North Dakota's population declined slightly over the past eight years, but the state has seen steady growth in the number of non-white residents during the same period, according to state data center at North Dakota State University.
The state's racial minority population grew to 55,209, an increase of 9,727 or about 21.4 percent since 2000, based on July 1, 2008 population estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau. That means nonwhites now make up 8.6 percent of the total population.
Population changes for 2008 were tracked according to five racial and ethnic groups:
- 91.39 percent of the state is white, compared with 92.92 percent in 2000. The number of whites in North Dakota, 586,272, is a decrease of 10,446 or 1.8 percent since 2000.
- American Indians remain the largest racial minority, now making up 5.56 percent of the state with 35,666 people.
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This segment grew by 13.4 percent or 4,226 people since 2000.
- The Hispanic population grew to 13,227 people, 2.06 percent of the total population. That represents a 69.9 percent increase since 2000.
- The black population now makes up 1.08 percent of the state.
The number of blacks in 2008 was 6,956, an increase of 2,799 since 2000.
- 1,183 more Asian residents live in North Dakota now than in 2000, rising to 5,095 people, and now account for 0.79 percent of the state's population.
What's new
North Dakota lost more than 10,000 whites since 2000, a decrease of 1.8 percent and one of the largest drops in recent decades. Still, the growth in minority residents kept the overall decrease at 0.1 percent, a decline of 719 residents, which lowered the population to 641,481.
Karen Olson, information specialist with the data center, said the overall population has stayed fairly level during the past two decades.
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But the demographics are shifting, especially since 2000.
"The change is kind of happening within the population, but overall we're seeing little change in total numbers," she said.
Grand Forks County's population grew by 476, or 0.7 percent, to a total of 66,585, and the county saw growth in all racial categories except white.
The Hispanic population increased by more than 50 percent, now accounting for about 3 percent of residents.
Other increases
Other increases include: 14 percent for black residents, 20.4 percent for American Indians and 27 percent for Asians.In 2008, about 7 percent of the county was nonwhite.
Cass County had the largest growth in the state -- gaining 16,780 residents, an increase of 13.6 percent -- and also had high spikes in all racial categories. Nonwhite residents increased by more than 3,700 people, and minority residents now make up about 6.4 percent of the county.
In 2000, 45,482 nonwhites lived in the state, making up 7.08 percent of the total population.
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Even though the rate climbed up to 8.6 percent in 2008, Olson warned the increases can seem larger than they really are because the numbers in each racial group remain small.
"Any change is going to look quite large in terms of the percentage change," she said.
Reach Johnson at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohnson@gfherald.com .
