Wyoming State Government Revenue Update

Posted by Bobbie Frank on May 7, 2026

The Wyoming Taxpayers Association, of which GoWest is a member, provided the following summary of the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group (CREG) April 2026 Revenue Update. The report does not modify the official revenue forecast, as revised in January 2026, but rather serves as a benchmark of collected revenues versus forecast revenues for policymakers. In general, revenues are nearly in line with CREG’s January 2026 forecast. Notably, revenue streams from mineral sources could be boosted ahead of projections due to rising oil prices from the Iran conflict offsetting lower natural gas prices from a warm winter season.

While interest and dividends from permanent funds are lagging behind the forecast, capital gains on investments are strong, yet again, more than offsetting the lag.  Furthermore, sales and use tax collections exceed the forecast by nearly four percent.  Severance taxes remain on pace with the forecast, contrasted by federal mineral royalties (FMRs) falling behind forecast by close to four percent; however, these collections lag by three months, reflecting a pre-Iran conflict market, so they are reasonably expected to exceed the forecast by fiscal year’s end.  Coal production’s strength has offset some of the revenue reduction from the reduced federal royalty rate and the low natural gas prices from a warm winter on the severance tax front. Oil prices continue to remain elevated, projecting strength in revenue collections as the fiscal year closes out.

Taken together, this means that the General Fund is ahead of pace by 2.7 percent, thanks to strong sales and use tax collections, investment income, and severance taxes, slightly offset by lower than projected revenue from all other categories. Notably, the latter is expected to reach its forecast due to irregular collections throughout the fiscal year. The Budget Reserve Account finds itself behind revenue projections by three percent due to lagging FMRs, but likely could exceed expectations with higher revenues in the final months of the fiscal year.  Finally, the School Foundation Program Account (SFP) is strictly on pace with revenue projections when taking investment guarantees into account. The SFP is boosted by state lease payments and bonuses and state royalties, while FMRs fall slightly below forecast.  Once again, this will change as the fiscal year comes to an end.

Posted in Advocacy on the Move, Wyoming Advocacy.