Has North Dakota experienced an economic boom through fracking in the last 25 years?

North Dakota has experienced an economic boom tied to hydraulic fracturing and development of the Bakken Formation over the past 25 years. 

Advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing beginning in the mid-to-late 2000s drove rapid growth in oil production, making North Dakota one of the nation’s top oil-producing states by the early 2010s. 

The expansion contributed to low unemployment, higher wages in energy-producing regions, population growth in western communities, and increases in state revenue. Oil and gas taxes and royalties generated billions of dollars for public use, supporting infrastructure, education, tax relief, and the state’s Legacy Fund. 

State and academic research shows the oil and gas sector has produced billions of dollars in economic activity and supported tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs. 

Production and drilling fluctuate with global oil prices, and companies have paused drilling, but oil and gas development remains central to North Dakota’s economy.