Few counties have recovered from the recession; interactive map shows county-by-county levels

Most U.S. counties have not recovered from the recession as well as the national economy has recovered, says a report published Monday by the National Association of Counties, Mike Maciag reports for Governing. The strongest economies are in states that rely on the oil and gas industry, particularly counties in North Dakota and Texas, while most of the economies least affected by the recession are located in Great Plains states.

The report, which analyzed job totals, unemployment rates, economic output (GDP) and median home prices, found that only 65 out of more than 3,000 counties "have seen all four economic measures fully recover from pre-recession peaks," Maciag writes. "Nearly three-quarters of counties remain below their pre-recession employment levels, while economic output hasn’t recovered in 45 percent of counties." (Read more) (National Association of Counties map: To view an interactive county-level map click here)