A state-by-state breakdown of unemployment, budget deficit and foreclosure statistics, jointly produced by CNN, Fortune and Money magazines, clearly illustrates which states are getting hit the hardest by the recession.
Here are the states that appear to be in the worst shape, economically, according to an aggregate of these indicators:
California — 8.4 percent unemployment, $14 billion deficit, 3.9 percent of homes in foreclosure
Florida –7.3 percent unemployment, $2.3 billion deficit, 7.3 percent of homes in foreclosure
Michigan — 9.6 percent unemployment, $145 million deficit, 3.5 percent of homes in foreclosure
Georgia — 7.5 percent unemployment, $2.5 billion deficit, 2.3 percent of homes in foreclosure
Nevada — 8 percent unemployment, $536 million deficit, 5.9 percent of homes in foreclosure
Illinois — 7.3 percent unemployment, $2 billion deficit, 3.5 percent of homes in foreclosure
Arizona — 6.3 percent unemployment, $1.2 billion deficit, 3.9 percent of homes in foreclosure
Ohio — 7.3 percent unemployment, $1.2 billion deficit, 3.4 percent of homes in foreclosure
Those on the brighter side (below the national average in negatives) of the economic ledger include:
Nebraska — 3.7 percent unemployment, no deficit, 1.6 percent of homes in foreclosure
North Dakota — 3.3 percent unemployment, no deficit, 0.9 percent of homes in foreclosure
Wyoming — 3.2 percent unemployment, no deficit, 0.6 percent of homes in foreclosure
Montana — 4.9 percent unemployment, no deficit, 0.6 percent of homes in foreclosure
Texas — 5.3 percent unemployment, no deficit, 1.43 homes in foreclosure
The full state-by-state breakdown can be viewed at
http://money.cnn.com/news/storysupplement/economy/gapmap/index.htm.
