Mining, agriculture and tourism are the industries that most influence the Wyoming job market. Yellowstone National Park is particularly important for the creation of tourism and service-based Wyoming jobs, accounting for about 50% of the annual visitors to Wyoming’s monuments and national parks. Mining is Wyoming’s largest industry. The Equality State leads the nation in mining employment, with production centered on coal, natural gas and crude oil. Beef, hay, wheat and sugar beets are Wyoming’s most valuable agricultural exports.

The F.E. Warren Air Force Base just outside of Cheyenne is a longstanding source of jobs in Wyoming. Originally established as Fort D.A. Russell by the U.S. Cavalry in 1867, it is the oldest continually active Air Force base. After F.E. Warren AFB, state government is the largest single provider of Cheyenne jobs. Major employers operating in Wyoming’s capital and most populous city include Union Pacific Railroad, Cheyenne Regional Medical Center and Frontier Refining. The federal government is one of Wyoming’s largest employers. The U.S. government owns about 50% of the land in Wyoming, which is America’s least populous state; the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service are thus important sources of WY jobs.