The history of Sheridan County, Wyo., located at the base of the Bighorn Mountains, includes polo ponies, working ranches and farms, a prestigious sanctuary for artists and writers and an abundance of American Indian lore, outlaws, pioneers, miners and Old West dude ranches. Railroads, and the coal mines dug for fuel to run the locomotives running also played important roles in the area’s development.
A field near Story, in Sheridan County. Andrew Tkach.
Sheridan County
quick facts
Land Area
2,523 square miles, 17th largest in Wyoming
Land Ownership
in Sheridan County
| Owner | Acres | Percent |
| US Government | ||
| Forest Service | 393,600 | 24.29 |
| Fish and Wildlife | 704 | .04 |
| Bureau of Land Mgmt. | 51,264 | 3.16 |
| Wyoming | ||
| State Lands Comm. | 117,427 | 7.25 |
| Recreation Comm. | 43 | 0 |
| Game & Fish | 8,507 | .52 |
| Local Government/Other | 12,280 | .76 |
| Total Public Lands | 583,825 | 36.03 |
| Private Lands | 1,026,727 | 63.97 |
| Surface Water | 2,400 | .15 |
| Total Area | 1,620,552 | 100 |
Sheridan County Population
29,116 (2010 U.S. Census)
29,239 (2011 State Estimate)
City, Town and
Census-designated Places
| Town | Population |
| Sheridan (county seat) | 17,444 |
| Clearmont | 142 |
| Dayton | 757 |
| Ranchester | 855 |
Employment by sector
(2009 state figures)
| Sector | Population |
| Farm | 694 |
| Forestry, Fishing & Related | 216 |
| Mining | 885 |
| Construction | 1,815 |
| Utilities | 76 |
| Manufacturing | 420 |
| Wholesale Trade | 444 |
| Retail Trade | 2,251 |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 762 |
| Information | 194 |
| Educational | 188 |
| Health Care & Social Assistance | 1,799 |
| Arts/Entertainment/Recreation | 454 |
| Accommodations & Food Service | 1,641 |
| Management of Companies | 27 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1,103 |
| Real Estate, Rentals & Leasing | 1,186 |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical | 1,213 |
| Administration & Waste Services | 575 |
| Other Services except Public Admin. | 1,061 |
| Fed, state, local gov't | 3,547 |
| Total | 20,551 |
D=not disclosed to avoid disclosure of confidential information, but estimates included in totals.
L=less than 10 jobs, but estimates included in totals.
Sources: Wyoming Division of Economic Analysis Equality State Almanac, County Profiles, http://eadiv.state.wy.us/almanac/Page135_183.pdf ; Wyoming DEA summary of decennial U. S. Census data, http://eadiv.state.wy.us/demog_data/cntycity_hist.htm; Wyoming DEA Employment, Income, and Gross Domestic Product Report, http://eadiv.state.wy.us/i&e/Inc_Emp_Report09.pdf; 2010 Census Summary Report for Wyoming, http://eadiv.state.wy.us/
demog_data/pop2010/2010_Census_Summary.pdf; 2011 county population estimates, http://eadiv.state.wy.us/pop/CO-11est.pdf.
