Video of Advancing Unemployment in the United States

Journalist LaToya Egwuekwe has made a fascinating map of the unemployment rate in the United States by county from 2007 to April 2011 (Hat tip: ODT Maps Newsletter).

 

In 2007 the disastrously high unemployment rate was contained primarily to areas of California, Michigan, and the lower Mississippi River area.  Sadly, as time goes by the extremely high unemployment rates conquer almost all the country.  Only North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska as well as western Kansas and Oklahoma hold anysort of ground.  A combination of low taxes (South Dakota for instance has neither a personal nor corporate income tax), a growing energy sector, and state government actively encouraging businesses to relocate have managed to help keep jobs in these interior states.

The efforts by the states have created job-friendly results.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Dakotas and Nebraska have the lowest unemployment rates.  North Dakota is at 3.2%, Nebraska is at 4.1%, and South Dakota is at 4.8%.