[Vision2020] An interactive map of vanishing employment

[Kenneth Marcy]

The economic crisis, which has claimed more than 5 million jobs since the 
recession began, did not strike the entire country at once. A map of 
employment gains or losses by county tells the story of how those job losses 
first struck in the most vulnerable regions and then spread rapidly to the 
rest of the country. As early as August 2007, for example—several months 
before the recession officially began—jobs were already on the decline in 
southwest Florida; Orange County, Calif.; much of New Jersey; and Detroit, 
while other areas of the country remained on the uptick.

Using the Labor Department's local area unemployment statistics, Slate 
presents the recession as told by unemployment numbers for each county in 
America. Because the data are not seasonally adjusted for natural employment 
cycles throughout the year, the numbers you see show the change in the number 
of people employed compared with the same month in the previous year. Blue 
dots represent a net increase in jobs, while red dots indicate a decrease. 
The larger the dot, the greater the number of jobs gained or lost. Click the 
arrows or calendar at the bottom to see each month of data. Click the green 
play button to see an animation of the data.

http://slate.com/id/2216238/ 


Ken