Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town was settled in 1872 and has 22,936 residents today.
A town of contrasts. Where it falls short is schools: its public schools trail 88% of Wyoming towns on state tests and graduation. Overall, Rock Springs earns a C: better than just over a third of U.S. towns, and 19th of 28 in Wyoming. It does especially well on walkability: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 78% of U.S. towns. Cost of living is another plus (B+): a typical home costs about $288K, 3.8 years of the Rock Springs area’s $75K median household income. The town has 11 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them First National Bank Building and City Hall. 54% of working residents work locally in the town, against 49% in Wyoming’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. This Wyoming town is home to Western Wyoming Community College.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · National Register of Historic Places · Census LEHD, 2023.
Where Rock Springs beats most towns.
Census counts: 40 in 1870, 23,526 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1874 and 4 maps from 1908 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wyoming), ordered by how far Rock Springs is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rock Springs, 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 Rock Springs.
Rock Springs has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, has home values falling while Wyoming’s rise and is safe by national standards but not by Wyoming’s.
The public schools here belong to the Sweetwater County School District #1. 5 public schools serve Rock Springs, with 1,287 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Springs Junior HighLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 746 | C+ |
| Rock Springs High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,393 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WY on state tests and graduation
The national flood insurance program has paid 6 claims in Rock Springs since 1981. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 88% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Rock Springs break down as 71% from inland flooding and 14% from cold waves.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Rock Springs’ trail network density stands at 1.2 miles per square mile. Count the trails in 16 parks and preserves and they come to 23 miles. Parks and preserves here: 16, covering 57 acres.
| Rock Springs | Wyoming towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.6% | 9.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Blairtown Park | 0.4 mi | 10 |
| 2. Garnet Park | 0.3 mi | 5 |
| 3. Paul J. Wataha Recreation Area | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Values fell 2.3% in the past year while the Wyoming typical home rose 1.5%.
On the market in Rock Springs: a median 51 days to sell. Homes here are typically worth about $288,000, 22% below the Wyoming typical home. In Rock Springs, the going rate for rent is $928 a month.
| Rock Springs | Wyoming towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $928 a month | $925 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
The Rock Springs Fire Dept weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 121 days, shorter than in 97% of U.S. towns.
In July, afternoons reach 87°; in January, nights fall to 9°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Rock Springs’ mean commuting time comes in at 23 minutes. It had 10,784 jobs in 2023, down 641 from 2013. The share of residents in Rock Springs who live below the poverty line: 16%. Half of commuters travel less than 3 miles.
| Rock Springs | Wyoming towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 9.9% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 3.3% | 6.4% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 15 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The midpoint age for Rock Springs comes to 35.9 years. People 65 and older are 13% of residents (19% statewide). Just over a quarter of Rock Springs residents are under 18. The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Rock Springs at 22,936 residents, down 2.5% since 2020.
| Rock Springs | Wyoming towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 26% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 35.9 years | 37.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 24% | 29% |
48% women, 52% men
About 108 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.1 points). Across Wyoming, 48.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.0, men 35.2.
| Rock Springs | WY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.9% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.7% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.5% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.2% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.8% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.2% | 12.7% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.1% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.7% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.5% | 5.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.3% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.2% | 24.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.1% | 11.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.9% | 19.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.9% | 11.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
15% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Rock Springs. Of 31 CDC measures, Rock Springs beats the Wyoming average on 3 and trails it on 11.
| Rock Springs | Wyoming towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 68% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 32% | 36% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 8.1% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Rock Springs | WY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.2% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 22.4% | 25.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 13.5% | 9.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 18.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 61% of Wyoming’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 390 to 225 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Rock Springs’ rate of thefts and burglaries is 8.5 per 1,000 residents. The rate of reported violence here is 1.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Rock Springs | Wyoming towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.5 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Rock Springs
About 6 of every 100 Rock Springs residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wyoming.
11 places in Rock Springs on the National Register of Historic Places.
23 notable people were born in Rock Springs.
City in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, US
Rock Springs is a city in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 23,526 at the 2020 census, making it the fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Wyoming, and the most populous city in Sweetwater County. Rock Springs is the principal city of the Rock Springs micropolitan statistical area, which has a population of 37,975. Rock Springs is the site of Western Wyoming Community College and Wyoming's Big Show, a yearly event with a carnival and concerts which is held at the Sweetwater County Events Complex. Rock Springs is located in an energy-rich region with many oil and natural gas wells.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Rock Springs.
| Town | WY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Springs | #19 | C | B+ | B− | D | B− |
| North Rock Springs | — | — | B+ | — | D | C+ |
| Clearview Acres | — | — | — | — | — | — |
North Rock Springs has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. North Rock Springs reports no FBI crime data of its own. Clearview Acres isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Rock Springs with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Rock Springs grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #19 of 28 in Wyoming. It grades B− for health, B− for safety and D for schools. Schools 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 B+.
23 notable people were born here, including Paul Gosar and Mickey Daniels.
