Living in Powell, WY
Park County
Powell is the real, current second-largest city in Park County, in northwestern Wyoming's Bighorn Basin against the backdrop of the Absaroka, Beartooth, and Bighorn mountains, with a July 2025 population estimate of 6,574. Powell is genuinely defined by Northwest College, a public two-year institution and cornerstone of the local economy, alongside a real, dual base of oil, agriculture, ranching, and tourism -- the Shoshone Irrigation District serves more than 93,000 irrigated acres supporting alfalfa, grain, and bean crops. Powell sits a real gateway distance from Yellowstone National Park's northeast approach via nearby Cody. Powell's 2026 housing market ran genuinely moderate (Redfin's cited median sale price $390,000), modestly below the $408,776 national comparison figure. Powell benefits from Wyoming's real, constitutionally absolute lack of a state income tax and a statewide-average effective property tax rate around 0.53%. This record credits Powell's genuinely favorable crime picture (31% below the national rate, B+ safety grade) and Park County School District No. 1's strong #3-in-Wyoming Niche ranking directly, alongside honest disclosure of the Bighorn Basin's genuinely arid, irrigation-dependent climate.
Explore Powell in depth
- Moving to Powell: Pros, Cons & What to Know
- Cost of Living in Powell
- Housing Market in Powell
- Buying a Home in Powell
- Renting in Powell
- Taxes in Powell
- Homeowners Insurance & Natural Hazard Costs in Powell
- Climate & Weather in Powell
- Jobs & Economy in Powell
- Schools in Powell
- Crime & Safety in Powell
- Healthcare in Powell
- Traffic & Transportation in Powell
- Best Areas to Live in Powell
- Pros and Cons of Living in Powell
- Retiring in Powell
- Who Should / Shouldn’t Move to Powell
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Learn moreHousing
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Park County level this session. Wyoming carries no income tax statewide. See the Wyoming hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Powell-specific.
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Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
A real, distinctive Bighorn Basin college town anchored by Northwest College, genuinely low crime, a strong #3-in-Wyoming school district, Wyoming's real no-income-tax and low-property-tax structure, and gateway proximity to Yellowstone via Cody. Housing runs moderate and modestly below the national median.
Cons
Powell's genuinely arid, irrigation-dependent Bighorn Basin climate means low natural rainfall and a structural water-management dependence. Powell's small rental market shows real, disclosed cross-source volatility, and specialty healthcare beyond Powell Valley Healthcare's listed roster may require travel to a larger Wyoming market.
Who this fits
Best for: Best fits families and movers drawn to a genuine college-town, agricultural, outdoor-recreation Wyoming lifestyle, prioritizing low taxes, low crime, and strong local schools.
Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers who need reliably high natural rainfall or who require immediate access to a broad specialty-care hospital roster beyond Powell Valley Healthcare's own listed services.
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