Williston Had $250 Million More In Taxable Sales Than Fargo

Tweet

Written By:
Rob Port

Jul 20, 2012
3:45pm

According to a 2011 US Census population estimate, Williams County North Dakota has just 24,374 people. The true population, thanks to the Bakken oil boom that Williams County is at the heart of, is almost certainly some multiple of that number. But even at double or triple that number, the news that Williams County had $1 billion in taxable sales in the first quarter of 2012 is astonishing. That Williston, the seat of Williams County and home to most of its residents, is beating Fargo, which has a metro population measured in the hundreds of thousands, in taxable is even more astonishing, though this isn’t the first time the city has accomplished that feat.

In fact, Williston had hundreds of millions of dollars more in taxable sales than did Fargo.

Here’s a graph from the City of Williston:

According to the State Tax Commissioner’s Office, statewide taxable sales were $5.3 billion in the first quarter. This means that 20% of taxable sales, or $1 out of ever $5, took place in Williams County.

That’s jaw dropping for an area that, at least by census estimates, has just 3.66% of the state’s population.

It just goes to show how many of our state’s economic “eggs” are in the oil “basket.”