Albany County comprises the Laramie, WY Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is the fifth-most populous county in Wyoming.
History
Albany County was organized in 1868 of territory annexed from Laramie County in Dakota Territory, which at the time had jurisdiction over part of modern-day Wyoming.[3] It became a county in Wyoming Territory when its government was formally organized on May 19, 1869.[4][5]
Charles D. Bradley, a member of the legislature of the Dakota Territory named the county for Albany, New York, the capital of his native state.[6] In 1875, the Wyoming Territorial legislature authorized portions of Albany County to be annexed to create Crook and Johnson counties, and in 1888 land was taken from Albany County for the creation of Converse County. Further adjustments were made to the county's boundary in 1911 and 1955.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,309 square miles (11,160 km2), of which 4,274 square miles (11,070 km2) is land and 35 square miles (91 km2) (0.8%) is water.[7]
There were 13,269 households, of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.2% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.84.
The county population contained 18.4% of the population under the age of 18, 28.2% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 106.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.4 males.
The median household income was $28,790 and the median family income was $44,334. Males had a median income of $31,087 compared with $22,061 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,706. About 10.8% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under the age of 18 and 8.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 36,299 people, 15,691 households, and 7,430 families in the county.[12] The population density was 8.5 people per square mile (3.3 people/km2). There were 17,939 housing units at an average density of 4.2 units per square mile (1.6 units/km2).[13] The racial makeup of the county was 90.1% white, 2.8% Asian, 1.2% black or African American, 0.7% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.4% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.8% of the population.[12] In terms of ancestry, 31.2% were German, 15.3% were Irish, 12.5% were English, and 4.4% were American.[14]
Of the 15,691 households, 21.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 52.6% were non-families, and 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 26.8 years.[12]
The median income for a household in the county was $42,890 and the median income for a family was $70,054. Males had a median income of $43,484 versus $33,512 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,622. About 7.2% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.[15]
While Wyoming as a whole tends to be solidly Republican, Albany County is a swing county. It is one of only thirteen counties to have voted for Obama in 2008, Romney in 2012, Trump in 2016, and Biden in 2020.[a]
Its competitiveness is because the core of its seat, Laramie, home of the University of Wyoming, is solidly Democratic and the Laramie suburbs and the county's rural precincts are solidly Republican. The core of Laramie forms roughly half of the county's population. Meanwhile, the Laramie suburbs and the rural precincts of the county form the other approximate half. Thus, swing voters typically determine the county's winner.
United States presidential election results for Albany County, Wyoming[16]
United States
Wyoming
