Every standard Wyoming license plate opens with a number from 1 to 23, and that number identifies the county where the vehicle is registered. The ranking was set in 1930, when the state ordered its 23 counties by total assessed property value and gave the wealthiest county the lowest number. Natrona County came in first; Sublette County landed at 23. Nearly a century later, Wyoming county numbers on license plates still follow that original 1930 sequence.1Wyoming Legislature. Viewing of Historic License Plate Collection
The Full List of County Numbers
Wyoming law requires every plate to carry “arabic numerals for the county in which issued” on its left side.2Wyoming Legislature. Wyoming Statute Title 31 – Motor Vehicles Here is each number with the county it stands for and the county seat where registration is handled.3Wyoming Department of Transportation. County License Plate Prefixes
- 1 – Natrona County (Casper)
- 2 – Laramie County (Cheyenne)
- 3 – Sheridan County (Sheridan)
- 4 – Sweetwater County (Green River)
- 5 – Albany County (Laramie)
- 6 – Carbon County (Rawlins)
- 7 – Goshen County (Torrington)
- 8 – Platte County (Wheatland)
- 9 – Big Horn County (Basin)
- 10 – Fremont County (Lander)
- 11 – Park County (Cody)
- 12 – Lincoln County (Kemmerer)
- 13 – Converse County (Douglas)
- 14 – Niobrara County (Lusk)
- 15 – Hot Springs County (Thermopolis)
- 16 – Johnson County (Buffalo)
- 17 – Campbell County (Gillette)
- 18 – Crook County (Sundance)
- 19 – Uinta County (Evanston)
- 20 – Washakie County (Worland)
- 21 – Weston County (Newcastle)
- 22 – Teton County (Jackson)
- 23 – Sublette County (Pinedale)
Why the Order Looks Wrong Today
The 1930 ranking has never been refreshed, and the state’s real wealth map has moved considerably since then. Campbell County, number 17, now sits at the center of Wyoming’s coal and energy production. Teton County, number 22, contains some of the most valuable real estate in the country. Reclassifying every existing plate record each time local economies shift would be an enormous administrative undertaking, so the 1930 order stays frozen.
Where the Number Sits on the Plate
On a standard plate, the county number sits at the far left, followed by the bucking horse and rider emblem, then the serial number assigned to the individual vehicle. State statute specifies that layout.2Wyoming Legislature. Wyoming Statute Title 31 – Motor Vehicles Older plates use a dash in place of the emblem.4University of Wyoming. License Plate Format
Counties with two-digit codes (10 through 23) have historically used stacked digits to keep the prefix compact, though some recent plate series print the numbers at full size. The 2026 base adds a letter class code after the county number to identify the vehicle type, with “P” marking passenger vehicles.
A few specialty plates, such as those issued to emergency medical technicians, are designed differently and are not required to carry the county numerals at all.2Wyoming Legislature. Wyoming Statute Title 31 – Motor Vehicles
What the County Number Actually Controls
The prefix is tied to where you register the vehicle. You register with the treasurer in your county of residence, and the plate’s number matches that county.3Wyoming Department of Transportation. County License Plate Prefixes
Registration fees have two parts: a county ad valorem fee based on the vehicle’s original factory price depreciated by year of service, and a flat state fee that goes to the general fund. The county portion is distributed monthly to schools, cities, and county government in the county where the vehicle was registered. That is why the coding matters to the state: register in the wrong county and the money flows to the wrong local budget.5Laramie County, Wyoming. Vehicle Registration
Personalized Plates Keep the Prefix
Choosing a personalized plate does not remove the county number. You can select up to five letters or an approved mix of letters and numbers, and the county designation stays on the plate. A personalized plate is always issued through the county whose number it carries, so a plate reading “19-HUNT” has to come from Uinta County.6Uinta County, WY. Personalized Plates The same custom text can exist in different counties, because the prefix sets them apart. A “1-HUNT” in Natrona and a “23-HUNT” in Sublette can be on the road at the same time.7Sublette County. Personalized and Special Plates
One rule flows directly from the numbering system: your personalized text cannot start with a digit, since every plate already begins with the county number. “MY65” is allowed, “65GT” is not.6Uinta County, WY. Personalized Plates