This week Governor Doug Burgum issued an executive order creating an initiative, called the Complete Count Task Force, aimed at ensuring an accurate census count in North Dakota. The national decennial population count is upon us, and it’s important for states like North Dakota to ensure accurate counts as the numbers will be used for…
North Dakota Is Now The 4th Youngest State In The Nation
According to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau the population of North Dakota has hit a new all-time high at 756,927. Here’s a chart of the state’s population growth since 2000: In the last decade the state’s population has grown 17 percent, adding roughly 120,000 residents. The state is also getting younger, and…
Baby Boom: North Dakota Had 5th Highest Natural Population Growth Rate In 2014
It’s not really a surprise that in 2014 North Dakota again led the nation in population growth. The plunge in oil prices didn’t happen until the end of 2014, and the beginning of 2015, so we aren’t yet seeing the impact of that on population growth. Still, this is pretty amazing: More amazing, however, is…
North Dakota Oil Patch Saw Biggest Decline In Age In The Nation, And That Has An Impact On Crime
Before North Dakota was making headlines as the epicenter of a boom in domestic shale oil production, and one of the few persistent bright spots in our national economy, ours was a state with an aging workforce and few opportunities for younger citizens. It wasn’t low unemployment or explosive economic growth that was dominating state…
City Official: New Protections For Homosexuals Will Make Little Difference
Despite the attention the issue gets, there’s little actual data to suggest that there’s any real problem with housing or employment discrimination against homosexuals. On the issue of housing discrimination specifically, I spoke with then-Labor Commissioner Tony Weiler back in April who told me that complaints over discrimination against homosexuals were not only minimal in…
72% Of Americans Think Gay Marriage Is Inevitable, Including 60% Of Those Who Oppose It
“According to the Pew Research Center’s latest poll, 72 percent of Americans say legal recognition of gay marriage is coming,” writes Scott Shackford for Reason. “It doesn’t necessarily mean they support it. Almost 60 percent of those who oppose recognition of same-sex marriages think it’s inevitable anyway.” Pew’s research goes much further, though, showing significant…
"We've Never Seen A Generation This Educated Also Be This Unemployed"
The quote above from from an Atlantic article about youth unemployment in the European Union. Not, thankfully, America. But still, the picture in the EU is grim, and you have to wonder how much behind the curve America is on this front: The EU unemployment rate set a new all-time high of 12.2 percent, according…
North Dakota's Jack Dalrymple Is The 4th Most Popular Governor In America
Among the 41 states in which polling is available, Governor Jack Dalrymple ranks as the 4th most popular governor according to data compiled by the New York Times’ Nate Silver. The full ranking is below. Dalrymple has a composite 68% approval rating, and 24% disapproval, aggregated from two separate polls. His high approval numbers illustrate…
Oil Patch Continues To Trump Population Numbers In North Dakota Sales Tax Collections
The annual sales tax report is out from Commissioner Cory Fong’s office (see below), and it’s got some pretty interesting numbers. Overall, in 2012 the State of North Dakota saw taxable sales grow an astonishing 28.7%, an increase of more than $5 billion from $25.29 billion to $19.6 billion. What’s interesting is that most of…
Number Of Women As Top Household Earners Growing, Birth Rates Falling
According to a Pew study, women are becoming the top income earners in an increasing number of households. Part of that increase is due to an increase in single mother households – not a positive for our society – but what’s interesting is that the number of married women who are the top income earners…