Claim: Wyoming is the least populous state in the nation.

Wyoming -LSB- waɪˈoʊmɪŋ -RSB- is a state in the mountain region of the western United States . The state is the tenth largest by area , the least populous and the second least densely populated state in the country . Wyoming is bordered on the north by Montana , on the east by South Dakota and Nebraska , on the south by Colorado , on the southwest by Utah , and on the west by Idaho . Cheyenne is the capital and the most populous city in Wyoming , with a population estimate of 63,335 in 2015 . The state population was estimated at 586,107 in 2015 , which is less than the population of 31 of the largest U.S. cities .   The western two-thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the Rocky Mountains , while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High Plains . Almost half of the land in Wyoming is owned by the U.S. government , leading Wyoming to rank sixth in the United States in total acres and fifth in percentage of a state 's land owned by the federal government . The federal lands include two national parksGrand Teton and Yellowstonetwo national recreation areas and two national monuments , as well as several national forests , historic sites , fish hatcheries , and wildlife refuges .   The Crow , Arapaho , Lakota , and Shoshone were some of the original inhabitants of the region . Southwestern Wyoming was included in the Spanish Empire and then Mexican territory until it was ceded to the United States in 1848 at the end of the Mexican -- American War . The region acquired the name Wyoming when a bill was introduced to Congress in 1865 to provide a `` temporary government for the territory of Wyoming . '' The territory was named after the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania , with the name ultimately being derived from the Munsee word xwé : wamənk , meaning `` at the big river flat . ''   The mineral-extraction industryespecially coal , oil , natural gas , and tronaalong with the travel and tourism sector , are the main drivers behind Wyoming 's economy . Agriculture has historically been an important component of the state economy with the main commodities being livestock -LRB- beef -RRB- , hay , sugar beets , grain -LRB- wheat and barley -RRB- , and wool . The climate is generally semi-arid and continental , being drier and windier in comparison to the rest of the United States , with greater temperature extremes .   Except for the 1964 election , Wyoming has been a politically conservative state since the 1950s , with the Republican party winning every presidential election .