Demographics of Cody, WY
Affluence Level in Cody, WY
A middle-class area roughly in line with national averages across income, home values, education, and employment.
People of Cody, WY
The people of Cody, Wyoming, today number 10,121, forming a predominantly white (91.0%) and politically conservative community with a strong Western ranching and tourism identity. The city is notably less diverse than the national average, with a foreign-born population of just 1.2% and a Hispanic share of 4.7%. College-educated residents make up 40.3% of adults, reflecting a workforce anchored by the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Yellowstone National Park tourism, and energy-sector employment. The population is older than the national median, with a distinct character shaped by generations of ranching families, seasonal service workers, and a steady trickle of out-of-state retirees and remote workers drawn to the mountain lifestyle.
How the city was settled and grew
Cody was founded in 1896 by Colonel William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody as the gateway to the newly established Yellowstone National Park and the Shoshone River Valley. The original population was overwhelmingly native-born white homesteaders, ranchers, and railroad laborers, drawn by the federal land grants of the 1862 Homestead Act and the promise of irrigated agriculture along the Shoshone Project. The first wave of settlers clustered in the Original Townsite (the grid around Sheridan Avenue and the railroad depot), building wood-frame houses and storefronts that still define the historic downtown. A second wave arrived during the 1920s oil boom, when the discovery of the Oregon Basin field brought roughnecks and drillers to the South Side neighborhood, where modest bungalows and worker cottages were built along 12th to 17th Streets. By 1930, Cody's population had reached roughly 1,800, almost entirely white and native-born, with a small number of Mexican laborers working on the railroad and in the sugar beet fields near Powell. No significant immigrant enclave formed; the city's isolation and arid climate discouraged large-scale settlement by any group other than Anglo-American ranchers and their descendants.
Modern era (post-1965)
The post-1965 period brought no major immigration-driven diversification to Cody. The city's foreign-born share has remained below 2% for decades, and the 2020 Census recorded only 1.2% foreign-born residents. Instead, domestic in-migration has been the dominant demographic force. Beginning in the 1970s, retirees and second-home buyers from California, Colorado, and the Midwest began purchasing properties in the West Park subdivision, a planned development of larger lots and newer homes west of the historic core. A second wave of domestic migrants arrived after 2000, drawn by remote-work flexibility and the appeal of low taxes and outdoor recreation; these newcomers concentrated in the Mountain View and Skyline Ranch subdivisions on the city's north and east edges, where custom homes on acreage are common. The Hispanic population has grown modestly from 2.8% in 2000 to 4.7% today, driven by service-sector workers in hospitality and construction, but remains dispersed rather than clustered in a single neighborhood. East/Southeast Asian residents account for 0.4% of the population, and Black residents 0.3%, with no distinct ethnic enclave. The Indian-subcontinent population is effectively zero. The city's racial homogeneity has actually increased slightly since 2000, as the white share has held steady above 90% while the small minority populations have grown only incrementally.
The future
Cody's demographic trajectory points toward continued slow growth and modest diversification, but not rapid change. The city's population is projected to reach roughly 11,500 by 2035, driven primarily by domestic migration of retirees and remote workers from higher-cost states. The Hispanic share may rise to 6-7% over the next decade as service-sector jobs in tourism and healthcare attract younger workers, but the foreign-born share is unlikely to exceed 3% given the lack of established immigrant networks and the high cost of housing. The city is not tribalizing into distinct ethnic enclaves; instead, new subdivisions like Ridgeview Estates and Buffalo Bill Heights are filling with a mix of out-of-state newcomers and local families, creating a homogenized suburban landscape. The most notable demographic trend is age: the median age of 42.5 is above the state average, and the share of residents over 65 (22%) is growing as younger adults leave for college and urban jobs. This aging pattern, combined with the low foreign-born share, means Cody will likely remain a predominantly white, conservative, and older community for the foreseeable future.
For someone moving in now, Cody offers a stable, low-crime environment with strong community institutions and a clear cultural identity rooted in ranching and the Old West. The trade-off is limited racial and ethnic diversity, a small dating pool for younger singles, and a housing market that has become increasingly expensive relative to local wages. The city is becoming more affluent and more oriented toward tourism and remote work, but its demographic character is unlikely to shift dramatically in the next generation.
* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area. Last updated: 2026-04-21T10:49:18.000Z
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