North Dakota’s population grew to 639,715 in 2007, up 0.4 percent from 637,460 in 2006.

This month’s “Population Bulletin,” a monthly publication from the North Dakota State Data Center at North Dakota State University, focuses on county population estimates released from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Division.

The 2006 estimate of 637,460 differs from the 2006 numbers released one year ago because updated data became available.

“The county level population estimates show some very positive news for North Dakota,” says Richard Rathge, State Data Center director. “First, we tripled the number of population growth counties since the first part of the decade. Second, and most exciting, is the fact that we increased nearly fourfold the number of net inmigrating counties since the beginning of the decade. The majority of these counties are on the western side of the state.”

In North Dakota, the population grew in 15 counties from 2006 to 2007. Billings and Burleigh counties had the largest percentage growth (2.7 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively), followed by Cass and Williams counties (1.8 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively).

Slope County showed the largest percentage decline during this period (minus 4.4 percent), followed by McIntosh County (minus 4.3 percent).

The population within North Dakota continues to be centralized. The majority of North Dakotans (52.8 percent) reside in the top four populated counties (Cass, Burleigh, Grand Forks and Ward). This proportion is up from 49.4 percent in 2000.

Among all the states in the nation in 2007, North Dakota ranked 48th in total population and had the 12th lowest population growth rate from 2006 to 2007. Two states lost population during this time. Michigan declined by 0.3 percent and Rhode Island by 0.4 percent. The fastest growing states were Nevada and Arizona (2.9 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively).

NDSU Agriculture Communication