The boom in the state’s oil patch and strong farm prices have given a big boost to personal incomes in North Dakota, putting per capita pay in some places on par with the most famously rich counties in the U.S.
Three western North Dakota counties — Williams, Billings and LaMoure — posted average personal incomes in 2011 that place them sixth ($81,170), 11th ($76,798), and 14th ($74,875), respectively, among the nation’s 3,113 counties, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.LaMoure County is an outlier: way east of the oil patch and far from any large metropolitan area. This county, about 1,100 square miles in size (compare with Rhode Island, 1,200 square miles), has a population of about 4,000 people, giving it a population density of about 4 people per square mile.
Notably missing: McKenzie County.
Quick! Name the biggest town in LaMoure County.
