Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
After being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 census data has finally been released. Eddy County and the surrounding area saw a drop in population, while the overall population of North Dakota soared.
According to the twenty-fourth decennial United States census, the population of Eddy County dropped by 1.6 percent from a decade ago, for a total population of 2,347. New Rockford’s population remained relatively stable, decreasing by 30 residents for a total population of 1,361.
Meanwhile, neighboring counties hemorrhaged considerably more population. Griggs and Nelson County saw their populations decline by nearly 5 percent and 4 percent respectively, while Wells County saw a decrease of 5.3 percent.
Suffering the greatest loss was Benson County, plummeting nearly 11 percent, with the loss of 700 residents. However, most of their losses were among the Native American community, a historically undercounted minority in the census.
The only neighboring county to see a rise in population was Foster County, which saw an increase of 54 residents.
A common thread throughout the region was an increase in diversity. Eddy, Foster, Wells and Griggs counties had a combined minority population increase of over 140 percent. The Hispanic community saw the largest boom, soaring up by nearly 65 percent among Eddy and its neighboring counties, while the white population fell by 7 percent.
Increased diversity remained constant throughout the state. North Dakota’s black population more than tripled to 26,152, while the Hispanic population more than doubled. The Asian and Native American communities also saw modest gains, and the number of residents belonging to two or more minorities nearly tripled. North Dakota’s diversity index, a measure of the likelihood that two randomly chosen people will be from different racial and ethnic groups, increased from 21 percent to 33 percent, tied for the largest increase by any state in the country.
All totaled, 30 North Dakota counties suffered a decrease in population, but as rural communities continued to shrink, the state’s cities and oil country boomed. The Peace Garden State’s population increased to 779,094, a 15.8 percent increase from a decade ago. And as expected, the western Oil Patch counties saw some of the most growth.McKenzie and Williams County saw the largest population boosts in the nation, ballooning by 131 percent and 83 percent, respectively.
Meanwhile, North Dakota’s largest cities continued to consolidate the state’s population. Fargo’s population climbed to 125,990, while West Fargo’s population soared by nearly 50 percent to 38,626. Bismarck and Mandan also saw large population gains, jumping by 20 percent and 32 percent, respectively.
The North Dakota legislature is now tasked with redrawing the state’s legislative districts. The unceasing urbanization of the state means that cities like Bismarck and Fargo will presumably gain representation, along with the western Oil Patch region. Meanwhile, the steady decline of rural populations likely means less representation for farming communities.
The census does not consider over 1,500 North Dakotans that succumbed to COVID-19 since April 1, 2020, when the counting process ended.
