Living in Gillette, WY

Campbell County

Gillette is Wyoming's 5th-largest city and the unambiguous economic and governmental anchor of Campbell County -- the seat of the Powder River Basin, the largest coal-producing region in the United States, real and current: the Basin still supplies roughly 40% of the nation's coal burned for electricity generation, and the Black Thunder Mine (the nation's 2nd-largest coal mine) and adjoining North Antelope Rochelle Mine (the world's largest coal mine) together account for nearly two-thirds of all Basin production. This record discloses Gillette's honest 2026 picture directly rather than treating it as either an untroubled energy boomtown or a town in decline. On the real strength side: Wyoming levies NO state individual income tax at all -- a true no-income-tax state -- Gillette and Campbell County's own cited property tax rates (approximately 0.53%-0.57%) run dramatically below this project's ~1.02% national comparison figure, the combined sales tax rate is just 5.0%, median household income was cited approximately 33.5% above the national average, Campbell County's unemployment rate ran below the July 2026 national rate, and Zillow's cited average home value (~$330,275) ran approximately 19.2% below this project's national comparison figure. On the honest challenge side: Gillette's economy carries a real, current, NOT-oversold coal-industry headwind -- Wyoming's mining/natural-resources employment was cited down approximately 5.7% year-over-year in one dataset reviewed, and Powder River Basin coal production itself was cited down approximately 25% over a recent comparable period, even as local leaders pursue a still-developing, genuinely modest economic-diversification effort (Wyoming's tech sector remains just approximately 1.8% of total state employment). Crime-rate citations reviewed this pass carried a real, disclosed, unresolved cross-source spread, the school district's two comprehensive high schools show a real, disclosed graduation-rate gap, and this record discloses two real, current hazard events directly: a suspected tornado that struck Campbell County on August 14, 2026, causing documented property damage, and the 52,421-acre Flat Rock Fire that burned near Gillette in 2024. This record states Gillette's honest 2026 picture directly: a genuinely low-tax, genuinely affordable Powder River Basin energy hub weighed honestly against a real, current coal-industry transition, real tornado and wildfire exposure, and a genuinely mixed crime and graduation-rate picture.

Explore Gillette in depth

• Moving to Gillette: Pros, Cons & What to Know
• Cost of Living in Gillette
• Housing Market in Gillette
• Buying a Home in Gillette
• Renting in Gillette
• Property Taxes in Gillette
• Taxes in Gillette
• Homeowners Insurance in Gillette
• Flood & Hurricane Risk in Gillette
• Climate & Weather in Gillette
• Jobs & Economy in Gillette
• Schools in Gillette
• Crime & Safety in Gillette
• Healthcare in Gillette
• Traffic & Transportation in Gillette
• Best Areas to Live in Gillette
• Pros and Cons of Living in Gillette
• Who Should / Shouldn’t Move to Gillette
• Who Should NOT Move to Gillette?
• Retiring in Gillette
• Living in Gillette for Families
• Living in Gillette for Remote Workers
• Is Gillette a Good Place to Live?

Housing

Taxes

The tradeoffs

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits movers whose specific priorities align with Gillette's real strengths -- a true, complete absence of state income tax, dramatically below-national property taxes, a below-national-median housing market, a career or affiliation tied to the Powder River Basin's real, current coal-mining industry or Campbell County's public sector and healthcare system, and first-time homebuyers seeking a genuinely affordable entry point -- and who take the city's honestly-disclosed challenges (a real, current coal-industry transition, a real, disclosed graduation-rate gap between the district's two high schools, real tornado and wildfire exposure, and a genuinely mixed crime picture) seriously enough to research current, address-specific data directly before committing to a specific Gillette property.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for anyone whose career or income depends on industries other than energy, government, or healthcare, given Gillette's real, current, still-developing economic-diversification effort and Wyoming's tech sector remaining just approximately 1.8% of total state employment. Anyone highly risk-averse to tornado or wildfire exposure should weigh this honestly, given the real August 14, 2026 Campbell County tornado and the 52,421-acre 2024 Flat Rock Fire disclosed above. Anyone requiring multi-system, large-hospital-network healthcare access, given Gillette's real, single-hospital-system anchor. Anyone requiring a genuinely walkable, car-optional lifestyle citywide, given the citywide Walk Score of just 22. Anyone requiring strong confidence in a single, precise, undisputed crime-rate figure, given this record's disclosed cross-source spread. Families specifically prioritizing the district's overall graduation-rate trend should research this directly, given the real, disclosed downward trend and the gap between the district's two comprehensive high schools.