The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Wyoming


The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Wyoming
The Star Valley Wyoming Temple
Area NA Central
Members 67,797 (2022)
Stakes 19
Wards 143
Branches 29
Total Congregations 172
Temples 1 Operating
1 Under Construction
1 Announced
3 Total
Family History Centers 46

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Wyoming refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Wyoming. The church's first congregation in Wyoming was organized in 1877. It has since grown to 67,797 members in 172 congregations.

Official church membership as a percentage of general population was 11.5% in 2014 which is the third highest in the United States, behind Utah and Idaho. According to the 2014 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey, 9% of Wyomingites self-identify themselves most closely with the LDS Church. The LDS Church is the largest denomination in Wyoming.

Martin's Cove Wyoming
The Rock Church of Auburn, Wyoming

Stakes are located in Afton, Casper (2), Cheyenne (2), Cody, Evanston (2), Gillette, Green River, Kemmerer, Laramie, Lovell, Lyman, Riverton, Rock Springs, Sheridan, Thayne, and Worland.

The Wyoming Mormon Trail Mission was created in 2015 to cover church historical sites in the area, but the mission was discontinued in 2021.

History

Membership in Wyoming
Year Members
1920 10,764
1930 12,825
1940 17,806
1950 19,477
1960 22,965
1970 27,397
1980 47,314
1990 51,692
1999 54,425
2009 61,430
2019 67,729
Source: Windall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac State Information: Wyoming

The Willie and Martin handcart companies of 1857 became trapped in the winter snows and approximately 200 of the 1,075 in the companies died, but others were saved by Utah rescue parties.

In 1877, members settled the Star Valley area, and in 1878, Brigham Young Jr. dedicated the spot as a gathering place for the members.

County Statistics

List of LDS Church adherents in each county as of 2010 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives:

County Congregations Adherents % of Population
Albany 9 2,803 7.7
Big Horn 13 3,901 33.4
Campbell 6 2,247 4.9
Carbon 5 1,538 9.7
Converse 2 723 5.2
Crook 1 128 1.8
Fremont 10 3,618 9.0
Goshen 1 495 3.7
Hot Springs 1 551 11.5
Johnson 1 437 5.1
Laramie 9 4,456 4.9
Lincoln 23 9,556 52.8
Natrona 9 4,809 6.4
Niobrara 1 84 3.4
Park 9 3,180 11.3
Platte 1 308 3.6
Sheridan 5 1,452 5.0
Sublette 2 1,407 13.7
Sweetwater 15 7,972 18.2
Teton 3 1,418 6.7
Uinta 22 10,064 47.7
Washakie 3 1,129 13.2
Weston 1 357 5.0

Stakes

The Gillette Wyoming Stake Center
The Star Valley Tabernacle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located in Afton, Wyoming.
The entrance gate of the Martin's Cove Mormon Handcart Historical Center near Devil's Gate (Wyoming).

As of February 2023, Wyoming was home to the following stakes:

Stake Mission Temple District
Afton Wyoming Idaho Pocatello Star Valley Wyoming
Bridger Valley Wyoming Stake Utah Salt Lake City Ogden Utah
Casper Wyoming East Colorado Fort Collins Fort Collins Colorado
Casper Wyoming Colorado Fort Collins Fort Collins Colorado
Cheyenne Wyoming East Colorado Fort Collins Fort Collins Colorado
Cheyenne Wyoming Colorado Fort Collins Fort Collins Colorado
Cody Wyoming Montana Billings Billings Montana
Evanston Wyoming South Utah Salt Lake City Ogden Utah
Evanston Wyoming Utah Salt Lake City Ogden Utah
Gillette Wyoming Montana Billings Billings Montana
Green River Wyoming Utah Salt Lake City Vernal Utah
Kemmerer Wyoming Utah Salt Lake City Star Valley Wyoming
Laramie Wyoming Colorado Fort Collins Fort Collins Colorado
Lovell Wyoming Montana Billings Billings Montana
Riverton Wyoming Colorado Fort Collins Billings Montana
Rock Springs Wyoming Utah Salt Lake City Vernal Utah
Sheridan Wyoming Montana Billings Billings Montana
Thayne Wyoming Idaho Pocatello Star Valley Wyoming
Worland Wyoming Montana Billings Billings Montana

Missions

As of 2023, no missions were headquartered in Wyoming. However, Wyoming is served by four missions headquartered outside the state.

Mission Organized
Colorado Fort Collins Mission 1 July 2013
Idaho Idaho Falls 1 July 2013
Montana Billings Falls 11 November 1950
Utah Salt Lake City Mission 1 July 2013

Temples

Temples in Wyoming ()

Temples in Wyoming
= Operating
= Under construction
= Announced
= Temporarily Closed

On October 1, 2011, the Star Valley Wyoming Temple was announced by church president Thomas S. Monson. A second temple to be built in Casper was announced on April 4, 2021, by Russell M. Nelson. Nelson announced a third temple, to be built in Cody, on October 3, 2021.

Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size: 		Afton, Wyoming, United States
October 1, 2011 by Thomas S. Monson
April 25, 2015 by Craig C. Christensen
October 30, 2016 by David A. Bednar
18,609 sq ft (1,728.8 m2) on a 43.6-acre (17.6 ha) site
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Size: 		Casper, Wyoming, U.S.
4 April 2021 by Russell M. Nelson
9 October 2021 by S. Gifford Nielsen
10,000 sq ft (930 m2) on a 9.5-acre (3.8 ha) site
Location:
Announced:
Size: 		Cody, Wyoming, United States
3 October 2021 by Russell M. Nelson
9,950 sq ft (924 m2) on a 5-acre (2.0 ha) site

Communities

Latter-day Saints had a significant role in establishing and settling several communities within the "Mormon Corridor", including the following in Wyoming:

See also