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The place to go for work is Williston, North Dakota and surrounding areas. Because of the oil boom, there are a variety of different jobs, blue and white collar in the industry itself and in the industries that cater to the people who go there for work (hotels, restaurants, construction, etc.).
"Oil field workers in the state saw an average annual wage of $112,462 in 2012. Competition has intensified since the boom started around 2007, but entry level rig workers still average about $66,000 a year, according to Rigzone, an industry information provider and job website."
"With oil come jobs. Williston and its surrounding areas have generated over 75,000 new jobs, and average annual wages have more than tripled in the past decade, going from $24,841 in 2002 to $78,364 today. For those in the oil field, who typically work long overtime hours, the average wage in the state is $112,462. The state now has 22,000 more jobs than people looking for work. Nearly every business in town has “Help Wanted” signs and has raised wages to attract employees. McDonald’s started offering $300 signing bonuses, and the hourly pay for a cashier position at Walmart starts at $17.50, twice as much as the same position in other locations. And if a jobseeker can snag a job in the oil industry, they can make over $100,000 with no college degree." (November 2013 article)
1 NORTH DAKOTA 2.6
2 SOUTH DAKOTA 3.6
3 NEBRASKA 3.7
4 UTAH 4.3
5 Four states tied for 5th with a 4.4 HAWAII, IOWA, VERMONT and WYOMING
These states have the highest unemployment rates:
46 CALIFORNIA 8.5
47 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 8.6
48 ILLINOIS 8.7
49 MICHIGAN 8.8
50 Two states tie for worst with 9.0: NEVADA and RHODE ISLAND
If the poor are concentrated in the biggest cities, I wouldn't live there because you'll be taxed higher for any city programs, in addition to state programs, to pay for those programs, once you have a job.
So some less populated states have a lower unemployment while some more populated states are higher.
I sometimes wonder if the oil boom that southeast Texas and Houston in particular are riding right now will bust and when it will bust. I also wonder if and when this happens if the fall of Houston will mimic the fall of Detroit.
You would think cities would learn to diversify their economies. I'd be willing to bet that almost half of Houston's skyline is owed to the large oil corporations that have set up shop there. When we DO find another source of energy to replace oil, or when oil runs out, Houston will probably become the next Detroit.
Detroit became a Failed City because they refused to accept that their policies and politics were the cause of their problems - they doubled down on those policies and did so for years. Houston did not do that after the devastating bust of the 80's (which included O&G and the Housing crisis from the Savings and Loan scandals). The layoffs totaled well over 1 million jobs in all (geologists, engineers, support staff and many other job classifications, according to the U.S. Department of Labor).
Houston owes a lot of it's economy to the Oil & Gas industry, but the bulk of that is Oil Service, oil technology, refining, mining -- all of the things that people who know nothing about the industry even understand. Houston will never be Detroit because of an "oil bust". It didn't become Detroit with the big bust in the 1980's when Saudi Arabia drove oil prices to $5 a barrel, but Texas and the Oil industry learned some valuable lessons. Houston, Texas is the leading city in the world for Oil Technology and Oil Services ..... it doesn't matter where they are drilling for oil & gas in the world today - Houston companies are involved in some way. Houston "diversified" back in the 80's - they aren't worried. I know that many only want to inhabit the past, but time moves on and what was working 40 years ago has moved on also. The past is valuable for 'lessons learned', not so much for those who refuse to accept the 'here and now' and even the future.
The North Dakota fields are now in their 7th year of 'boom' with job openings in the 20,000+ range. The pay bonuses for people to come to work for McDonalds and Walmart. Construction is booming because all those workers have to have places to live, and to bank, and for office space, and for places to eat and to shop.
Boom areas in Texas are in their 3rd year or so and growing. The real problem for the Oi & Gas industry is the lack of experienced employees in O&G .... energy is a great field to enter today. Oil & Gas boom town are all over Texas today - those Texas towns and cities are managing the 'boom' a lot better than they did it the past. We don't have wildcatter wells today or easy grab and cap wells - they are going after proven old reserves using new technology. That's both oil & gas. We will need both for a very long time. It's a Leftist idea that if they make it difficult or impossible to drill/extract fossil fuels, then the need for it will magically disappear. That's pretty much like saying if you just eliminate all food and water, then the body won't need food and water. Pie in the Sky thinking.
I would prefer to have both, lower unemployment and diverse and progressive with Seattle's 5.3% unemployment.
I expect almost anyone would prefer Seattle that over Detroit. For a liberal Seattle is great, high paying jobs and a culture that does all it can to suppress anything that threatens to rock the liberal progressive boat.
Seattle still has 2.5x the crime rate of Provo, and worse weather. Four real seasons beats 2 months of summer and 10 months of gray drizzle, but that's the subject for a 100 page thread on the Seattle forum.
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