Random Observations Made Over At Carpe Diem Regarding Williston, North Dakota -- February 20, 2015

I was watching re-runs of "Columbo" (DVD) when I caught this interesting tidbit over at Carpe Diem. This particular entry should be of interest to Willistonites.

There were two graphics concerning demographics of US young adults, aged 18 - 34. The data should be of interest to the general population but then this, seemingly just out of the blue.

The bottom chart above (at the linked article) displays an interesting comparison of the top 20 metro areas (wotj populations above 400,000) ranked by median annual earnings (in 2013 dollars) for full-time workers ages 18-34 in 1980 and 2009-2013. Some observations:

1. In 1980, three Michigan cities (Flint, Detroit and Grand Rapids) ranked among the top 20 US metro areas for the highest median incomes for young adults, and Flint and Detroit were ranked No. 1 and No. 2. In 1980, young people working full-time in Flint and Detroit, thanks to an 80% market share for the Big 3 and the above-market wages of the UAW, had higher median annual incomes than their counterparts in all other major US cities .....

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4. Not surprisingly, more than half (11) of the top 20 metro areas with the highest median incomes for Americans ages 18-34 in 1980 were in Midwest or Rust Belt states. By 2009-2013, only three of the top 20 metro areas by income for young Americans were in Midwest or Rust Belt states: Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago and Des Moines (and none of those cities have a strong manufacturing base), and almost all of the top 20 metros by income for young Americans were in East Coast or West Coast states.

5. In 1980, 1990 and 2000, Williston, North Dakota wasn’t even included in the Census Bureau list of US metro areas. But by 2009-2013 Williston ranked as the sixth highest-income city in the US (for cities of all sizes) for young adults with median income of $46,081, just slightly behind Washington, DC at $47,380, San Francisco ($47,426) and San Jose ($51,149).

The median income for the millennial generation working in Williston is higher than the median incomes in Boston ($44,548), New York City ($42,108)and Seattle ($41,167).

It’s another amazing sign of shale prosperity that young Americans today are earning incomes in Williston, North Dakota, in the epicenter of the Bakken Oil fields, that are comparable to the median incomes of their counterparts in Washington, DC and San Francisco.

Who wudda thought?