bloomberg News .
16. "County Median Home Price". National Association of Realtors. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
17. Skalka, Liz (August 16, 2022). "Wyoming Democrats Back Liz Cheney In Her Home County". HuffPost . Retrieved October 27, 2022. Teton County, home to Jackson, a new playground for the ultra-rich set against a breathtaking natural landscape, is unlike anywhere else in this heavy mining and agricultural state. It's Wyoming's bluest county, meaning voters here are more likely to be Democrats who voted for Cheney, an uncommon phenomenon that Cheney's campaign encouraged.
18. Leip, Dave. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
19. "2016 election results: Wyoming". www.cnn.com. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
20. Walkey, Will (November 6, 2020). "As Wyoming Goes Further Right, Teton County Continues Pushing Left". KHOL . Retrieved October 26, 2022.
21. Leip, Dave. US Election Atlas 2016 Presidential General Election Results – Wyoming: Teton County (and earlier years)
22. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Teton County, WY" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved March 13, 2024. - Text list - 2010 map
23. "School Districts (Map), State of Wyoming" (PDF). Wyoming Department of Revenue, Property Tax Division. March 8, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2006. Retrieved January 3, 2010.

Further reading

• Farrell, Justin. Billionaire wilderness: the ultra-wealthy and the remaking of the American West (Princeton UP, 2020) online review

External links

43°55′N110°34′W / 43.92°N 110.57°W / 43.92; -110.57