BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — As more interest in the energy and natural gas industries emerges, the demand for jobs in an industrial area like ND only grows over time — and with it, so do the cities that hold employees. However, amidst all the increases in overall Gross Domestic Product and new building permits, there are still sections of the state that have improved more than others.
In an attempt to discover which areas of the Peace Garden State saw the greatest gain in GDP over time, SmartAsset hosts a yearly study regarding the subject — where the number of new building permits and average growth rates Through this analysis, researchers were able to determine that the largest growth in ND stems from two specific counties: both of which, as one might expect, are home to some of its largest cities.
As the results suggest, Burleigh County has seen a major increase in GDP throughout recent times, and has one of the highest growth rates in North Dakota. Despite the capital city’s high rankings, however, it is Cass County that has seen the largest rise in financial growth in the previous fiscal year. The territory, which includes Casselton and Fargo among other cities, has experienced massive improvement in every aspect when compared to the rest of the state, particularly regarding business growth and the number of new building permits issued throughout the area.
This, of course, is not to say that every area of ND has seen the same success as these particular sections. While SmartAsset’s analysis did not include all 53 counties in the Peace Garden State, certain areas were noted to have far lower gains than others. Particularly low-ranked sections of North Dakota include Mercer County, Benson County, and Rolette County — all of which typically fit comfortably in or extremely close to the bottom five of each category, and never scored any higher than 18th place in any metric.
In order to view the complete details of SmartAsset’s 2024 study — including an in-depth view of GDP gains and losses, as well as other growth and business trends around the United States — visit this page on the group’s website.