Unemployment getting uglier across the country on clarkhoward.com

The reality of unemployment is getting uglier across the country, according to new stats from the Labor Department.

Michigan has it the worst. There's practically nobody left in the state and of those left, 1 in 7 are unemployed! That's a 14.1% unemployment rate.

Oregon (12.4%) is second worst, while the No. 3 slot goes to Rhode Island and South Carolina. Beyond that, Nevada, California, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and almost the entire Southeast are all ailing on the job front.

So where are things going well? Other than in New Hampshire, it's mostly the heartland and all its contiguous states. North Dakota is king, as is South Dakota. Other heartland areas with low unemployment rates include Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma -- what's commonly called flyover country.

This recession is interesting in that Americans are generally not picking up and moving for opportunity. Why? Nobody can get out of their house with their shirt on.

Clark predicts our current national unemployment rate of 9.4% will rise to somewhere around 11%. Yet he also thinks we'll have an inkling of economic recovery after Labor Day. But jobs will be a lagging indicator of the recovery, for reasons that he previously explained.

What others are saying

Unemployment rates
I honestly believe the country is already at the 11% rate if not above it. Unemployment rate numbers are always fudged down some because of the many groups of people not counted and error. I've read the formula the USDL/BLS uses to get these numbers, and even though I know I couldn't figure out a better way, I can still say without a doubt their formula is quite flawed. Either way even when and if the numbers come down, the good jobs this country once had, the ones where a person didn't need a 2-4 year degree, are all gone. Shameful.
By Chris @ 06/24/09 08:46:29 PMreport abuse
Unemployment rate
Does this rate include the college graduates who cannot find jobs or the students who can't find summer work?
I think the rate is much higher.What about the over 60 crowd who are trying to re-enter the work force after their 401ks have dropped by 50%?Again, I think the unemployment rate is probably double what we are being told.
By Betsy @ 06/24/09 06:01:39 PMreport abuse
unemployment rate
try central florida counties like volusia, where the real unemployment rate is 25%. florida the home the newlywed and nearly dead is slowly being taxed to death(i.e., volusia at nearly 8% sales) and property taxes to support unemployed people's kids to go to schools that are the worst in the nation. then add a 30% increase in FPL electric rates with a new 30% increase soon to come, and pile on that hurricane insurance, homeowner insurance that is through the ceiling.
By peter goesinya @ 06/24/09 03:49:30 PMreport abuse
U6 unemployment
U6 is the real number to look at
it is at 16.4%
By cheapogroovo.vox.com @ 06/24/09 03:05:29 PMreport abuse
EPA
Being "GREEN" is a huge reason we are losing jobs. The EPA, and any of the other Czars that may have been created in the last hour or so, make it almost impossible to run a business in America. Jobs go to states and countries that don't have the ridiculous restrictions and fees all in the name of SAVING the environment. So the environmental impact just moved to states and Countries that don't have to follow these requirements. Did we clean the planet, NO , we just move the "pollution" o another part of the planet. I could write another book on how the rules don't actually save the planet and is the planet in need of saving. Arrogant humans!
By oldvw @ 06/24/09 02:45:17 PMreport abuse
Knock Knock
Clark should start a career opportunity list for those of us who are six figures under water and ready to spring.
By Lurker Lou @ 06/24/09 03:30:10 AMreport abuse
OREGON
You dont know what your talking about. That is not why Oregons economy is bad.
This is why:
1. Oregon has the highest income tax in the country and getting higher because the legislature passed another increase.
That is why we have the fewest Fortune 500 companies with there HQ. in Oregon.
2. We have an anti-jobs governor. He has been fighting a LNG storage and pipeline that would make Oregon a net exporter of NG. on environmental concerns. We already have other LNG facilities and pipelines that have never had a problem with.
I can go on and on about how anti-jobs this state is.
By ERICK @ 06/23/09 10:38:14 PMreport abuse
Oregon Unemployment
I live in Oregon and this state is corrupt and the people stupid.

1. The government allows price fixing by retailers and product control in the stores.

2. The state doesn't have a sales tax, so people from Washington flock over in large herds to buy in our stores, they aren't contributing to our economy, and they are just buying all of the stuff I need to buy in stores. Creating a shortage for me and higher prices for me.

3. Oregon’s are stuck paying all the taxes levied against us.

4. I think Oregon should charge anyone who is not a RESIDING OREGONIAN a special sales tax. Anyone who does not have an Oregon I.D. or driver's license has to pay the special tax for non residents—say 10% on the dollar. This tax would go to fixing Oregon's problems.

5. Look how lopsided the state debts are between Washington (billions) and Oregon (millions) this is because Washington doesn't shop in their own stores and they have a higher population.

6. Another thing most Oregonians don't know: Those out of 5 million people who reside here, 4 million live in or around the immediate Metro Portland area. The other 1 million take up the population of the rest of the state.

7.Plus, Oregonians weren't originally from educated peoples (they were from illiterate share-croppers and move out with the Methodist and Baptist Churches’ land grants) compared to Californians (who were highly educated by the Catholic Church and from well developed countries like Italy, Spain, Greece and the Middle East) from the very beginning of their state history.

