Over the past decade, McKenzie County has witnessed significant socioeconomic and demographic shifts, including a boom in population and diversity, increased birth rates, and rising personal incomes, largely driven by a rapidly expanding oil and gas industry. This growth has spurred an increased demand for healthcare services. Due to the increased demand, McKenzie Health has expanded its offerings by building a new hospital and adding a variety of services such as general surgical, orthopedic, echocardiography, ear, nose, throat, OBGYN, and maternity services.

As the third largest employer in the county, McKenzie Health employs over 300 people and contributes substantially to the local economy. Total economic output in 2022 was $58.2 million and is projected to reach $67.8 million in 2023. Additionally, it generated $594,400 in state and local tax revenues in 2022, with an expected increase to $668,800 in 2023.

Read McKenzie Health’s economic contribution report here.

The State of North Dakota has announced Eric Termuende as a keynote speaker for the Main Street ND Summit. Termuende is a best-selling author, internationally recognized thought leader, and keynote speaker on all things future of work, leadership, workplace culture, and workplace management. His work has inspired category-leading companies like Amazon, Coca-Cola, Nationwide, IBM, and more. Learn more about Termuende’s career here.

The Main Street ND Summit 2023 is set to take place on October 24-25 in Watford City. The Main Street Summit is a highly anticipated event that aims to bring together individuals and organizations to foster connections, inspire creativity, and gain valuable insights for community building and growth. Click here to register for the 2023 Main Street Summit.

Recent data taken from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) shows North Dakota’s exceptional performance in terms of earnings and gross domestic product (GDP) growth. According to the BEA estimates, North Dakota achieved the highest growth in real GDP among all 50 states in the first quarter of 2023, experiencing a surge of 12.4% over the past year, which is more than six times higher than the national increase of 2%. North Dakota also led the nation in earnings growth, with an annualized rate of 12.4% in the first quarter of 2023, nearly triple the national growth rate of 4.6%. The state’s substantial increases in personal income and real GDP were attributed to oil and gas extraction, mining and new project investments, leading to a rise in wages and employment opportunities.

Read more on North Dakota’s economic growth here.

The Bakken Area Skills Center held their beam signing and rising event in late June where CTE students from Watford City High School had the opportunity to sign their names on the beam as a time capsule for future generations! Financial partner logos were also added to the beam for all their contributions in making this skills center possible.

Click here to view more photos of this exciting event!

Thousands of attendees, music, ribs, and other food vendors, inflatables, a cornhole tournament, and more will be coming to Watford City’s Main Street on Friday, August 11 for Best of the West Ribfest!

Click here for the schedule.