Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,334, settled in 1896. 89% more nonprofits per person than the typical Wyoming town.
The best of Basin’s subject grades are an A− for cost of living and the outdoors and an A for civic life; the weakest is a D for incomes. On hazard risk, just 5 of Wyoming’s 58 towns do worse. 18% of the land in Basin is conserved, above both Wyoming’s towns (8.8%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Basin has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them US Post Office-Basin Main and Basin Republican-Rustler Printing Building. Basin has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Basin beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wyoming), ordered by how far Basin is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 763 in 1910, 1,288 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1963 and 2 maps from 1966 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Basin, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Basin.
About one in 4 of Basin’s working residents works in town. At 15 minutes, Basin’s average trip to work is near the Wyoming town median (15 minutes) and below the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). The top destinations are Worland (7%), Greybull (5%) and Cody (3%).
| Basin | Wyoming towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 50% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 15 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Big Horn County School District #4. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laura Irwin ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 122 | C− |
| Riverside Middle/High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 129 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WY on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 81% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Basin home is worth about $263,000, about the same as a year ago, 29% below the Wyoming typical home. The median rent in Basin is $903 a month.
| Basin | Wyoming towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $903 a month | $927 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
3.4 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. Basin’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Basin has cold winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Only 1 of the 29 Wyoming towns we compare have a higher July high than Basin.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 15% of residents (23% statewide). Among 29 Wyoming towns, just 1 have a lower share of children under 18 than Basin. Basin has grown 3.7% since 2020, to 1,334 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Basin | Wyoming towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 15% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 42.5 years | 37.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 24% | 29% |
43% women, 57% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8 points. Across Wyoming, 48.9% of residents are women.
| Basin | WY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.7% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.3% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.6% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.3% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.5% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.7% | 12.7% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.9% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.8% | 5.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.7% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.6% | 24.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.4% | 11.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.2% | 19.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.3% | 11.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,300, single groups can be off by several points
38% of Basin adults have high blood pressure. Basin beats the Wyoming average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 13% of Basin adults have diabetes.
| Basin | Wyoming towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 68% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| What stands out | Basin | WY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.1% | 73% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9% | 6.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Basin; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Basin residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wyoming.
Where Basin’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Basin on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States
Basin is a town in and the county seat of Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,288 at the 2020 census. The community is located near the center of the Bighorn Basin with the Big Horn River east of the town. Basin's post office, built in 1919, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
89% more nonprofits per person than the typical Wyoming town.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
