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Population dips

Census bureau says Minot lost population in 2017 estimates

Jill Schramm/MDN A checkered water tower rising above a housing development in northwest Minot is being replaced by a neighboring structure under construction. The new tower is being built to provide fire-fighting capacity and backup water supply to accommodate recent city expansion and future growth.

Minot’s population dipped for a second straight year, according to new estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau today.

The estimated 47,822 residents as of July 2017 still is about 17 percent more than the 40,888 residents officially recorded in the 2010 census. However, it is down nearly 3.6 percent from the estimated peak of 49,596 residents in July 2015 and down by 922 residents, or 1.9 percent, from the July 2017 estimate. The slight uptick in population loss last year comes as oil activity continues to lag beyond what it once was.

“We are not immune to the impact of what’s going on in the economy. I think as activity picks up in the Bakken, we will see our population pick up accordingly,” Minot Mayor Chuck Barney said.

He added, though, it is good news to see the city is hanging onto much of the previous growth from recent years.

“That’s kind of a reflection on the community – that people got here and they like it and they decided to make their home here, even with the downturn,” he said.

Jill Schramm/MDN A moving truck sits outside a Minot residence. New census estimates suggest more out-migration than in-migration during the year ended last July, although the number of housing units increased by 65.

Because the population remains well above the 2010 census, the city isn’t seeing any decrease in demand for services, said Barney, who noted calls for emergency response continue to rise.

A previous census release showed Ward County’s population estimate of 68,946 last July is down somewhat, with about 77 percent of residents living in towns and the remainder in rural areas.

Kevin Iverson, director of the State Census Data Center, said the state’s population also retracted a little in 2017 to 755,393 residents. Births dropped off a bit, although the state’s fertility rate continues to be high compared to the rest of the country, he said.

“There’s some good news,” he added. “We didn’t really see a drop off in housing units. This past year we were one of the states that was up.”

North Dakota ranked 17th among states in housing unit growth last year and showed the largest growth, 18 percent, since 2010. There were about 4,000 units added in the year ended July 2017, of which 1,826 were located in Cass County. Burleigh was up 537 units, Grand Forks 308 and Ward 65. McKenzie, where oil-related growth has continued, was up 125 units.

Watford City also bucked the trend in showing population growth last year, based on estimates. The estimated population of 6,523 was up 105 residents, or 1.6 percent. That pace put it just behind Fargo, the state’s largest city, with its 122,359 residents and 1.66 percent growth rate. West Fargo continues to be one of the state’s fastest growing cities, with a nearly 2.8 percent increase estimated last year.

Bismarck also grew by 0.7 percent and Grand Forks by 0.4 percent, according to the census bureau.

In the oil patch, Williston lost an estimated 704 residents – a loss slightly larger than the previous year – to bring the population to 25,586. That remains about 74 percent ahead of the 2010 census, although down 5 percent from the 2015 population peak.

Dickinson, with an estimated 22,186 residents, saw a 2.3 percent population loss in the year ended last July, which also was the second straight year of loss for that city.

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