North Dakota With Bragging Rights for Regional Economic Expansion

October survey at Prairie Business Magazine.

The overall index ranges between 0 and 100. Growth neutral is 50, and a figure greater than 50 indicates an expanding economy over the next three to six months.

For the Mid-America Region (numbers rounded).

North Dakota: hit a regional high of 64 in October, compared to 62 in September. Continues to grow. Bragging rights, but barely above Oklahoma, the other oil state in this region.

Oklahoma: soared to 63 from 57 in September. The new oil plays in Oklahoma.

Iowa: dropped slightly from 57 to 54. Claim to fame: lots of wind energy.

Missouri: slipped to 50 from 51.

Kansas: rose to a still weak 48 from 47.

Minnesota: for the fourth straight month, below 50; at 47 last two months. Stagnant.

South Dakota: for the fourth straight month, growth below 50; slipped to 45 in October from 47 in September. Getting worse.

Nebraska: for the third time in four months, below 50; plummeted from 50 in September to 45 in October. Going the wrong direction. Wow, Warren's state almost in as bad a shape as Arkansas.

Arkansas: plummeted from 50 to 42.

Simply foreshadowing the Great Recession of 2013.