Visitors to North Dakota are becoming a key component to the state's economy, according to a recent study at North Dakota State University. The study focused on six industries that sell their products and services primarily to out-of-state markets.
In 1999, the most recent year with available data, tourism accounted for $2.6 billion, or nearly 28 percent of the study total.
Agriculture remains the largest sector of the state's economy as measured by the survey, at $3.7 billion, just under 40 percent. Yet, after inflationary adjustments, from 1990 to 1999 this sector grew only one-tenth of a percent, while tourism grew over 500 percent. From 1998 to 1999 alone, the tourism economy grew nearly 36 percent.
In addition to agriculture and tourism, other sectors reported in the study and their total 1999 output are: manufacturing, $1.4 billion; coal mining and conversion, $891 million; oil and gas, $509 million; and exported services, $348 million.
—Rosie Cataldo
