The Bakken oil boom dwarfs previous oil production expansions in Montana and North Dakota. Explore a range of economic, demographic and financial data for the Bakken, and learn about factors driving jobs and other forms of development in the oil patch of North Dakota and Montana.
Oil production
Summary
The Bakken oil boom is four times larger than the oil boom in the 1980s.
Active oil drilling rigs and oil price - Monthly average
Data Dashboard
Oil Drilling Rigs
| August 2012 | Pct. change from a year earlier | |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 188 | 9% |
| Montana | 22 | 170% |
Summary
Oil drilling in Montana and North Dakota picked up beginning in 2004 until prices dropped below $60 per barrel in 2008, considered the break-even price for shale drilling and oil production at the time. Drilling accelerated again once oil prices recovered.
Oil production
Data Dashboard
Production (millions of barrels)
| July 2012 | Pct. change from a year earlier | |
|---|---|---|
| Bakken Oil Counties | 20.1 | 62% |
| Rest of Montana | 0.6 | -27% |
| Rest of North Dakota | 2.0 | 0% |
Summary
The Bakken area represents most of oil production in Montana and North Dakota.
The Bakken area
Detailed map of the oil patch in the Ninth District
Definition for oil production: North Dakota production is from Bakken, Sanish, Three Forks and Bakken/Three Forks Pools as reported by the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources. Montana production is total production from Richland, Roosevelt and Sheridan counties.
Definition for economic indicators: North Dakota counties: Billings, Burke, Divide, Dunn, Golden Valley, McKenzie, Mountrail, Stark, and Williams. Montana counties: Richland, Roosevelt, and Sheridan.
Data on Demographic, Economic and Financial Activity in the Bakken [pdf]
This document reviews a range of demographic, economic and financial data for the Bakken. We compare the Bakken with the rest of Montana and the rest of North Dakota, as of June 20, 2012.
More about oil in the Ninth District
Frac sand mining spurs rural rail
fedgazette Roundup, July 19, 2012
Sand surge
fedgazette, July 16, 2012
In Minnesota and Wisconsin, frac sand mining has lifted local economies—and stirred opposition
Desperately seeking workers in the oil patch
fedgazette, April 18, 2012
Jobs go begging in booming western North Dakota and northeastern Montana
No room at the inn
fedgazette, April 18, 2012
For newcomers to oil country, their first job is finding a place to live
Faces and places from the oil patch
fedgazette, April 18, 2012
Slideshow
After the oil rush
fedgazette, September 1, 2009
In the Williston Basin, less drilling activity has created uncertainty about the future
Location of the Bakken in the Ninth District
Jobs in the oil patch
Video: fedgazette Senior Writer Phil Davies talks about jobs in the oil patch
