North Dakota Enjoys Oil Boom—But Girds for Slowdown

The Wall Street Journal ^ | December 23, 2012 | RUSSELL GOLD

[MinorityRepublican]

The Bakken Shale has put North Dakota in an enviable position—flush with oil, jobs and tax revenue. But some state officials are fretting about an inevitable slowdown. Here, a drill site outside of Watford City.

DICKINSON, N.D.—North Dakota officials have a challenge many states would love to face: figuring out how to manage big permanent investments such as roads and bridges for an energy boom that is drawing hordes of newcomers.

Already home to some of the fastest-growing towns in the country, according to Census Bureau estimates, the oil-rich western half of North Dakota is likely to experience a population jump of more than 50% over the next two decades, a state study predicts. That works out to a rise of about 110,000 in a state that as of last year had just 684,000 residents.

The draw is high-paying jobs, and lots of them—last year, workers in the state's energy industry made $91,400 on average, more than double the state average of $41,800.

[South Dakota]

I wish i made 91 thou but i know.i made more then 41. Pretty good for a 60 year old fat man

[HiTech RedNeck]

The page I got wanted me to sign up with WSJ.

[Atlantan]

In October my son was hired by an off-shore drilling company in LA. He had no experience in the oil industry, but is a big, strong guy. He makes about 45k as a roustabout.

He drove to LA looking for a job with a list of 7 drilling companies that accepted walk-in application. He was hired by the sixth company he went to.

Having grown up in the South he knew he couldn’t handle the cold winters of North Dakota.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Having grown up in the South he knew he couldn’t handle the cold winters of North Dakota."

Ninety-one thou a year can buy a lot of long underwear! (but I agree with his sentiment.....)