The footprint of the growing US oil and gas industry is very much on display in the Census Bureau’s report on the fastest-growing metropolitan areas and smaller cities.

The Census Bureau is known for its decennial counting of the number of people in the country. But it also does annual updates that use a variety of data rather than the  head counting that takes place every 10 years.

The list of fastest-growing metro areas between July 1, 2011 and one year later has Midland, Texas–heart of the Permian Basin–as number 1, with a 12-month 4.6% population increase. Neighboring Odessa is fifth, with a 3.4% growth rate. Austin-Round Rock, Texas–not that much in the heart of a big production area, but certainly benefiting from the state’s overall growth rate–was seventh on the list.

Ah, where’s North Dakota? Those areas are found in the 10 fastest-growing micro areas. Williston grew 9.3% in just one year, and Dickinson shop up 6.15%. Andrews, Texas, also in West Texas, was fourth, rising 4.7%. Bismarck is on the top 20 of the fastest-growing metro areas.

You can see the Census Bureau’s release on the data  here.  The press kit, with links to more granular data, is here.

 

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