Minot’s population slipped about 1% last year, according to new estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau today.

The estimate for July 2021 was 47,789, which was down from 48,306 in the July 2020 estimate. It showed a 1.2% decline from the official April 2020 Census of 48,377.

Minot wasn’t the only city to see a decline. Williston’s population was reported down by 6.2% from the 2020 Census, and Dickinson was down 2%.

Kevin Iverson, State Data Center director with the North Dakota Department of Commerce, said the July 2021 estimates reflect the slump in oil prices and depressed Bakken activity occurring at that time.

Although detailed demographic information isn’t available, he said, he suspects the migration came due to the mobility of younger adults. The population of the oil patch counties became considerably younger in recent years.

“They don’t tend to be established, to be locked into a community. It’s a lot easier for them to move on to the next place,” Iverson said.

Brekka Kramer, incoming president of the Minot Area Chamber EDC, said the numbers don’t raise a concern.

“You never want to see any kind of downward trend, but everything else we are seeing in Minot is just showing growth,” Kramer said.

“The investments that have taken place show us as a growing community. With some of the data points we track, we are seeing a trend of growth, and we also are optimistic as we see additional housing options come online.”

Iverson said the new estimates for North Dakota continue the long-term trend of population decline in rural communities. The surprise is the decline has expanded to rural counties with high Native American populations, indicating more are leaving reservations for larger cities, he said.