Rural job loss in recession less than elsewhere, but some places are suffering badly

Rural counties have lost a smaller share of jobs in the recession than metropolitan or exurban counties, but some rural regions have some of the heaviest losses in the nation, the Daily Yonder reports.

"Rural counties across the U.S. have lost 3.5 percent of their jobs. In the country as a whole, there were 4.5 percent fewer jobs in October of this year than in December 2007. In urban counties, job loss reached 4.7 percent," Bill Bishop and Roberto Gallardo write. "National figures on job loss, however, miss the point. The face of this recession changes dramatically from place to place. In rural Utah, for example, there has been a nearly 5 percent increase in jobs in the last two years."

As the map above indicates, the worst rural job loss has come in Alabama, "which has 13.1% fewer jobs than when the recession began," the Yonder reports. As a state, Alabama has had "a larger decline than even battle-scarred Michigan." Bishop and Gallardo note that both states rely heavily on the trouble automobile industry.

The Yonder has tables showing the rural, urban and exurban job loss for each state since the recession began, and the 50 rural or exurban counties that have lost and gained the most jobs. For the report, click here. Click on the map for a larger view.