Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Rawlins gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $199K for a typical one, or 2.8 years of the county’s $71K median household income. It grades C overall, 22nd among Wyoming's 28 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $65K, and 15% of residents live below the poverty line, and its schools rank behind 77% of the state's. On the plus side, it has 13 miles of trail and 37% conserved land. 37% of the land in Rawlins is conserved, where Wyoming’s towns sit at 8.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Of the 23 Wyoming towns we compare, none has a lower typical home value than Rawlins. Rawlins has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Bridger's Pass and Wyoming State Penitentiary District.
Where Rawlins beats most towns.
9,259 counted in 2010 and 8,221 in 2020; an estimated 7,745 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 6.3% since 2020, after 11.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wyoming), ordered by how far Rawlins is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 612 in 1870, a peak of 11,547 in 1980, 8,221 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1878 and 2 maps from 1953 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rawlins, 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 Rawlins.
Rawlins keeps more of its land conserved than most of Wyoming and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
Its 1,957 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 92% of Wyoming towns.
13 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Rawlins’ trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile, against 1.2 in Wyoming’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Washington Park | 0.2 mi | 6 |
| 2. Key Club Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Bolten Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Carbon County School District #1. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Rawlins High School, with 436 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rawlins ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 666 | C− |
| Rawlins High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 436 | C− |
| Little Snake River Valley SchoolTop results in townGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 195 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WY on state tests and graduation
At 2.8 years of the county’s $71K median household income, the typical home (about $199K) costs less against local pay than in 88% of Wyoming towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
The median rent in Rawlins is $741 a month. The typical Rawlins home is worth about $199,000, up 2.7% in a year, 46% below the Wyoming typical home.
| Rawlins | Wyoming towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $741 a month | $928 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 81% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Rawlins has cold winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Rawlins’ July high is 84°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Rawlins beats the Wyoming average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 67% of adults had a checkup this year in Rawlins. Among 28 Wyoming towns, just 1 have a higher share of adults who have obesity than Rawlins.
| Rawlins | Wyoming towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 67% | 68% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Rawlins | WY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.1% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 22.4% | 25.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 15.2% | 9.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
49% of Rawlins’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Casper (3%), Baggs (3%) and Laramie (3%). Half commute less than 4 miles.
| Rawlins | Wyoming towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 49% | 51% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 15 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Rawlins's reported crime rate is below Wyoming's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 9 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Rawlins | Wyoming towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.7 per 1,000 residents | 8.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Rawlins; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Rawlins residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wyoming.
37.1% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
7 places in Rawlins on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Rawlins.
City in the United States
Rawlins is a city in Carbon County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 8,221 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Carbon County. It was named for Union General John Aaron Rawlins, who camped in the locality in 1867.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Rawlins grades C overall, better than 26% of U.S. towns and #22 of 28 in Wyoming. It grades C+ for health and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
10 notable people were born here, including Jesse Garcia and Joe Hickey.
