National News

Census bureau: Williston, N.D., fastest growing city in the country

Posted: Mar 14, 2013 2:13 PM by MTN News

WASHINGTON, D.C - Growing 9.3 percent in a year, Williston, N.D. tops the Census Bureau's list of fastest growing urban clusters in the nation. Dickinson, N.D., and Casper, Wyo., and Richland County, Mont., also made the list.

The report used data from July 1, 2011 until July 1, 2012, showing large growth in areas with a large oil and gas presence.

"After a long period of out-migration, some parts of the Great Plains - from just south of the Canadian Border all the way down to West Texas - are experiencing rapid population growth," said Thomas Mesenbourg, the Census Bureau's senior adviser. "There are probably many factors fueling this growth on the prairie, but no doubt the energy boom is playing a role. For instance, the Permian Basin, located primarily in West Texas, and North Dakota accounted for almost half of the total U.S. growth in firms that mine or extract oil and gas, during a recent one-year period."

Below are the complete rankings. The census bureau designates "micropolitan areas" as areas containing an urban cluster of between 10,000 and 49,999 people. A "metropolitan area" has 50,000 residents or more.

The 10 Fastest Growing Metro Areas from July 1, 2011, to July 1, 2012

Percent Increase
1. Midland, Texas 4.6
2. Clarksville, Tenn.-Ky. 3.7
3. Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Fla. 3.6
4. The Villages, Fla. 3.4
5. Odessa, Texas 3.4
6. Jacksonville, N.C. 3.3
7. Austin-Round Rock, Texas 3.0
8. Casper, Wyo. 3.0
9. Columbus, Ga.-Ala. 2.9
10. Manhattan, Kan. 2.8

The 10 Fastest Growing Micro Areas from July 1, 2011, to July 1, 2012

Percent Increase
1. Williston, N.D. 9.3
2. Junction City, Kan. 7.4
3. Dickinson, N.D. 6.5
4. Andrews, Texas 4.7
5. Vernal, Utah 4.1
6. Heber, Utah 3.8
7. Elk City, Okla. 3.5
8. Elko, Nev. 3.5
9. Pullman, Wash. 3.4
10. Fort Polk South, La. 3.2

The 10 Metro Areas with the Largest Numeric Increase from July 1, 2011, to July 1, 2012

Numeric Increase
1. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas 131,879
2. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas 125,185
3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif. 107,781
4. New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. 101,928
5. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. 89,129
6. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga. 83,153
7. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. 77,456
8. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Fla. 74,809
9. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, Calif. 58,642
10. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. 54,338

The 10 Micro Areas with the Largest Numeric Increase from July 1, 2011, to July 1, 2012

Numeric Increase
1. Dunn, N.C. 2,850
2. Junction City, Kan. 2,604
3. Williston, N.D. 2,281
4. Hilo, Hawaii 1,962
5. Elko, Nev. 1,787
6. Fort Polk South, La. 1,691
7. Dickinson, N.D. 1,624
8. Pullman, Wash. 1,542
9. Tupelo, Miss. 1,478
10. Vernal, Utah 1,354

The 10 Fastest Growing Counties (or Equivalents) from July 1, 2011, to July 1, 2012 (among counties with total populations of 10,000 or more)

Percent Increase
1. Chattahoochee, Ga. 10.1
2. Williams, N.D. 9.3
3. Geary, Kan. 7.4
4. Richland, Mont. 6.6
5. Stark, N.D. 6.5
6. Fredericksburg, Va. 5.6
7. Long, Ga. 5.6
8. St. Bernard, La. 5.3
9. Russell, Ala. 5.1
10. Midland, Texas 4.7

The 10 Counties with the Largest Numeric Increase from July 1, 2011, to July 1, 2012

Numeric Increase
1. Harris, Texas 80,005
2. Los Angeles, Calif. 73,764
3. Maricopa, Ariz. 73,644
4. Dallas, Texas 45,827
5. San Diego, Calif. 38,880
6. King, Wash. 35,838
7. Travis, Texas 34,381
8. Orange, Calif. 34,017
9. Tarrant, Texas 32,997
10. Clark, Nev. 32,833