What changed • Who it affects • Why it matters
Statewide Business Pulse
▲ Moving: Health/education employment, personal and repair services, work-based learning, community infrastructure funding, arts and maker development
▬ Stable: Manufacturing employment, construction employment, demand for trained workers and Main Street services
▼ Down / Under Pressure: Trade/transportation employment, professional and business services, information-sector employment, communities without enough infrastructure or workforce capacity
Watch: Today’s 5 p.m. CDBG deadline; Regional Workforce Impact Program decisions expected next week; July 31 employer tax filings; August 1 Renewable Energy Program deadline
Today’s Signals
1. Workforce / Economy: June numbers show a tight labor market, but growth isn’t even across industries
What changed:
New Bureau of Labor Statistics data put North Dakota’s seasonally adjusted June unemployment rate at 2.3%, down from 2.4% in May. Preliminary nonfarm employment was 446,400, down 0.2% from a year earlier. The sector differences are more useful: education and health services were up 2.6% year over year and other services were up 8.0%, while trade/transportation/utilities were down 1.5%, professional and business services down 0.9%, and information down 3.9%.
Who it affects:
Employers, retailers, transportation companies, professional firms, health care providers, repair and personal-service businesses, educators and communities recruiting workers.
Why it matters:
North Dakota’s low unemployment rate still tells employers that the available worker pool is small. But the industry numbers show something else: businesses shouldn’t assume every part of the economy is moving in the same direction. Hiring, wage and expansion decisions should be based on the employer’s own sector and region.
Source links:
https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.nd.htm
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NDUR
2. Community Development / Business Expansion: CDBG pre-applications are due today
What changed:
North Dakota Commerce’s FY2026 Community Development Block Grant pre-application period closes today, July 24, at 5:00 p.m. Central. Local governments submit the applications. Eligible uses can include infrastructure, public facilities and qualifying economic-development projects.
Who it affects:
Cities, counties, businesses needing infrastructure for expansion, contractors, engineers, economic developers and rural communities.
Why it matters:
A business can have customers, financing and a willing workforce and still be unable to expand because water, sewer, streets or other infrastructure can’t support the project. Business owners dealing with that problem should make sure local officials know about it. Community grants can become business-development tools when projects are planned together.
Source links:
https://www.commerce.nd.gov/community-services
https://www.commerce.nd.gov/community-services/low-income-programs/community-development-block-grant-cdbg
3. Trades / Education: Work-based learning moves from training into implementation today
What changed:
North Dakota Career and Technical Education’s latest Work-Based Learning Coordinator Training concluded July 23, and the implementation and mentorship period begins today and continues through September 10. The program prepares educators to coordinate hands-on work experiences in areas including business, health, IT, marketing, technology/engineering, agriculture and industrial trades.
Who it affects:
Trades businesses, manufacturers, repair shops, health care employers, technology firms, retailers, professional businesses, schools and employers concerned about their future workforce.
Why it matters:
Businesses don’t have to wait until students graduate to introduce them to an occupation. Work-based learning lets employers show students what the job actually involves and begin building relationships with future workers before everyone is competing for the same applicant.
Source links:
https://www.cte.nd.gov/WBL
https://www.cte.nd.gov/businessindustry
4. Rural Investment / Contractors: Industrial Commission approves $6 million in matching grants
What changed:
The North Dakota Industrial Commission approved $6 million in Outdoor Heritage Fund matching grants Thursday for six projects involving outdoor recreation, access, habitat and farming/ranching stewardship. The program is funded through oil and gas production tax revenue.
Who it affects:
Contractors, excavators, landscapers, material suppliers, rural landowners, ranchers, local governments, recreation businesses and communities where the projects will be built.
Why it matters:
Grant announcements are worth watching even when your business isn’t the recipient. Projects eventually require dirt work, materials, fencing, construction, equipment, engineering, maintenance and local purchases. The secondary contracts can matter to small firms.
Source link:
https://www.ndic.nd.gov/
5. Artisans / Creative Businesses: Professional-development money is available now
What changed:
The North Dakota Council on the Arts’ FY27 Professional Development Grant is open for North Dakota individual artists, arts educators, nonprofits and educational institutions. The reimbursement grant covers up to $1,000 or 80% of eligible project costs, with applications generally required at least six weeks before the activity begins.
Who it affects:
Artists, craftspeople, galleries, instructors, performing artists, arts organizations and people building income-producing creative skills.
Why it matters:
For an artisan, training can be a business expense: learning a new technique, improving production, taking a specialized workshop or developing skills that lead to a higher-value product. This is a relatively small grant, but it can reduce the cost of that investment.
Source links:
https://www.arts.nd.gov/arts-organizations/professional-development
https://www.arts.nd.gov/grants
6. Business Financing: Current BND guaranteed-loan pricing gives borrowers a real-time cost check
What changed:
Bank of North Dakota updated its guaranteed-loan purchase rates July 23. For USDA-guaranteed business loans, BND’s net rate starts at 5.048% for a quarterly-adjusting option, before the originating lender’s servicing fee. Longer adjustment periods carry higher rates. The program can support qualifying rural businesses through participating lenders.
Who it affects:
Rural businesses, manufacturers, processors, retailers, lenders and companies financing equipment, facilities or expansion.
Why it matters:
The headline interest rate a business owner sees isn’t always the only financing option available. State participation and federal guarantees can change how a deal is structured. Owners planning a substantial purchase should ask their lender what BND participation or government-guaranteed programs actually fit the project.
Source links:
https://bnd.nd.gov/loans/business/usda-guaranteed-loan-purchase-program/
https://bnd.nd.gov/loans/business/
7. Workforce / Regional Solutions: Watch for grant decisions next week
What changed:
Commerce is finishing its review of applications for the Regional Workforce Impact Program. The review period ends July 26, with funding decisions scheduled for the week of July 27. The program funds regional solutions to workforce barriers rather than assistance for a single business.
Who it affects:
Employers, communities, economic developers, training providers, schools and organizations working on housing, child care, transportation, training or other workforce barriers.
Why it matters:
The award list should tell businesses where new workforce efforts are about to start. Employers should pay attention to projects in their region rather than finding out months later that a training, recruiting or worker-support program was available nearby.
Source link:
https://www.commerce.nd.gov/workforce/workforce-programs/regional-workforce-impact-program
Risk / Opportunity
Risk:
North Dakota’s unemployment rate remains extremely low, but the latest numbers don’t show uniform growth. Some sectors are adding jobs while trade, transportation, information and professional/business services are softer. Owners need to separate the statewide headline from what is happening in their own market.
Opportunity:
There are several ways businesses can work upstream instead of reacting later: help schools build work-based learning, follow regional workforce grants, talk with local governments about infrastructure barriers, look beyond conventional financing, and use small professional-development grants to build skills.