We Went To The Richest Town In America. It’s Not Where You Think.
Billionaires hide in plain sight in America’s richest county.
But the workers who keep the town running can no longer afford to live there. Half commute an hour through a canyon just to get to work.
Jackson Hole tells the story of wealth inequality playing out everywhere.
Producer & Editor: Josh Hirschfeld-Kroen
Reporter & Producer: John Russell
Videographers: Mike Wynn
Motion Designer: Ian McKenna
Supervising Producer: Meg Herschlein
Video Production Manager: Isabel Atalaya
Video Production Coordinator: Jodi Clemens
Video Production Fellow: Astrid Dong
Video Editing Fellow: Daria Nastasia
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More Perfect Union is an Emmy-winning, nonprofit newsroom whose mission is to build power for working people. Here’s what that means: We report on the real struggles and challenges of the working class from a working-class perspective. We attempt to connect those problems to potential solutions. We report on the abuses and wrongdoing of corporate power. And we seek to hold accountable the ultra-rich who have too much power over America’s political and economic systems.
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@jamesburge1983
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
Damn, it sounds like if you are not super rich it is worth your time to just leave.
@adhdiy-82
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
Idk, who is forcing the folks to keep working for this area though? The people not understand how capitalism works? If these Rich elite folks had no one to do their bidding. No one to do the things they don't want to do to help them live.then things would change? I mean when I was a late teen early twenties and I was actually homeless. The reason I was able to get out of it was because I decided to not participate anymore. Controversial as it may be, it's the truth. Granted there are some folks who can't do that, but I have found the vast majority can. And as such, I asked again who's forcing these folks to work here that we're supposed to feel sorry for? Especially the ones that travel so far. That makes zero sense to me. Sure it sucks the current situation And no one should have to move from where they live because of billionaires. But at the same time have a growth mindset. Move on if you have to or understand the existence of the current situation.
@phenyomatseke557
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
They always say Kanye is crazy 😂
@benfaubion
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
The environment is pretty.. the art is nice, and wildlife is superb, and there’s lots of room.. all much more enjoyable than looking someone in the eye who has problems and grief that you don’t want to hear about.
@meeeevans
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
The problem isn't rich or poor people, it's the mismanagement and corruption of the government.
https://youtu.be/4RmArwGGmPY?is=BYhCibqPzMuY3yCe
@1923modeltt
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
Now their here ruining Montana. Neat.
@imcurious1156
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
I don't understand the issue. I used to live in LA, I loved it. It got too expensive so I had to move to Phoenix. Why is there an obligation to provide affordable housing to people in a community? Because where will all the baristas work(?) you'll ask. The billionaires will bring their own baristas, is the answer. What is the big deal? I'm grateful 90%+ of the land around Teton is public so us non-billiionaires can go see it. Ironically, I'm grateful to a billionaire for donating this land to the the government. The only sad part of the story, which is never shared, is that today's billionaires (which are far richer than Rockefeller) are not donating any land to the federal government.
Ya'll are complaining about the wrong thing.
@pattiellen5339
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
I was a year-round caretaker on a small ranch outside of Jackson for five years. Amazing property with the Snake River on one side, and with amazing views of the Tetons on the other. I didn’t pay any rent, and was basically paid to help the couple who owned the property. They only came for two months each summer, but would have me collect all of their mail and send it to them in California, to make it look like Wyoming was their full time residence. They had a few horses and a barn so that they could call it a ranch for property tax purposes I suppose. I loved every minute of living at that ranch. I also house-sat for a woman for two years while she and her new husband traveled around the world. It had seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms. Free housing, and she paid me as well. She also had her housekeepers come twice per week while I was there, which felt odd. I lived in the valley for a total of 18 years, and the cost of living finally drove me out. Now I actually own property about an hour south of Jackson, something that would be far out of my reach in Teton County.
@jamesjobe927
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
This is economic warfare not conservation.
@DanHovarter
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
They moved from Mexico to somewhere that is beautiful, clean and great for families
Why don’t you just be happy?
@AzatlanBear
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
😂 so Taylor swift dude and girls…
@XHollisWood
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
Get use to it, bc this is the new American Dream !! The wealth aren’t dumb.
@KnockdownDriver
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
Haters gonna hate. 🤷🏻♂️
@goodolarchie
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
Went there 10 years ago, and then 2 years ago. There was a new saying. "The billionaires help keep the millionaires out." All I cared about was seeing the damn tetons….
@Kristind66
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
It was exactly where I thought!
@s.u.645
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
Same thing is happening in Hawai’i. 😢
@YoYoRaeRae
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
Luther Propst accent AIN’T from Teton County. 🤔🤔🤔🤔 Pretty rich of an outsider saying, “We gotta limit growth.” For whom? Certainly not limiting the 1% but he’s sure willing to shit on the workers cleaning his barn or the bartenders or the contractors who have to drive AN HOUR AND A HALF to get to their job. JFC.
@hbofbyu1
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
Jackson Hole sucks in the winter
@sambaaxe
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
This sounds exactly like Queenstown New Zealand. Same rich people drving up the prices and not giving a damn about the people who need to live there. I reckon that in places like this, the working class should just leave and let the rich try to figure out how to stock their own grocery store and pump their own gas.
@1hawkinshughes
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
That’s not the west. That’s Midwest.
@andyblm5029
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
This is what happens when poorly educated people vote against their own interests.
Red states are killing their own people
@andrea67-me8
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
100 years and history repeats itself. Is humanity incapable of learning ?
@BrainstormJr
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
If you can't get by, then the country ain't for you. Looking at some other places instead.
@KateColors
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
Extreme is special? More like, selfish.
@markmontgomery6869
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
It’s all about the wealthy and screw everyone else.
@Bcompassionate
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
There’s SO Much abundance in this country. How does harming people to get wealthy and stay healthy feel good in one’s heart?
I mean, be rich! Love that! But the cruelty 😮 why?
@mikemiller5052
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
I spent a week there some 20 years ago. Beautiful place, but no way I could live there. My biggest memory is that the Mexican food at the Merry Piglets made me fart for 2 days.
@BuffyRae
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
This is starting to happen in Alaska too
@justinh7099
July 20, 2026 at 3:33 am
They live there for like 2 weeks out of the year
Comments are closed.