8. I still see traces of this illiteracy in the Oregon population. They have a fixation on Californians and blame them for all of their short comings. When the real enemy has been Washington coming over here but not paying any taxes, and the foreigners ( Asia, Western Europe and the Middle East) who have bought up all of the state's land and developing it into houses,high-rises, strip malls and sport arenas.
By Cautious Cat @ 06/23/09 06:13:03 PMreport abuse

Unemployment rates

I honestly believe the country is already at the 11% rate if not above it. Unemployment rate numbers are always fudged down some because of the many groups of people not counted and error. I've read the formula the USDL/BLS uses to get these numbers, and even though I know I couldn't figure out a better way, I can still say without a doubt their formula is quite flawed. Either way even when and if the numbers come down, the good jobs this country once had, the ones where a person didn't need a 2-4 year degree, are all gone. Shameful.

By Chris @ 06/24/09 08:46:29 PMreport abuse

Unemployment rate

Does this rate include the college graduates who cannot find jobs or the students who can't find summer work?
I think the rate is much higher.What about the over 60 crowd who are trying to re-enter the work force after their 401ks have dropped by 50%?Again, I think the unemployment rate is probably double what we are being told.

By Betsy @ 06/24/09 06:01:39 PMreport abuse

unemployment rate

try central florida counties like volusia, where the real unemployment rate is 25%. florida the home the newlywed and nearly dead is slowly being taxed to death(i.e., volusia at nearly 8% sales) and property taxes to support unemployed people's kids to go to schools that are the worst in the nation. then add a 30% increase in FPL electric rates with a new 30% increase soon to come, and pile on that hurricane insurance, homeowner insurance that is through the ceiling.

By peter goesinya @ 06/24/09 03:49:30 PMreport abuse

U6 unemployment

U6 is the real number to look at
it is at 16.4%

By cheapogroovo.vox.com @ 06/24/09 03:05:29 PMreport abuse

EPA

Being "GREEN" is a huge reason we are losing jobs. The EPA, and any of the other Czars that may have been created in the last hour or so, make it almost impossible to run a business in America. Jobs go to states and countries that don't have the ridiculous restrictions and fees all in the name of SAVING the environment. So the environmental impact just moved to states and Countries that don't have to follow these requirements. Did we clean the planet, NO , we just move the "pollution" o another part of the planet. I could write another book on how the rules don't actually save the planet and is the planet in need of saving. Arrogant humans!

By oldvw @ 06/24/09 02:45:17 PMreport abuse

Knock Knock

Clark should start a career opportunity list for those of us who are six figures under water and ready to spring.

By Lurker Lou @ 06/24/09 03:30:10 AMreport abuse

OREGON

You dont know what your talking about. That is not why Oregons economy is bad.
This is why:
1. Oregon has the highest income tax in the country and getting higher because the legislature passed another increase.
That is why we have the fewest Fortune 500 companies with there HQ. in Oregon.
2. We have an anti-jobs governor. He has been fighting a LNG storage and pipeline that would make Oregon a net exporter of NG. on environmental concerns. We already have other LNG facilities and pipelines that have never had a problem with.
I can go on and on about how anti-jobs this state is.

By ERICK @ 06/23/09 10:38:14 PMreport abuse

Oregon Unemployment

I live in Oregon and this state is corrupt and the people stupid.

1. The government allows price fixing by retailers and product control in the stores.

2. The state doesn't have a sales tax, so people from Washington flock over in large herds to buy in our stores, they aren't contributing to our economy, and they are just buying all of the stuff I need to buy in stores. Creating a shortage for me and higher prices for me.

3. Oregon’s are stuck paying all the taxes levied against us.

4. I think Oregon should charge anyone who is not a RESIDING OREGONIAN a special sales tax. Anyone who does not have an Oregon I.D. or driver's license has to pay the special tax for non residents—say 10% on the dollar. This tax would go to fixing Oregon's problems.

5. Look how lopsided the state debts are between Washington (billions) and Oregon (millions) this is because Washington doesn't shop in their own stores and they have a higher population.

6. Another thing most Oregonians don't know: Those out of 5 million people who reside here, 4 million live in or around the immediate Metro Portland area. The other 1 million take up the population of the rest of the state.

7.Plus, Oregonians weren't originally from educated peoples (they were from illiterate share-croppers and move out with the Methodist and Baptist Churches’ land grants) compared to Californians (who were highly educated by the Catholic Church and from well developed countries like Italy, Spain, Greece and the Middle East) from the very beginning of their state history.

8. I still see traces of this illiteracy in the Oregon population. They have a fixation on Californians and blame them for all of their short comings. When the real enemy has been Washington coming over here but not paying any taxes, and the foreigners ( Asia, Western Europe and the Middle East) who have bought up all of the state's land and developing it into houses,high-rises, strip malls and sport arenas.

By Cautious Cat @ 06/23/09 06:13:03 PMreport abuse

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Jun 23, 2009 -- Unemployment getting uglier across the country

What others are saying