Rock Springs, WY — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Wyoming·Rock Springs

Sweetwater County · Rock Springs · population 22,967

First-time buyersShrinkingRenter-friendlySmall-town feel
View watchlist →
48
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Rock Springs stands

Population shrinking 0.6% per year.

Median home $290,155
1-year -1.6%
5-yr CAGR +3.9%
vs 5-yr peak -2.8%
Population -0.6%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2025-09$290k$202k$238k$274k$310k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
15/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
72/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,039/mo$0$578$1,156202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent12113980100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 23.3
Lean rent

At a 23.3 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Rock Springs. Owner-occupier ROI requires longer holds and the assumption that prices keep appreciating roughly at the rate of rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
42 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
58 · w22%
Distance from peak
73 · w18%
Population growth
36 · w16%
Rent YoY
24 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
43 · w10%
Long thesis

Rock Springs has held up across the cycle: home values at $290,155 with +3.9% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Rock Springs's population is shrinking 0.6% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.

About Rock Springs

Rock Springs is a city in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, with an estimated population of 22,967. The population has contracted 0.6% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Rock Springs is $290,155 as of 2026-04, down 1.6% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +3.9% annual growth (-2.8% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Rock Springs average $1,039 per month, down 4.3% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 48 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

Bull case

Held the highs: currently -2.8% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
The data is the data: Rock Springs has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

Bear case

Flat or shrinking population: -0.6% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Sweetwater County right now.

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Sweetwater County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Rock Springs

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
33° / 11°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
83° / 52°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
218
~60% of year
Annual precip
13″ rain
73″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Low
Wildfire
Moderate
Earthquake
Moderate
Flood
Low

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Rock Springs listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Rock Springs area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
56%
Dry climate
Median household income
$72,400
Wyoming state median
Top industries (state-level)
Mining (coal/oil)TourismAgriculture

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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