The Report for the Wyoming Cost of Living Index for the fourth quarter of 2022 has been released. I realize that it likely isn't the most entertaining report to read for most of you, so I am providing you a summary regarding the 6 counties WYO HELP Serves.
Statewide inflation was 7.3% with food leading the charge at 15.1%. Yes, food really was that much higher. 

A statewide Cost of Living Index is set at 100. The following is a list of our counties and their index in relationship to that 100 mark.
Carbon - 95
Crook - 94
Goshen - 87
Niobrara - 87
Washakie - 86
Weston - 91

Researchers would use this data to suggest our counties are cheaper to live in than the rest of Wyoming. Except you have to look at the whole picture. Only 4 counties in Wyoming were greater than 100. Laramie (Cheyenne) 105, Sublette (Pinedale) 101, Lincoln (Afton area) 110, and Teton (Jackson) 167. To accurately gauge a true picture in Wyoming we really need to remove Teton county from the data. For instance the housing index for Teton is 228 compared to the state number of 100. That causes Niobrara county to pull in the lowest housing number of 72. 
Why does this matter? Because data like this is used to calculate where federal and state resources are allocated. When our counties constantly show a low cost of living index people who make decisions make assumptions about living conditions on the ground. All of our counties look like the cost of living is cheaper than half of the state. 

WYO HELP uses data like this along with information obtained from interviews and meetings to determine what areas to focus on for improvement. I will be providing charts to demonstrate what the data looks like for our counties along with dialog to explain what I see.

Carbon county has the highest cost of our counties at 89 followed by Crook at 85. The rest are nearly the same between 72 and 76. We can use this data in terms of a relative comparison but they wouldn't normally be so far below 100 except for Teton county coming in at 228. It also doesn't consider affordability as this index does not consider the average wage.

All 6 counties have about the same number for transportation with 3 tied at 102 and the other 3 at or near 100.

While some do not consider recreation to be essential, it is essential for overall health. Crook and Goshen have the highest recreation costs.

As you can see on this chart for all items, Teton county soars above the rest of Wyoming. Out of our 6 counties Carbon is the highest at 95 followed by Crook (94) and Weston (91). The other 3 are together near the bottom.

For food costs Weston is our highest county at 108 followed by Niobrara at 107. Goshen is third at 101. 

Washakie County has the highest apparel costs with Weston next at 105, Niobrara at 104, and Goshen at 100.

In terms of medical costs our counties trend towards the highest costs with Carbon at 122 and the highest in the state, Weston in 2nd place at 119, followed by Crook at 107. Our other 3 counties range from 99 to 102.

This report did not include wages. Livable wage indexes include food, child care, medical, housing, transportation, taxes, and other expenses. This wage is not a survival wage, but a wage that a person would need in order to live well. The data I list below is for a single person with no children. As you can image the required wage goes up substantially when you add more people. A single person with a child would need about double the income I list below.
Teton county is the highest at $19.06 as a reference point. Carbon County is our highest at $15.97 followed by Weston at $15.91. Crook is next at $15.26. Washakie is $15.28. Goshen is $15.26 and Niobrara is lowest at $15.10.
If a single person's wage is less than this amount then they must go without something that would contribute to their ability to live a healthy life.

Wyoming faces a difficult challenge when it comes to improving mental health care and lowering it's suicide rate which is the highest in the nation. 
One contributing factor is a lack of resources. Wyoming's small population spread out over hundreds of miles makes it difficult to provide any kind of service. It can be hard for providers to make it work financially without some kind of external support. 
Another factor is the perception that mental health care are for those who are really sick and need a lot of help. Many in Wyoming believe they can just will themselves out of poor mental health care. Just pull yourself up by your bootstraps or man up are popular phrases. 
It is also true that good mental health is not just a matter of addressing our mind or emotions, but also the various societal issues that often impact us negatively. 
How do we do that?
The Wyoming Governor and Wyoming Legislature are asking those questions and are putting task forces together. But that will never be enough. A solution from the top down never lasts.

Food insecurity has become a major issue all across Wyoming. WYO HELP has designated food insecurity as a major focus this year and the upcoming year. We will look to improve our existing pantry, open new pantries, or partner with existing food pantries in the counties we serve.
The current inflation realities have left many families unable to buy enough food and this is especially true of senior citizens. We invite you to partner with us to fight hunger in Wyoming. The following is data for the 6 counties we serve. Please note that the data is from 2020.

Carbon County
Total Estimated Food Insecure Population - 1,620
Food Insecurity Rate - 10.7%
Estimated Population Eligible for SNAP  - 51%
Average Meal Cost - $3.47
Estimated Food Budget Shortfall for County - $906,000.
Crook County
Total Estimated Food Insecure Population - 680
Food Insecurity Rate - 9.1%
Estimated Population Eligible for SNAP  - 39%
Average Meal Cost - $3.37
Estimated Food Budget Shortfall for County - $369,000
Goshen County
Total Estimated Food Insecure Population - 1,390
Food Insecurity Rate - 10.4%
Estimated Population Eligible for SNAP  - 43%
Average Meal Cost - $3.07
Estimated Food Budget Shortfall for County - $686,000.