Challenging economic conditions have been holding down population growth in the United States, as a whole.  North Dakota is a notable exception.

North Dakota’s population is soaring, thanks to oil development in the Bakken.

National population numbers “show that the oil boom in North Dakota has sparked a people boom that made the state the fastest-growing since 2011 – 2.2 percent or three times the national rate,” according to USA Today.

The Minneapolis StarTribune recently ran the story on its front page.

“U.S. Census Bureau data shows that North Dakota’s population grew 2.2 percent to 699,628 in the year ending July 1, as the oil boom drew workers to the Bakken fields in the western part of the state,” the StarTribune reported.

North Dakota’s trend-defying population growth is good news for businesses, including Hegg Companies Inc., which sees an abundance of commercial opportunities in North Dakota.