Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary: June 2009

Too depressed to give all the "highlights".

Nationwide Unemployment 9.5%

Michigan--------------------------------------15.2%
Rhode Island----------------------------------12.4%
Oregon----------------------------------------12.2%
South Carolina--------------------------------12.1%
Nevada----------------------------------------12.0%
California------------------------------------11.6%
Ohio------------------------------------------11.1%
North Carolina--------------------------------11.0%
Washington D.C.-------------------------------10.9%
Kentucky--------------------------------------10.9%
Tennessee-------------------------------------10.8%
Florida---------------------------------------10.6%
Georgia---------------------------------------10.2%

Still a few farm belt and Mountain states with small populations come in with fairly low numbers.

Montana---------------------------------------6.4%
Oklahoma--------------------------------------6.3%
Iowa------------------------------------------6.2%
Wyoming---------------------------------------5.9%
Utah------------------------------------------5.7%
South Dakota----------------------------------5.1%
Nebraska--------------------------------------5.0%
North Dakota----------------------------------4.2%

At this point a 7-8 % unemployment rate for a major state is reason to crow.

While Washington D.C's rate is high as normal, two neighboring states, Virginia and Maryland which comprise the bulk of the greater D.C. metro area show surprisingly good figures in spite of being hit by a significant housing price crash.

Virginia--------------------------------------7.2%
Maryland--------------------------------------7.3%

This supports my theory of a new "Obamaconomy" or Bushobamaconomy in which the private sector is crowded out by a parasitical state.

Table B. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes
from May 2009 to June 2009, seasonally adjusted
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Rate |
|-----------|-----------| Over-the-month
State | May | June | rate change(p)
| 2009 | 2009(p) |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arizona ........................| 8.2 | 8.7 | 0.5
Florida ........................| 10.3 | 10.6 | .3
Georgia ........................| 9.6 | 10.1 | .5
Idaho ..........................| 7.8 | 8.4 | .6
Iowa ...........................| 5.7 | 6.2 | .5
Massachusetts ..................| 8.2 | 8.6 | .4
Michigan .......................| 14.1 | 15.2 | 1.1
New Jersey .....................| 8.8 | 9.2 | .4
New York .......................| 8.2 | 8.7 | .5
Texas ..........................| 7.1 | 7.5 | .4
West Virginia ..................| 8.4 | 9.2 | .8
Wyoming ........................| 5.0 | 5.9 | .9