Washakie County, Wyoming

Washakie County is a county in Wyoming, United States, in the Big Horn Basin, roughly 90 miles
northwest of Cody and about 115 miles north of Casper. It had a population of 7,685 at the 2020
census, an estimated 7,703 by 2024, and covers 2,243 square miles (5,810 km2) centred near
43°55′N 107°41′W.

Worland is the county seat and the county’s only city; its postal code is 82401. The county
holds 1 city, 1 incorporated town and 7 unincorporated communities, and it runs on Mountain
Time. Its FIPS code is 56043.

Towns & Villages in Washakie County

Washakie County has 9 named places on record: 2 incorporated (a city and a town) and 7
unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. Unincorp. covers crossroads
and rural localities with no formal boundary; most have no ZIP code separate from Worland’s.

Four names on the old version of this page — Colter, Durkee, Eccles and French Vee
— do not appear in any current county-level place list and have been dropped rather than
carried forward unverified.

ZIP Codes

• 82401 — Worland (also covers Airport Road, South Flat, West River and Washakie Ten)
• 82442 — Ten Sleep

Big Trails, Mc Nutt and Winchester have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered
under the Worland or Ten Sleep code depending on which is closer by road.

Geography

Washakie County sits in Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin, a broad semi-arid bowl ringed by mountains
on every side. Of its 2,243 square miles, 2,239 are land and about 4.2 are water, roughly 0.2
percent — the county has no large natural lake, and its water is almost entirely the Big
Horn River and its tributaries. The Big Horn River runs north through the county past Worland,
fed by the Nowood River and Tensleep Creek, which drains east out of the Bighorn Mountains
through Ten Sleep Canyon, a limestone gorge popular with rock climbers. The county’s western
edge climbs toward the Absaroka Range foothills; its eastern edge climbs into the Bighorns.

Big Horn County lies to the north, Johnson County to the east, Natrona County to the
southeast, Fremont County to the south, Hot Springs County to the west, and Park County to the
northwest. Big Horn County,
Johnson County,
Natrona County,
Fremont County,
Hot Springs County and
Park County all border Washakie
directly.

Demographics

Washakie County had a population of 7,685 at the 2020 census, and a 2024 estimate puts the
county near 7,703. Worland and Ten Sleep are the two incorporated communities, with Worland
holding well over half the county’s population on its own. Median household income runs
$65,714 (2024 estimate), below Wyoming’s statewide figure of $72,415 (2023 ACS). Population
density works out to roughly 3.4 people per square mile of land, sparse even by Wyoming
standards, and the county’s median age of 44.4 years runs older than the national figure.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance is the county’s largest employment sector at 449 workers,
followed closely by agriculture, forestry and fishing at 428 and educational services at 410.
Sugar beets are the county’s top crop, processed locally by the Wyoming Sugar Company plant in
Worland; the same town is home to Admiral Beverage’s regional distribution operation and a
Crown Cork & Seal can-manufacturing plant. Oil and gas drilling in the Big Horn Basin also
supports county payrolls. Ten Sleep keeps a working ranching economy alongside a small tourism
trade built on rock climbing in Ten Sleep Canyon and bentonite mining nearby. The county’s
biggest annual event is Ten Sleep’s Independence Day rodeo and parade each July, followed by the
NoWoodstock music festival on the second weekend of August.

History

The Wyoming legislature created Washakie County on February 21, 1911, carving it out of Big
Horn County. The bill originally named it Hanover County, but lawmakers renamed it before
passage to honor Chief Washakie, the Shoshone leader who allied his people with the United
States government through decades of treaty negotiations in the Wind River region. The county
organized fully in 1913, with Worland as its seat.

Worland itself traces to 1900, when Charlie “Dad” Worland ran a ferry crossing and stage stop
on the Big Horn River; the town incorporated in 1906. Ten Sleep’s name comes from a Native
American measure of travel time — the site marked ten nights’ journey from landmarks
including Fort Laramie, a reckoning still used locally for the town’s identity today.

Getting There

US Routes 16 and 20 run concurrently through Worland, the county’s only through highways; no
interstate crosses Washakie County.

• Basin — about 16 miles north
• Thermopolis — about 33 miles south
• Buffalo — about 85 miles east via US 16 through Ten Sleep Canyon
• Cody — about 90 miles northwest

Worland Municipal Airport handles general aviation only. Cody Yellowstone Regional Airport,
roughly 90 miles northwest, is the nearest airport with scheduled commercial service. Wyoming
has no Amtrak service anywhere in the state.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Washakie County located?
It sits in Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin, bordered by Big Horn, Johnson, Natrona, Fremont, Hot
Springs and Park counties.

What is the population of Washakie County?
7,685 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 7,703.

How big is Washakie County?
2,243 square miles (5,810 km2), of which 2,239 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Washakie County?
Worland, incorporated in 1906, is the county seat and the county’s only city.

How many towns are in Washakie County?
Two incorporated places — Worland and Ten Sleep — plus seven unincorporated
communities: Airport Road, Big Trails, Mc Nutt, South Flat, Washakie Ten, West River and
Winchester.

What ZIP codes does Washakie County use?
82401 for Worland and 82442 for Ten Sleep.

Who was the county named for?
Chief Washakie, the Shoshone leader who allied his people with the US government, rather than
the originally proposed name, Hanover County.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Wyoming.