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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Census Numbers in the Bakken Don't Match Expectations

The census numbers in the Bakken don't match estimates. The spokesman said there were no theories or explanations for census numbers coming in significantly lower than expectations. Here are some of my thoughts:

1. The census tabulators only go after houses/homes/edifices with house numbers or addresses. There has been a housing crunch and a lot of folks are finding places to stay without fixed addresses. Something tells me the census tabulators aren't knocking on recreational vehicles at campsites.

2. Many of the workers are probably in the field and not responding to the census in the first place. Finding them will be very, very difficult.

3. Most of the new workers probably still call home their last place of residence and have not officially moved here in their minds. My hunch is that a large number of workers are itinerant, and probably coming from states with no income tax, like Texas (yes, I know, they would still pay out-of-state taxes on income earned in North Dakota).

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