Data highlight

March 1, 2024

A glimpse into North Dakota’s older workforce.

Over the past two decades, the number of older adults (age 65 and older) in North Dakota who are employed has more than doubled, from 12,956 in 2000 to 27,715 in 2022. The growth can partly be attributed to the aging population, particularly with the onset of the baby boom cohort reaching 65 in 2011. Additional factors such as increased educational attainment among older adults, higher life expectancies, changing retirement policies, and the availability of age-friendly employment opportunities have all contributed to this trend.

North Dakota has consistently surpassed the national average since 2010 in terms of its proportion of older adults who remain in the workforce. In 2022, 21 percent of the state’s older adult population was employed, compared to 18 percent nationwide. There is a gender disparity in post-retirement employment, with males being more likely to continue working compared to females. In 2022, 26 percent of North Dakota’s males, age 65 and older, were employed, in contrast to 17 percent of females.  Breaking down the data by age groups, 38 percent of older adults age 65 to 69 were still in the workforce, followed by 22 percent of those age 70 to 74, and 7 percent of individuals older than 75, in North Dakota in 2022.

Note:
The percent of adults who are employed represents the number of people who are employed divided by the total civilian population (civilian labor force plus people not in the labor force). A person is counted as employed if they did any work during the reference period as a paid employee, worked in their own business or profession (including farming), or worked 15 or more unpaid hours a week as part of a family business or farm..

View topic: WORKFORCE / Proportion of adults working

February 1, 2024

The educational profile of older adults in North Dakota saw a significant improvement since 2010.

Educational attainment refers to the highest level of education completed (e.g., a high school diploma, a bachelor's degree, or a master's degree). In 2022, approximately 9 in 10 adults (age 25 and older) had at least a high school diploma or GED (94%), 1 in 3 of adults (32%) had a bachelor’s degree or higher, and 6 percent of adults had less than high school education.
Educational attainment increased overall in North Dakota from 2010 to 2022. While the percentage of adults age 25 to 64 with at least a high school education and at least a bachelor’s degree saw less change, a notable shift occurred among older adults (age 65 and older).
During this time frame, the educational profile of older adults saw a significant improvement. The percentage of older adults with at least a high school education increased from 75 percent in 2010 to 92 percent in 2022. Additionally, the proportion of older adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher rose from 15 percent in 2010 to 26 percent in 2022. This shift can be attributed to the replacement of cohorts that have less formal education with cohorts that have greater levels of formal education in the older age groups.

View topic: WORKFORCE / Educational Attainment

January 1, 2024

North Dakota continues to gain population in 2023.

North Dakota reached 783,926 people (as of July 1, 2023), according to the population estimate released in December 2023 by the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population and Housing Units Estimates Program. This is an increase of 5,014 people from the 2022 estimate of 778,912 (which is a revised 2022 estimate). Annual releases of population and housing unit estimates involve revisions to yearly estimates going back to the most recent decennial census and are based on updated administrative records, geographic boundaries, and methodology. A look at the components of change over the past three years reveals notable trends. Although annual births saw a slight decline, a corresponding decrease in deaths resulted in an overall growth in natural change (births minus deaths). Most recently, North Dakota recorded 9,649 births and 6,945 deaths from July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2023, accounting for a net natural increase of 2,704.

Another significant factor in population change is net migration, calculated as the difference between individuals entering the state (in-migration) and those leaving (out-migration). In the period from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023, North Dakota experienced a positive net migration, which deviates from the negative trends in the previous two years (negative 3,555 in 2021 and negative 1,467 in 2022). This positive shift is attributed to an increase in international migration (2,298 people) and minimal domestic out-migration (-9 people) compared to previous years.

Maintaining a positive natural increase and the ability to attract and retain residents contributes to North Dakota’s continued population increase.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population and Housing Unit Estimates Vintage 2023 Estimates

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North Dakota Compass

Center for Social Research
North Dakota State University

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