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Wyoming business insurance: requirements and costs

Wyoming is one of a handful of monopolistic workers' compensation states: the Department of Workforce Services (DWS) provides the required coverage, and it sets the class rates itself rather than adopting an NCCI filing.⁠1⁠2 Coverage is compulsory only for industries on a list in W.S. 27-14-108, such as construction, manufacturing, trucking, health care and restaurants, whatever the headcount.⁠2 DWS cut 2026 base rates 15.0% on average, and it has proposed another 2.0% cut for 2027, with a hearing on October 14, 2026.⁠3⁠4

Checked against 10 sources Last reviewed How we check figures

Wyoming at a glance

Workers’ comp requiredRequired only in listed extrahazardous industries (any headcount); others optional
Where employers buy itState fund only (monopolistic) (Wyoming Workers' Compensation Division, Department of Workforce Services)
Rates set byWyoming Department of Workforce Services (sets its own class rates; no NCCI)
Employer comp cost, 2023$1.57 per $100 of covered wages (US $0.98)
Comp rate index, 2024$1.41, ranked 8 of 51 (1 = most expensive)
Employer health premium, 2025$8,997 single, $27,084 family (average total premium)
Auto liability minimum25/50/20

Because DWS runs a single, self-supporting account, premium changes in Wyoming come from a public rate-making process, not an insurer filing. The statute requires the account to be "neither more nor less than self-supporting," lets DWS readjust class rates annually, and requires the governor's written approval of the rates.⁠2 DWS must report proposed adjustments to a legislative interim committee by October 1 of the year before they take effect, and must send each employer its approximate rates by October 1.⁠2 Two statutory limits restrain the swings: a class's base rate cannot rise more than 50% in a year, and DWS may hold back up to 50% of an actuarially determined decrease.⁠2 On top of the class rate, an employer's three-year claims experience can raise or lower the premium by as much as 85% of the base rate.⁠2 The statute also lets DWS grant discounts of up to 10% of the base rate for each of three programs: an approved safety program, an approved drug and alcohol testing program and a health and safety consultation program.⁠2

The recent decisions have been cuts. For 2026 DWS noticed a 15.0% average decrease in industry base rates against 2025, with individual classes falling between 2.25% and 27.75%.⁠3 For 2027 it proposes a 2.0% average decrease, but with individual classes ranging from a 16.7% decrease to a 12.5% increase, so a flat average can hide a rise for your class.⁠4 NASI's survey of actual employer cost shows the same direction: Wyoming employers spent $1.57 per $100 of covered wages in 2023, down from $1.99 in 2019. By our calculation that is a 21% drop, against 16% nationally, but it still leaves Wyoming above the national $0.98.⁠6 Oregon's ranking of manual rates in effect on January 1, 2024 put Wyoming 8th most expensive of 51 jurisdictions, at an index of $1.41 per $100 of payroll, or 130% of the median.⁠7 On health benefits, AHRQ's 2025 survey found 43.2% of Wyoming private-sector establishments offered coverage, against 49.2% nationally, and 30.2% of those with fewer than 50 employees (32.1% nationally). The average single-coverage premium per enrolled employee was $8,997, close to the $9,025 national figure; in small firms it was $8,691, about 4% below the $9,034 national small-firm figure by our calculation.⁠8

For an employer, the first question is whether your business is on the list. The statute covers all workers in whole sectors (construction, mining, utilities, manufacturing, accommodation and food services, health care and several others) and only parts of others, such as retail, wholesale and real estate. Sectors it does not name, such as professional services and finance, are optional.⁠2 Coverage must be in place before work begins, and a covered employer cannot start work in the state without a statement of coverage from DWS.⁠1⁠2 The consequence of skipping it is lost protection: an employer that has not qualified, or that is more than 30 days late on premium, can be sued by an injured employee outside the comp system.⁠2 After notice from DWS, an employer in that position is also liable to the state for all awards paid and reserved on the claim.⁠2 DWS states that it assigns your classification and rates after you register through its WYUI portal.⁠1 For a sense of scale, take a clerical payroll of $200,000 at the 2026 base rate of $0.31 per $100 (our calculation): $620 before any experience modification or discount.⁠9

Workers’ compensation in Wyoming

Employers in the industries listed in W.S. 27-14-108(a) must cover all workers in those sectors, regardless of individual occupation or headcount, before work begins.⁠1⁠2 The list includes construction, mining, utilities, manufacturing, accommodation and food services, health care and trucking, plus parts of retail, wholesale, real estate and other sectors.⁠2 An employer outside the list may elect coverage, but then must cover all its employees.⁠2

Who is exempt

  • Employers in industries not listed in W.S. 27-14-108 (for example professional services and finance) may choose coverage but need not carry it
  • Sole proprietors and partners are not employees unless coverage is elected under W.S. 27-14-108(k)
  • Corporate officers are not employees unless coverage is elected; LLC members may also elect under (k)
  • Independent contractors, casual labor, and a spouse or dependent living in the employer's household are excluded from the definition of employee
  • Arts, entertainment and recreation businesses whose primary revenue also comes from agriculture, forestry or logging may ask DWS to exclude that employment from coverage (W.S. 27-14-108(o))

