Say Anything Blog

The Fargo Forum - North Dakota’s population grew by a smidgen this year but posted the second straight year of modest gains after three years of decline since 2000.

The state’s population grew by 369, according to official census estimates released Wednesday, and stands at 636,677, up from the estimated 633,308 last year.

“That’s encouraging,” said Don Canton, a top policy aide for Gov. John Hoeven, “particularly since it’s the second year in a row.”

North Dakota officials attribute the modest reversal of the population decline to an economy that has grown faster than the nation’s in recent years. The state also has added manufacturing jobs in defiance of national trends. Still, North Dakota’s estimated 2005 population dipped 0.9 percent from 2000, when the census count was 642,200.

It would be nice to see the population grow a bit more, but the fact that we've started making gains instead of losses in that area is heartening.

I think a lot of this has to do with the state's need for workers. North Dakota's economy is thriving, and the demand for workers is sky high. The state's unemployment rate is at 2.5%. Employers are screaming for workers, and it would seem as though more North Dakotans are staying at home to fill those open jobs.

That's a great thing.