Josh Dorell, CEO of the Wyoming Business Council, told the Fremont County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that the state’s economy faces long-term structural challenges — including stagnant GDP, declining wages relative to neighboring states and significant out-migration among working-age adults.

Dorell presented data visuals by Zoom and said Wyoming’s GDP growth has been flat since about 2008, while neighboring states have climbed. He warned that wages are not keeping pace with cost-of-living increases and said the state is experiencing the nation’s highest out-migration of young adults: "We have the worst out migration of any other state in the nation, and we are 2 times more likely, for people to leave our state than the national average," he told commissioners.

Why it matters: Commissioners raised local housing affordability and workforce recruitment as immediate constraints for county services and businesses. Dorell emphasized that many solutions are local — regulatory reform, incentivizing housing development and targeting infrastructure investments — and offered the Business Council’s help coordinating regulatory and housing work locally.

Questions: Commissioners pressed Dorell on whether a sales-tax increase could fund local needs; Dorell said his polling found mixed public appetite but noted 35% of respondents would moderately or strongly support a small tax increase if revenue is transparent and targeted to economic opportunities.

Next steps: Dorell offered to return for a follow-up deep dive on housing and revenue topics and to coordinate county meetings with Business Council staff.

What he did not claim: Dorell framed his comments as data and policy options, not mandates; he repeatedly offered the Council’s assistance rather than prescribing state-level legislation.