Big Horn County is a county in Wyoming, United States, on the Montana border with the Bighorn Basin at its heart. It had a population of 11,521 at the 2020 census and covers 3,159 square miles (8,180 km2) centred near 44°32′N 107°59′W.
Basin is the county seat, and its postal code is 82410. The county has nine incorporated towns and cities, two census-designated places, and several small unincorporated communities. It lies in the Mountain time zone.
Towns & Villages in Big Horn County
Big Horn County has nine incorporated municipalities, two census-designated places (CDPs), and a handful of unincorporated crossroads communities. Wyoming has no civil townships, so places are listed by municipality only.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basin | City · seat | 1,288 | 82410 |
| Lovell | City | 2,243 | 82431 |
| Greybull | City | 1,651 | 82426 |
| Cowley | Town | 762 | 82420 |
| Byron | Town | 562 | 82412 |
| Burlington | Town | 314 | 82411 |
| Deaver | Town | 154 | 82421 |
| Frannie | Town | 145 | — |
| Manderson | Town | 88 | 82432 |
| Shell | CDP | — | 82441 |
| Hyattville | CDP | — | 82428 |
| Otto | Unincorp. | — | 82434 |
| Emblem | Unincorp. | — | 82422 |
| Kane | Unincorp. | — | — |
Frannie sits directly on the Wyoming–Montana line, and its post office serves residents on both sides of the border, which is why the town has no Big Horn County-specific ZIP of its own. Kane is a near-ghost townsite on the shore of Bighorn Lake, largely abandoned after the Yellowtail Dam raised water levels in the 1960s.
ZIP Codes
- 82410 — Basin (also serves the county seat area)
- 82411 — Burlington
- 82412 — Byron
- 82420 — Cowley
- 82421 — Deaver
- 82422 — Emblem
- 82426 — Greybull
- 82428 — Hyattville
- 82431 — Lovell
- 82432 — Manderson
- 82434 — Otto
- 82441 — Shell
Kane has no ZIP of its own and is served through the Lovell post office.
Geography
Big Horn County lies in the Bighorn Basin, a broad, arid lowland ringed by mountains. The Bighorn River runs north through the county toward Bighorn Lake and the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, and the Bighorn Mountains, the county’s namesake, rise along its eastern edge inside Bighorn National Forest. Of the county’s 3,159 square miles, 3,137 are land and 22 are water.
Big Horn County borders Park County to the west, Sheridan County to the east, Washakie County and Johnson County to the south, and Carbon County and Big Horn County, Montana, across the state line to the north.
Demographics
The county’s population was 11,521 at the 2020 census. Lovell, with 2,243 residents, is the largest town, followed by Greybull at 1,651. Median household income in Big Horn County runs below the Wyoming median of $72,415, typical of the state’s agricultural counties. Population density is roughly 3.7 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture anchors the county economy — irrigated sugar beets, beans, barley, and hay fill the Bighorn Basin’s bottomlands, fed by canals off the Bighorn and Shoshone rivers. Northwest College maintains an outreach center in Greybull, and the Big Horn County School Districts (1 through 4) run schools across the county’s towns. Tourism tied to Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area and Bighorn National Forest brings seasonal traffic through Lovell.
History
Big Horn County was created by the Wyoming Territorial legislature in March 1890 and organized in 1897, taking its name from the Bighorn Mountains along its eastern boundary. Basin was chosen as county seat over a rival claim by Otto. The Bighorn Basin was later reshaped by large-scale federal irrigation projects and, in the 1960s, by the completion of Yellowtail Dam upstream in Montana, which flooded the old townsite of Kane to form Bighorn Lake.
Getting There
US Route 14A and US Route 310/20 cross the county, linking its towns along the Bighorn River. Approximate distances from Basin:
- Greybull — 9 miles north
- Lovell — 27 miles north
- Cody — 40 miles west
- Sheridan — 75 miles east
Yellowstone Regional Airport in Cody is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Big Horn County, Wyoming?
It sits in north-central Wyoming, on the Montana border, in the Bighorn Basin between the Bighorn and Absaroka mountain ranges.
What is the population of Big Horn County?
11,521, according to the 2020 census.
How big is Big Horn County?
3,159 square miles (8,180 km2), of which 22 square miles is water.
What is the county seat of Big Horn County?
Basin is the county seat.
How many towns are in Big Horn County?
Nine incorporated towns and cities, plus the census-designated places of Shell and Hyattville and several unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Big Horn County?
Twelve, including 82410 (Basin), 82426 (Greybull), and 82431 (Lovell).
What happened to the town of Kane?
Kane was largely abandoned after Yellowtail Dam raised the level of Bighorn Lake in the 1960s, submerging much of the original townsite.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Wyoming.