Uinta County, Wyoming

Uinta County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 20,450. Its county seat is Evanston. Its south and west boundary lines abut the Utah state line. Uinta County, together with Rich County, Utah, comprises the Evanston, WY-UT Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Uinta County was created on December 1, 1869, by the legislature of the Wyoming Territory, with its temporary seat located at Fort Bridger.

thumb|left|Foothills of the [[Uinta Mountains south of Evanston, Wyoming]]

Originally, it ran along the entire western border of Wyoming, including Yellowstone National Park. The county was named for Utah's Uinta Mountains, which are noticeable from many places in the county. The county was given its present boundaries in 1911 when Lincoln County was carved out of the northern part of Uinta County. It is the second-smallest county in Wyoming by area.

Geology

The 161 km wide western North American Fold and thrust belt extends from Alaska to Mexico, forming several northerly trending thrust faults in southwest Wyoming, including the Crawford, Absaroka and Hogsback (Darby), which formed from the Late Jurassic through the early Eocene. The Painter Reservoir Field was discovered in 1977 from the 407 m thick Nuggest Sandstone which forms an anticline structural trap in the hanging wall of the Absaroka thrust plate, at a depth of about 3 km.

National protected area

Wasatch National Forest (part)

State protected areas

Fort Bridger State Historic Site
Bear River State Park

Major highways

20px - Interstate 80
20px - U.S. Highway 189

Adjacent counties

Lincoln County - north
Rich County, Utah - west
Summit County, Utah - south and southwest
Sweetwater County - east

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 20,450. Of the residents, 28.5% were under the age of 18 and 15.0% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 37.3 years. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.0 males.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Uinta County, Wyoming – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!% 2000

!% 2010

|White alone (NH)

|18,210

|18,696

|style='background: #ffffe6; |17,444

|92.24%

|88.53%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |85.30%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|18

|48

|style='background: #ffffe6; |50

|0.09%

|0.23%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.24%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|161

|123

|style='background: #ffffe6; |122

|0.82%

|0.58%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.60%

|Asian alone (NH)

|50

|59

|style='background: #ffffe6; |108

|0.25%

|0.28%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.53%

|Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|12

|34

|style='background: #ffffe6; |27

|0.06%

|0.16%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.13%

|Other race alone (NH)

|17

|style='background: #ffffe6; |76

|0.09%

|0.01%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.37%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|219

|301

|style='background: #ffffe6; |637

|1.11%

|1.43%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.11%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|1,055

|1,855

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,986

|5.34%

|8.78%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |9.71%

|Total

|19,742

|21,118

|style='background: #ffffe6; |20,450

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

The racial makeup of the county was 88.1% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 4.2% from some other race, and 5.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 9.7% of the population.

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"

! Largest ancestries !! Percent

| English || 28.3%

| German || 18.9%

| Irish || 8.1%

| American || 5.6%

| Scottish || 5.4%

| Italian || 3.8%

| Swedish || 4.1%

| French (except Basque) || 3.3%

| Dutch || 3.2%

| Norwegian || 3.0%

| Danish || 2.5%

| Welsh || 2.2%

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 21,118 people, 7,668 households, and 5,577 families in the county. The population density was . There were 8,713 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.4% white, 0.8% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific islander, 4.1% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.8% of the population.

Of the 7,668 households, 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.3% were non-families, and 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.19. The median age was 33.9 years.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 19,742 people, 6,823 households, and 5,144 families in the county. The population density was . There were 8,011 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.32% White, 0.11% Black or African American, 0.87% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.86% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. 5.34% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 27.7% were of English, 14.8% German, 8.3% American and 6.9% Irish ancestry.

There were 6,823 households, out of which 44.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.20% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.60% were non-families. 20.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.31.

The county population contained 33.50% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 7.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 103.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,544, and the median income for a family was $49,520. Males had a median income of $37,500 versus $21,450 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,994. About 7.80% of families and 9.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.90% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

A majority of residents describe themselves as Christian, with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claiming slightly less than half the population as of 2020.

Communities

City

Evanston (county seat)

Towns

Bear River
Lyman
Mountain View

Unincorporated communities

Aspen
Millburne
Robertson

Ghost towns

Almy
Bear River City
Fort Supply
Piedmont

Census-designated places

Carter
Fort Bridger
Lonetree
Robertson
Urie

Government and infrastructure

The Wyoming Department of Health Wyoming State Hospital, a psychiatric facility, is located in Evanston. The facility was operated by the Wyoming Board of Charities and Reform until that agency was dissolved as a result of a state constitutional amendment passed in November 1990.

Uinta County, like much of Wyoming, is powerfully Republican. The last Democratic presidential nominee to win the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964.