Oil boom: driving rapid population growth in Northeastern Montana.

• Author: Sylvester, James T.

Newly released county population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show significant growth in Montanas northeastern oil patch.

Richland County, which contains Sidney, was among the fastest growing counties in the country with estimated growth of 6.6 percent during the past year. Other nearby counties --Sheridan, Wibaux, Fallon, Roosevelt, and Dawson --grew about 3 percent in the past year. Net in-migration was the driving factor for those counties influenced by the Bakken oil fields. People are moving into these areas for jobs related to energy development and related services.

Gallatin and Yellowstone counties led the growth in urban counties, with 1.4 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively.

Lewis and Clark County grew about 1 percent, followed by Missoula (0.8 percent), Flathead (0.5 percent), and Ravalli (0.5 percent) counties. Very little growth occurred in Butte-Silver Bow and Cascade counties.

Counties that experienced high rates of migration in the past decade (Gallatin, Flathead, and Ravalli) had much lower rates of migration between 2011 and 2012. Natural increase, more births than deaths, was about...