Crook County, Wyoming

Crook County exhibits violent and property crime rates substantially lower than both Wyoming and national benchmarks. Law enforcement coverage is managed primarily by the Crook County Sheriff's Office alongside municipal police departments in Sundance and Moorcroft, reporting stable and minimal incidents.

Crook County School District #1 serves the entire county, operating campuses in Sundance, Moorcroft, and Hulett. Public schools routinely achieve solid state performance ratings and above-average graduation rates relative to state benchmarks.

Wildfire is the predominant environmental hazard across the forested Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains terrain. Severe winter blizzards and convective summer wind or hail storms represent secondary risks, while riverine flood risk is largely isolated to low-lying drainage basins.

Economic activity is anchored by agriculture, bentonite mining, forestry, tourism surrounding Devils Tower National Monument, and public education. Growth momentum remains moderate and steady, constrained by low housing density and rural infrastructure.

Composed from the ARED governance burden registry — tier-native tax structure (state + county + city + special districts), never averaged. Federal (United States (federal)) — Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Superfund Liens: Establishes a statutory federal lien upon the parcel running in favor of the United States for all unrecovered cleanup costs, damages, and statutory interest incurred by the EPA. Rate and formula: Direct Dollar-for-Dollar Reimbursement (Lien Amount = Incurred Response Costs + Administrative Costs + Federal (United States (federal)) — Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA) Withholding: Imposes an affirmative withholding tax obligation on the transferee (buyer) to withhold and remit tax on the gross amount realized (gross sales price). The statutory base withholding rate is 15% of the total purchase price (Formula: Tax = Amount Realized × 15%). Exemptions and reductions: (1) 0% wit Federal (United States (federal)) — Federal General Tax Lien Encumbrance: Under IRC § 6321, a statutory lien arises automatically as of the date of assessment and attaches to all real property owned or acquired by the taxpayer.

Crook County maintains a very limited, rural rental inventory dominated by single-family residences with median gross rent near $852 monthly. Investor competition is low, though seasonal tourism demand creates niche short-term rental interest near Devils Tower.

The economy centers on bentonite extraction and processing, livestock ranching, timber operations, tourism, and local public administration. Major employment centers include bentonite processing facilities and Crook County School District #1.

Interstate 90 serves as the primary regional east-west transportation corridor traversing Sundance and Moorcroft, connecting west to Gillette and east to Spearfish and Rapid City, South Dakota. US Highway 14 and WY-24 provide key links northward.

County planning adheres to rural low-density zoning regulations with residential development characterized primarily by small-scale custom builds, acreage parcels, and ranch home construction rather than large master-planned subdivisions.

The Crook County Assessor assesses real property annually at statutory Wyoming rates, with residential properties valued at 9.5% of fair market value. Notices of assessment are issued in the spring with a strict 30-day appeal window to the County Board of Equalization.

Property parcels are subject to Crook County School District #1 mill levies, rural fire protection districts, cemetery districts, weed and pest control districts, and conservation districts.

Property insurance rates are influenced predominantly by wildfire exposure ratings in forested parcels and convective hail risk, though premiums remain competitive relative to national coastal and storm-exposed jurisdictions.