Demographics

From Sustaining Jackson Hole Wiki

Originally part of Uinta County and later part of Lincoln County, Teton County was established in 1921 in response to the Wyoming Legislature’s desire to establish new counties based on state population growth and taxable wealth.

The Upshot Teton County’s permanent population was 2,003 in 1930, the first Census year following its establishment. It grew to more than 2,500 during the 1930s, stayed flat during the 1940s, and grew by another 500 residents over the course of the 1950s. With the founding of the Jackson Hole Ski Area in the mid-1960s, Teton County started on a population growth pattern which, between 1960 and 2000, saw a more than six-fold Teton County’s increase in the county’s year-round population. (See graphs 2-1 and 2-2, table 2-1.) The four most recent U.S. Census counts show that between population is 1970 and 2000, Teton County’s population grew at more than four times increasing rapidly the rate of both Wyoming and the United States. (See graph 2-3.)

The rapid population growth in the Jackson Hole area reflects a trend seen in many other western resort areas: Population is quickly increasing due to the attraction of recreational amenities in resort towns, and changing national economic forces.

Teton County’s rapid population growth between 1970 and 1980 was due in large part to people moving to the area for its recreational opportunities, rather than its economic ones. At that time the economy was largely driven by seasonal tourism. Due to a relatively stagnant economy, population growth slowed somewhat in the 1980s before taking off again in the 1990s. In the most recent decade, growth was driven by both the attraction of recreational amenities and changes in the national economy, in particular investment income and increasing flexibility to work from remote locations.

Other features of Teton County’s population in the 1990s include a growing Latino community. (See graphs 2-4 and 2-5.) Attracted by the many jobs available in Teton County, the Latino population grew much more rapidly in Teton County between 1990 and 2000 than in Wyoming or nationally.

In addition, the county’s median age grew relatively slowly in the 1990s. (See graphs 2-6 and 2-7.) Teton County’s most rapidly growing age group was people between ages 25 and 34. Due to this influx of younger residents, the median age in Teton County increased more slowly than the nation, and far more slowly than the rest of Wyoming.

Even though growth in Jackson Hole’s housing stock has mirrored its population increase, the housing market in Teton County has always been tight. (See graphs 2-8 and 2-9.) The county’s housing stock grew three to four times faster than the housing stock in Wyoming or the United States between 1970 and 2000. In addition, the percentage of the housing stock that is occupied year-round, which dropped between 1970 and 1990, grew between 1990 and 2000. (See graph 2-10.) This indicates an increasing proportion of Teton County’s housing stock is used by year-round residents.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Jackson Hole Historical Society

Graph 2-1 Teton County’s growth was relatively slow from 1930 to 1960, but a four-decade growth pattern started in the 1960s, the same decade as the opening of the Jackson Hole Ski Area. The result was a six-fold increase in the valley’s population between 1960 and 2000. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 2-2 The US Census Bureau estimates that Teton County’s population will grow to 22,352 by 2010, an increase of 22 percent. In previous decades, such estimates have proven to be fairly inaccurate, with actual growth handily exceeding estimates. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 2-3 Teton County has experienced two distinct growth booms, one between 1970 and 1980 and the other between 1990 and 2000. Although many Teton County officials believe the 1990 Census undercounted the area’s population, growth was clearly slower during the 1980s. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 2-4 This graph shows how fast Teton County is growing relative to both Wyoming and the United States. Between 1970 and 2000, Wyoming’s population grew roughly 50 percent and the United States’ population grew roughly 30 percent. Teton County, meanwhile, grew about 275 percent. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 2-5 The residents of Teton County are overwhelmingly Caucasian. However, between 1990 and 2000, the Latino population grew dramatically. As a result, the proportion of Latino residents in Teton County is now closer to the proportion in the state as a whole. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 2-6 Teton County’s Latino population grew very little in size between 1980 and 1990, but increased 650 percent between 1990 and 2000. Many Latinos moved to the Jackson Hole area because of the abundance of jobs. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 2-7 The median age of Teton County residents increased rapidly in the 1980s, a time when fewer people were moving to Teton County. In the 1990s, more people began moving to the Jackson Hole area. The biggest influx was among 25 to 34-year-olds, which in turn minimized growth in the population’s median age. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 2-8 The proportion of people between ages 25 and 54 is significantly larger in Teton County than the state or the nation. Fewer very young and very old people live in the Jackson Hole area than in Wyoming or the United States. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 2-9 Teton County’s housing stock has increased at roughly the same pace as its population during the last three decades, though there was less growth in the 1980s. The increase in vacant homes between 1970 and 1990 suggests a substantial increase in second-home ownership in those two decades. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 2-10 While Teton County’s housing stock grew more than 400 percent between 1970 and 2000, the housing stock in Wyoming increased about 90 percent. The nation’s housing stock grew roughly 70 percent during the same period. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 2-11 A look at how Teton County’s housing stock was used over three decades shows that the proportion of vacant homes – mostly second homes – increased relative to occupied homes between 1970 and 1990. During the 1990s, however, the decrease in vacant homes suggests an increasing number of homes are being used as full-time residences. Source: U.S. Census Bureau