A chart showing crude oil prices and the population of Williston, ND

The population in Williston, North Dakota, doubled between 2010 and 2020. During that decade, there were highs and lows in the price of oil, which led directly to booms and busts in the oil fields. Oil is priced in the global market, and every time the price of oil drops, so does production, leading to reduced employment. As oil prices rise, new technologies are forged to reach places like the Bakken shale. With each bump up in the price of oil, there is a comparable bump in production as well as Williston population. Graphic produced by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.