Where are the jobs?!

Today, I'm looking at the Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment numbers for July. As many have pointed out before, the federal government's numbers don't represent the real number of unemployed people out there. For an understanding of why that is so, you should turn to the Shadow Government Statistics web page on employment. Regardless, here are the government's numbers:

Unemployment Rates for States Monthly Rankings Seasonally Adjusted July 2009p
Rank	State	Rate
1	NORTH DAKOTA	4.2
2	NEBRASKA	4.9
2	SOUTH DAKOTA	4.9
4	UTAH	6.0
5	IOWA	6.5
5	OKLAHOMA	6.5
5	WYOMING	6.5
8	MONTANA	6.7
9	NEW HAMPSHIRE	6.8
9	VERMONT	6.8
11	VIRGINIA	6.9
12	HAWAII	7.0
12	NEW MEXICO	7.0
14	MARYLAND	7.3
15	ARKANSAS	7.4
15	KANSAS	7.4
15	LOUISIANA	7.4
18	COLORADO	7.8
18	CONNECTICUT	7.8
20	TEXAS	7.9
21	MINNESOTA	8.1
22	DELAWARE	8.2
23	ALASKA	8.3
24	MAINE	8.4
25	PENNSYLVANIA	8.5
26	NEW YORK	8.6
27	IDAHO	8.8
27	MASSACHUSETTS	8.8
29	WEST VIRGINIA	9.0
29	WISCONSIN	9.0
31	WASHINGTON	9.1
32	ARIZONA	9.2
33	MISSOURI	9.3
33	NEW JERSEY	9.3
35	MISSISSIPPI	9.7
36	ALABAMA	10.2
37	GEORGIA	10.3
38	ILLINOIS	10.4
39	DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA	10.6
39	INDIANA	10.6
41	FLORIDA	10.7
41	TENNESSEE	10.7
43	KENTUCKY	11.0
43	NORTH CAROLINA	11.0
45	OHIO	11.2
46	SOUTH CAROLINA	11.8
47	CALIFORNIA	11.9
47	OREGON	11.9
49	NEVADA	12.5
50	RHODE ISLAND	12.7
51	MICHIGAN	15.0

Two observations:

1. Only three states have an unemployment rate below 5% (the Dakotas and Nebraska). If you're looking for a job and willing to relocate, I might begin looking there. I say might because, being of such small size, these states haven't really experienced much economic volatility at all during this recession. They haven't lost that many jobs but they're not job creating engines either. So I imagine just showing up and finding a job would be quite difficult.

2. The states with the lowest unemployment figures are all relatively low-population states with not that many urban centers. The states with the largest populations and most urban centers are the ones with the highest unemployment figures. The one exception is Texas, which is "only" at around 8% unemployment according to the BLS. Economists are saying we're entering a "job less recovery" ... meaning stocks and assets might make gains for investors but it doesn't appear that many jobs are going to be creating in the near future. Even the most optimistic establishment economists are saying that half of the manufacturing jobs that left this country during the recession will never return. That's a very negative job picture for the American public. There is no way the American consumer is going to return in a big way under those conditions, yet that is exactly what this economy needs according to these same economists. This is a major reason why I'm extremely skeptical about a recovery any time soon.