December 2021 Newsletter
End Of The Year Issue
Looking Back, Looking Ahead.
ND Compass provides a centralized source of data and information, from trusted sources, that is easy to use, to guide decision making and advance community and economic development efforts in North Dakota.

In 2021, ND Compass expanded its data and information offerings to help inform planning, development, and delivery of programs, interventions and services in North Dakota communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as:
Learning From The Past.
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected many people’s mental health and created new barriers for people already suffering from mental illness. 

In North Dakota, on average, three in ten adults (29%) reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder during the pandemic. The percentage of people who reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder varied during the pandemic, generally following the ups and downs of cases and hospitalizations in the state. Recently, the percentage of people reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression are on the rise again reaching 33 percent at the beginning of October 2021. 
Preparing For The Future.
In a rapidly changing environment, preparing for the future becomes more important than ever. With changes in the energy sector and consumer preferences in the electricity markets, a study on the North Dakota lignite energy industry’s workforce informs on the general composition of the industry’s workforce and helps identify localized effects of industry employment changes on communities in central North Dakota.
 
In this article, Nancy Hodur and Dean Bangsund share some research findings from a recent study that provides insight into the workforce characteristics of the state's lignite industry.
Test Your Knowledge.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a great impact on the United States job market. In 2020, overall, North Dakota lost 26,784 jobs, which is a 6.3 percent decline compared to the previous year.

Which industry experienced the largest job percentage decrease compared to the previous year?
Stay Up To Date.
New data are like freshly baked cookies. Enjoy recently updated data on North Dakota Compass:

DISPARITIES
Gender (2 charts)
Race (6 charts)

EARLY CHILDHOOD
Low birth weight (4 charts)

HEALTH
Obesity (9 charts)
Diabetes (12 charts)

WORKFORCE
Keep Connected.
We recently launched the North Dakota Compass LinkedIn page. Our goal is to share data, trends, and analyses on North Dakota demographics, economics, health, education, civic engagement and more.

Let's stay connected. Follow our page and share it with your professional network on LinkedIn.