Jill Schramm/MDN Katie Roskelley, a caregiver with Magic City Day Care Center, plays with a child at the center Wednesday. The region has been growing in part due to the number of infants being added to the population.

Ward County’s population dipped by .8% in the latest U.S. Census estimates released today. The Census Bureau listed Ward County’s July 2022 population at 68,870, compared to 69,437 in July 2021.

North Dakota was feeling the lingering effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and oil prices were taking a hit during that period, said Kevin Iverson, director of the State Data Center, Bismarck. Already the state is rebounding, as evidenced by the nearly 18% growth in sales tax receipts reported by the North Dakota Tax Department, he said.

“When we look at this date a year from now, I think it’s going to be much stronger,” he said.

The largest numeric population losses from July 2021 to July 2022 were in Ward and Williams counties, with losses of 567 and 378 residents respectively. Yet they continued to be among counties with the highest birth rates.

The highest rate of natural increase (births over deaths) was in the oil-impacted areas in western North Dakota, Iverson said. The out-migration occurring at the same time in those counties was situational, reflecting economic conditions that have been reversing, he said.

Much of North Dakota’s out-migration tends to be older residents, while the in-migration numbers often are young people, Iverson said. Census numbers can skew against North Dakota in using tax-filing data to assess migration, which can fail to capture the movement of newer entrants to the workforce, he said.

Sixteen counties saw positive in-migration, led by Cass County with 2,292 relocated residents. Burleigh County drew in 130 residents and Morton County 97 residents. There were 21 counties showing natural increase from births exceeding deaths.

Yet only 14 of North Dakota’s 53 counties saw a population increase from 2021 to 2022. Cass County led the way in growth, registering 3,441 new residents. The next closest numeric growth was Burleigh County, with 313 new residents.

The state overall showed 1,327 new residents from July 2021 to 2022. However, it was a start toward recovery from the 2021 estimates that reflected the pandemic and related economic downturns.

North Dakota, with an estimated population of 779,261, registered 10,164 births and 7,365 deaths while experiencing out-migration of 1,442 residents during the year ended July 2022, Census figures show.

Ward County recorded 1,066 births and 601 deaths over the period, with a net migration loss of 1,049 residents.

Cass County’s population estimate for July 2022 of 192,734 residents indicated growth of 1.8%. Among other counties with increases were Sheridan, 1,295, up 1.96% due to the impact of some in-migration on a small-population county; Wells, 3,930, up .6%; Foster, 3,378, up .4%; McKenzie, 13,908, up .4%; McLean, 9,824, up .3%; and Burleigh, 99,280, up .3%.

Remaining growth counties were Billings, Dickey, Kidder, LaMoure, Mercer, Morton and Richland.

July 2022 Population Estimates

Bottineau County 6,376

Divide County 2,187

McHenry County 5,189

McLean County 9,824

Mountrail County 9,290

Pierce County 3,942

Renville County 2,220

Ward County 68,870

Source: U.S. Census Bureau