A portion of southeastern New Mexico's oil patch is among the top 10 fastest growing areas in the nation.
New data released from the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday shows the Hobbs area saw a population increase of more than 2 percent between July 2013 and July 2014.
The region includes part of the Permian Basin, which has seen the number of barrels of oil produced each day more than double over the last several years. The boom has led to housing shortages and more traffic throughout southeastern New Mexico.
Lea County, where Hobbs is located, was one of six counties in New Mexico to see a population gain between 2013 and 2014 due to migration.
All remaining counties saw population decreases.
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