North Dakota led the nation in job creation in 2012, according to a new report released by Gallup.

The state has an unemployment rate of 3.2 percent, the lowest in the country according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s largely due to the energy boom created when new fracking technology and sensible state regulations opened access to massive Bakkan oil reserves.

>>> Heritage and the Institute for Energy Research visited North Dakota last year to highlight the opportunities resulting from sensible state regulations, hydraulic fracturing technology, and private land.

Two other Midwestern states, South Dakota and Nebraska, stood at second and third in job creation, respectively. Gallup’s data showed the broader Midwest leading the nation in new jobs. Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana also made the top 10 states for job creation. Meanwhile, states such as Connecticut, Delaware, and New York have fallen behind.Mainehad the lowest job creation score in the nation.

This is the fourth consecutive year that North Dakota has led Gallup’s “State of the States” hiring survey. The energy boom there has in turn supported expansion in other industries, such as construction, transportation, agriculture, and technology. As more workers relocate to the state to work in energy, demand has risen for housing, transportation, and even a movement to spur free enterprise production of beer.

“The jobs boom there is creating a ripple effect by generating a need for other services,” said the report.

New drilling technology meant that last year also marked the United States’ largest expansion in oil production since 1859, when the first commercial well was drilled. The United States produced 83 percent of its own energy needs in the first eight months of 2012, largely led by the expansion of oil production on private lands in states such as North Dakota.