Browse / United States / Wyoming / Ranchester
Ranchester
Wyomingtown
Ranchester
Total population
1,277
Median home value
$326,900
Bachelor's+
Median income
$69,464
Demographic figures from US Census Bureau · ACS 5-year estimates. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.
- Flood Watch · SevereFlood Watch issued September 18 at 2:50AM MDT until September 20 at 6:00PM MDT by NWS Billings MT
Source: NOAA National Weather Service.
City facts
Facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Overview
Ranchester is a town in Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,064 at the 2020 census.
Read more on WikipediaHistory & geography
History
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad came through the area in 1894. The townsite was first used when a railroad tie mill was created. The Englishman combined "ranch" with "chester" due to many towns in England ending that way. Governor Joseph M. Carey attended a picnic celebrating the new town. The picnic included racing, bucking contests, and contests on the river. During the 1980s the town benefited from a coal boom.
Geography
The Bighorn Scenic Byway passes through town. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.
Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).
Demographics & economy
Race & ethnicity
Source: US Census Bureau — American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.
Geography
Coordinates & boundaries from the US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles.
Climate
Current forecast
Forecast for Ranchester, WY from NOAA NWS API.
Air quality
Industrial & pollution facilities
Natural hazard risk
Health (adults)
Age-adjusted prevalence estimates from CDC PLACES (latest release).
Walkability
Amenities nearby
Wildlife & biodiversity
Schools
Largest nearby schools
- Tongue River High SchoolHigh · Dayton · 258 students · 17.2:1 ratio
- Tongue River ElementaryElementary · Ranchester · 230 students · 12.8:1 ratio
- Tongue River Middle SchoolMiddle · Ranchester · 159 students · 14.5:1 ratio
- Slack ElementaryElementary · Ranchester · 25 students · 12.5:1 ratio
- The Bridge SchoolHigh · Dayton · 7 students · 2.3:1 ratio
Public K–12 schools within ~10 mi from Urban Institute Education Data Portal (NCES Common Core of Data, 2022).
Earthquake history
Photos
Sights & places nearby
Notable people from here
Nearby places in Wyoming
Geography & sun
Elevation, sunrise/sunset and daylight from Open-Meteo. Solar climatology from NASA POWER.
Nearby airports
Public attention
Pageview totals from the Wikimedia Pageviews API.
Books about Ranchester
Search results from Open Library.
Recent natural events nearby
- Wildfire Harris, Rosebud, MontanaWildfires · 2026-08-09 · 33 mi
- Wildfire Lumin, Sheridan, WyomingWildfires · 2026-07-31 · 38 mi
- Wildfire Davis Coulee, Big Horn, MontanaWildfires · 2026-09-14 · 49 mi
- Wildfire Sarpy, Big Horn, MontanaWildfires · 2026-08-17 · 58 mi
- Wildfire Montgomery Draw, Campbell, WyomingWildfires · 2026-08-06 · 75 mi
- Wildfire Windmill, Stillwater, MontanaWildfires · 2026-08-19 · 131 mi
- Wildfire Snow, Custer, MontanaWildfires · 2026-09-02 · 145 mi
- Incident Complex Rattlesnake Complex, Prairie, MontanaWildfires · 2026-09-04 · 158 mi
Wildfires, storms and other events from NASA EONET (last 12 months, within 250 mi).
Ground air-quality sensors
Recently spotted species
Research-grade observations from iNaturalist (within ~15 mi).
Nearest stream gauge
Live readings from USGS NWIS · measured 2026-10-05 13:15 UTC.
Events
Gallery
Sources
- • Wikipedia
- • US Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates)
- • NOAA National Weather Service
- • Wikidata
- • USGS NWIS (water data)
- • NCES via Urban Institute Education Data Portal
- • iNaturalist
- • CDC PLACES
- • Open-Meteo / sunrise-sunset.org
- • Wikipedia Pageviews API
- • Open Library
- • NASA EONET