Wyoming schools might hand out straight A’s to moose crossings and avalanche dogs, but when it comes to housing affordability and construction? Realtor.com just slapped the Cowboy State with a C-, which, frankly, feels like the grader was in a very charitable mood.
In a new hyperlocal deep dive, Realtor.com highlights what we already know here in Jackson Hole: Building homes in Wyoming is roughly as fast and easy as building a sandcastle during a hurricane.
But the piece paints a broader statewide picture worth unpacking.
Construction Is Up… But Not Enough to Matter
The report finds that home construction in Wyoming has ticked up, but nowhere near the levels needed to move the affordability needle.
Why?
Because in many Wyoming communities, including our favorite 48-square-mile economic experiment in scarcity (hi, Jackson!), labor shortages, high materials costs, zoning limits, and the occasional bald eagle nesting where your builder planned to pour a foundation all combine to form the perfect bottleneck.
Statewide, building permits have increased modestly, but demand continues to outpace supply. Translation: We’re still behind, but now slightly less behind.
So, yes, construction is happening. Very slowly. Like watching a moose meander across Highway 22 because it knows you’re late for work.
Affordability: A Wyoming Problem, Not Just Jackson
The article points out a big takeaway: Housing affordability is dropping across the state, not just in Teton County.
In many markets, the median home price has grown faster than wages, shocking news to precisely no one who’s ever asked a barista where they live and got the answer, “a converted Sprinter van near Hoback.”
Realtor.com’s analysis shows:
- State affordability score: C-
- Jackson affordability score: “LOL, good luck” (not officially listed, but we all know)
Even in places like Cheyenne, Cody, and Sheridan, towns once considered “affordable alternatives,” the squeeze is real.
When Cheyenne starts feeling pricey, you know the housing gods are laughing.
Stability Doesn’t Equal Access
Wyoming’s housing market is “stable,” according to Realtor.com, but that does not mean “attainable.”
Stable just means prices aren’t whiplashing like other regions. Instead, they’re calmly and confidently sitting above what most working families can reasonably afford, like a smug millionaire sipping a cortado on the Town Square.
Inventory remains tight. New construction is slow. And buying a house often requires:
- Cash
- Blessings from three generations of family
- A remote job that pays in Silicon Valley dollars
- Or the kind of luck usually reserved for Powerball winners and grizzly photographers
What This All Means for Jackson
For Jackson specifically, this article essentially confirms what locals tell each other daily:
- “Affordable housing” is a term we use like “unicorn” – fun to imagine, impossible to catch.
- Construction moves at the pace of Wyoming politics – slow until a crisis, then slow again.
- Demand remains sky-high, especially as remote workers, second-home buyers, and TikTok influencers “discover Wyoming” and film themselves petting bison (don’t do that).
Housing advocates across the state are calling for more development, zoning adjustments, and workforce-oriented solutions. But as usual, progress looks more like a series of tiny baby steps with very large boots.
Realtor.com’s C- grade is the polite, corporate way of saying:
“Wyoming, you’re not failing, but you’re definitely not passing.”
And if we were grading on a Jackson Hole Real Estate curve, the report card might read:
- Construction: D+ (participation trophy)
- Affordability: F (please see me after class)
- Scenery: A+++ (extra credit, always)
Until then, expect more of the same: Slow builds, rising prices, and locals comparing rent horror stories like fishermen comparing the size of the trout that got away.
AntlersArch founder and the voice behind Teton Tattle.