Buying coverage and who sets the rates

Register through DWS's WYUI employer portal; DWS reviews the application, assigns a classification and rate, and reports and premium payments go through the same account.⁠1 DWS's employer page names DWS as the source of required coverage and mentions no private-carrier or NCCI route.⁠1

Latest rate decision (1 Jan 2026): DWS noticed a 15.0% average decrease in industry base rates for 2026 against 2025 (individual classes -2.25% to -27.75%); the 2026 schedule took effect Jan. 1, 2026. For 2027 DWS proposes a 2.0% average decrease (classes from -16.7% to +12.5%), with a hearing on Oct. 14, 2026 and no final decision yet. Official notice.

Wyoming’s state fund publishes its full rate schedule as public law: look up every Wyoming class rate or try the premium calculator.

Penalties for going without

An employer that has not qualified, or has not paid required premium within 30 days of the due date, loses the exclusive-remedy shield and can be sued by an injured employee.⁠2 After notice from DWS, the employer is also liable to the state for all awards paid and reserved on the claim, can be charged 1% a month interest on unpaid premium, can face a lien on its property and can be enjoined from operating until it pays.⁠2 A report not filed within 30 days of its due date also draws a $100 penalty for each delinquent report, in addition to the delinquent-premium penalties.⁠2

What Wyoming employers pay

Employer workers’ compensation costs per $100 of covered wages, 2019–2023
YearWyomingUnited States
2019$1.99$1.17
2020$1.83$1.08
2021$1.83$1.01
2022$1.68$1.00
2023$1.57$0.98

Employer cost per $100 of covered wages: premiums paid by insured employers plus benefits and administrative costs of self-insured employers, divided by the wages of workers covered by workers’ compensation. The United States figure is NASI’s national total, which includes federal programs. Source: National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI), published 11 Aug 2026.

Oregon’s biennial comparison of workers’ comp rates puts Wyoming’s index for rates in effect on 1 January 2024 at $1.41 per $100 of payroll, 30% above the national median of $1.09 (rank 8 of 51, where 1 is the most expensive). The index prices the same 50 risk classes, weighted by Oregon payroll, in every state, so it compares rate levels rather than what employers actually pay. Compare every state.

Employer health insurance in Wyoming

Average annual premium per enrolled employee at private-sector employers, 2025
MeasureWyomingFirms under 50United States
Single coverage, total premium$8,997$8,691$9,025
Family coverage, total premium$27,084$25,028$26,281
Employee share, single$1,497–$1,817
Employers offering coverage43.2%30.2%49.2%

Average total annual premium per enrolled employee at private-sector establishments that offer health insurance; the offer rate is the share of establishments offering coverage. Small firms have fewer than 50 employees. Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, 2025 survey year. All states.

Commercial auto in Wyoming

Every vehicle registered in Wyoming, including business vehicles, must carry at least 25/50/20 in liability limits (bodily injury per person / per accident / property damage, in thousands of dollars). Official source.

Drivers must carry liability insurance of at least 25,000/50,000/20,000: $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident and $20,000 property damage per accident, as WYDOT states and as W.S. 31-9-405(b) provides. Driving without required liability coverage is a misdemeanor under W.S. 31-4-103, punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a $500 to $1,500 fine, or both.⁠5⁠10 Commercial-vehicle and federal minimums are not covered here.

Trucks and buses used in interstate commerce must also meet federal minimums of $750,000 to $5 million: see commercial auto minimums and what commercial auto costs.

Other Wyoming rules that affect insurance costs

Electing coverage when you are not on the list

A non-listed employer can opt in, but must cover all employees, and can withdraw only after two years and only if current on premiums.⁠2 Officers, members, partners and sole proprietors can be added by written notice at registration or 30 days before a calendar quarter; once elected, coverage cannot be dropped for the next eight quarters.⁠2 Pricing for these elections is not separately published, so ask DWS for the class and rate before electing.

What moves your premium after the class rate

Experience rating uses up to three years of claims, and the statute caps credits and surcharges at 85% of the base rate for rates from 2017 on.⁠2 DWS can also create a premium deductible program with a reduced base rate, and discounts of up to 10% each for safety, drug and alcohol testing and health and safety consultation programs.⁠2 An employer can request the data and formulas DWS used to compute its rate.⁠2

Wyoming compared with its neighbors

Workers’ comp and health insurance costs, Wyoming and neighboring states
Wyoming$1.57$1.41$8,997
Montana$1.39$1.34$8,899
South Dakota$0.88$1.13$8,985
Nebraska$0.89$1.12$8,907
Colorado$0.64$1.05$8,816
Utah$0.58$0.63$8,448
Idaho$1.34$1.10$8,770

Sources

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National figures: NASI (employer comp costs), Oregon DCBS (rate index), AHRQ MEPS-IC (health premiums).

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Other states

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