Why is the unemployment so low in the mid west? (Bismarck: house, unemployment rate)

[natepickle]

Hello,

I find myself looking for a job and i've noticed that the midwest appears to have low unemployment when compared to the rest of the country.

Why is the unemployment so low in the mid west? Is it because there isnt that many people there?

Are there jobs there and people just dont like the lifestyle?

Jim

[Roloff1976]

North Dakota pretty much has bucked the trend for a few reasons, a big reason is because of the oil boom going on in western ND. Even though it has slowed a bit, jobs are still being created. As an example, Williams county in NW North Dakota has a low unemployment rate of only 2.2percent. The town of Williston is pretty much the base for a majority of the oil service companies...there are a lot of new oil service companies opening up monthly and construction to accomodate these new companies adds to the payroll. Agriculture has also been very good for the entire state. I'm sure there are other reasons as well... example Military bases in Minot and Grand Forks.

[Boompa]

Wages are LOW

[natepickle]

how low

[mtlogger]

Very low - truck drivers for the wheat harvest were getting $8/hr. Much like Montana and Wyoming - not many people live here/there. And, those that do often have two jobs to make ends meet. The energy boom is about to bust, b/c there's fewer people out driving around for just for kicks. Most need to work to pay for the gas, and with national unemployment upwards of 12% - that's not gonna happen anytime soon. The internet is where it's happening and will for sometime in the future.

[Roloff1976]

huh? mtlogger, are you kidding? where did you get your info? I would hardly call the oil activity going on in North Dakota "about to bust". I know it has slowed to a trickle in Wyoming and Montana, but have you seen the activity going on in Mountrail, Dunn, and McKenzie counties??? I wouldn't call that a bust.
The 2 sites below tell a different story than yours mtlogger.

Rockin' The Bakken - Homepage
WillistonWire - Home

[acfreema]

in fargo, most jobs in restaurants start at 8, if you have experience and can convince management that you're good enough; secretarial/administrative jobs start at 10, if that high; retail is minimum wage and not going anywhere.

as mentioned before, unemployment is low (partially) because so many people work two jobs.

see my thread about avoiding fargo, it's not a place to live if you want to be upwardly mobile.

[HighPlainsDrifter73]

I would think that any slowdown in oil in western North Dakota would only be temporary because of depressed oil prices. When the economy recovers (eventually) these prices will go right back up. Long term, oil prices are likely to head sky high. There's only so much available pumping capacity.

[Cain]

Personally I am not fond of the concept of us relying on the current Oil Boom to keep us going in ND. Some of the same things being said about the Oil Boom sound like what the Realtors were pushing with the housing boom in other states. We are seeing how that turned out. Hopefully the state does the smart thing and goes to make other forms of business viable to smooth out any downturns in that one area.

Anyway, yes, ND doesn't pay as much as other places. I took a good sized paycut moving from out in the Northeast to here, but, in the end I have a better quality of life, and actually could afford a house that didn't break the ban. I feel for me it was the smart and more fiscally responsible move.

[nemmert]

Originally Posted by Cain

Personally I am not fond of the concept of us relying on the current Oil Boom to keep us going in ND. Some of the same things being said about the Oil Boom sound like what the Realtors were pushing with the housing boom in other states. We are seeing how that turned out. Hopefully the state does the smart thing and goes to make other forms of business viable to smooth out any downturns in that one area.

Anyway, yes, ND doesn't pay as much as other places. I took a good sized paycut moving from out in the Northeast to here, but, in the end I have a better quality of life, and actually could afford a house that didn't break the ban. I feel for me it was the smart and more fiscally responsible move.

This one surprises me and I'm curious on the math... I see a lot of homes in Bismark going for $140 - 180k... I just placed an offer on a home in South Jersey for $290k or roughly double what people are paying ND... but how many 30 year olds in Bismarck are making $60 grand a year?