North Dakota's population is getting older, but new census data suggests the state's strong economy and booming oil production has helped the state age slower than most of the U.S. over the past decade.
Rod Backman, chairman of the North Dakota Census Committee, said the aging population was expected -- that trend is happening across the country as baby boomers near retirement age.
More than a quarter of the state's residents are now over 55, and the number of North Dakotans between 55 and 64 has gone up more than 50 percent since 2000.
But Backman said analysis of census data through the end of 2008 shows that since 2000, North Dakota actually aged slower than Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana and even the national average.
The state's median age -- 37 years in 2010, up slightly from 36.2 in 2000 -- is higher than the national average. But that, too, isn't rising as fast as what's been seen nationally, he said.
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Backman said one explanation is that the booming energy industry in the western part of the state, combined with the nation's lowest unemployment rate and a growing manufacturing base, has helped North Dakota reverse its trend of losing residents to neighboring states.
The state is now gaining population -- many of them younger workers -- who move here in search of jobs. Still, he said the large number of baby boomers will likely continue to age North Dakota's population as they enter retirement.
"I don't know if it will be enough to offset it, but it's certainly slowing that growth rate," he said.
More diverse
North Dakota's population remained overwhelmingly white in the 2010 census count -- 90 percent of residents identified that as their only race, and the white population grew by about 2 percent since 2000.
But the state became more diverse during the past decade, and the racial minority population increased 37 percent.
That included a 17 percent increase in the number of American Indians, who remained the state's largest racial minority at 5.4 percent of the population.
The number of African-Americans more than doubled in the past decade to 7,960, enough to account for 1.2 percent of the state's population. Residents reporting to be Asian increased by 3,393, or about 89 percent, and now make up 1 percent of the state.
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And people of Hispanic origin made up 2 percent of North Dakota's population in 2010 -- an increase of 73 percent since 2000 to a total of 13,467. About half identified themselves as white.
Richard Rathge, director of the State Data Center at North Dakota State University, said the Hispanic population is reported separately from race, meaning it can cause some confusion about the minority population as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau.
"If people reporting both white alone and of Hispanic origin are included into the racial minority category, this racial and ethnic minority category in North Dakota grew by 41 percent during the past decade, from 53,051 in 2000 to 74,584 in 2010," he said.
Regional trends
Here are some highlights of the new census data for northeastern North Dakota:
Benson County saw its population decrease about 3.6 percent over the past decade, including an 18.4 percent drop in the number of residents reporting to be white. The county, which includes much of the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation, now has a population that is 55 percent American Indian -- a 9.5 percent jump since 2000.
Cavalier County had a 17.3 percent drop in its population to a 2010 total of 3,993. The median age increased over the past decade from 45.2 years to 50.3 years, and men now outnumber women at 51.2 percent of the population. The number of white residents dropped by 837 since 2000 while the number of minority residents increased slightly to now account for 2.3 percent of the population.
Griggs County's population decreased by 12.1 percent and aged significantly over the past decade, with the median age rising to 51.9 years from 45.8 years in 2000. More than a quarter of residents (26.3 percent) are 65 or older.
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Nelson County had six residents of Hispanic origin in 2000, but 33 residents were Hispanic in 2010 -- enough to now account for 1.1 percent of the population. The median age rose to 51.5 years as compared to 47.2 years in 2010, but the proportion of residents older than 65 remained steady at 27.4 percent.
Pembina County saw its Hispanic population drop by 74, a 28 percent decrease since 2000 when they made up 3.1 percent of the population. The 190 residents of Hispanic origin now make up 2.6 percent of the county. The county's median age rose to 46.7, up from 41.6 in 2000, while the proportion of residents 65 and older rose slightly to 20.1 percent.
Ramsey County's population became more diverse over the past decade. The county is now 87.7 percent white, down from 92.3 percent in 2000 -- driven in part by a more than 50 percent increase in the number of American Indians, who now make up 8.7 percent of the population. Similarly, the number of residents of Hispanic origin more than doubled to 137, enough to account for 1.2 percent of the county.
Steele County had 1,975 residents in 2010, a 12.5 percent drop since 2000. The number of residents 65 and older decreased by only one over the past decade but due to the population drop, elderly residents now make up 22.3 percent of the county. The changing demographics resulted in the median age rising to 47.7 years, up more than 6 years compared to 2000.
Traill County saw its population get older over the past decade to a median age of 42.6 years. About 4 percent of its residents are now 85 and older, up from 3.4 percent in 2000, but the proportion of people 65 and older decreased slightly to 18.7 percent. The African-American population in the county more than tripled to 42 people, enough to account for 0.5 percent of the population. American Indians remained the largest minority with 0.8 percent of the county's residents, down slightly from 2000.
Walsh County became more diverse over the past decade because of increasing Hispanic and American Indian populations while the county lost 1,270 residents -- a drop that was mostly reflected in the number of white residents. People of Hispanic origin remained the largest minority group with 969 residents, enough to make up 8.7 percent of the county's overall population and an increase of 269 since 2000. The county's median age rose to 45.9 years, exactly five years older than in 2000.
Reach Johnson at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohnson@gfherald.com .
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