Recent signs have pointed toward economic growth. The national unemployment rate in December was 8.5 percent, a rate that has continued to trend down since February 2009.
Yet not all states are created equal when it comes to economic recovery. Some states weathered the recession better than others. And while most states have seen a decline in unemployment post-recession, others have dealt with fluctuating jobless rates. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ recent breakdown of regional and state unemployment numbers for December, the most recent figures available, “Twenty-four states reported jobless rates significantly lower than the U.S. figure of 8.5 percent, eight states and the District of Columbia had measurably higher rates, and 18 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.”
