

Unemployment tops 20% in eight California counties - startuprules
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/11/business/la-fi-cal-jobs11-2010mar11

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aasarava
Would have been nice if that article delivered on the promise made in the
headline and actually listed the eight counties.

Fortunately, the list can be found on the site after more searching:
[http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/11/business/la-fiw-
cal-...](http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/11/business/la-fiw-cal-jobs-
update12-2010mar12)

~~~
russell
From the LA times

* Colusa: 27.4% * Imperial: 27.3% * Merced: 21.7% * Plumas: 22.3% * San Benito: 21.1% * Sutter: 21% * Trinity: 25.8% * Yuba: 20.4%

These are all small rural counties. Bad for them, but the large metropolitan
areas are better off.

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simeonf
My county (Stanislaus) is mostly rural but includes Modesto and Turlock (home
of CSU Stanislaus). With a population of 1/2 a million we have unemployment
rate of 18.9%. Directly north is San Joaquin County with Stockton as its
largest city. Population of 700K and unemployment rate of 18.4%.

We aren't exactly giant urban centers but we're still a long way from tiny
(sub 75k population) counties like Yuba, Colusa, San Benito, etc. I'm not sure
we're a great deal better off...

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seanlinmt
I don't live in the states so I'm wondering if this stats could also imply
that more people are becoming self employed/starting their own business?

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ejames
The U.S. counts unemployment as "people who are currently looking for/want a
job but do not have one". So anyone who is included in this number is not
self-employed or running their own business.

The U.S. unemployment number does not count: 1\. "Discouraged workers" -
people who are no longer looking for a job because they figure they can't get
one anyway. 2\. Workers underemployed by time - people who work part-time but
want a full-time job 3\. Workers underemployed by skill - people who have
qualifications and experience for a more difficult job than the one they are
currently working, i.e. a chemist who stocks shelves at Wal-Mart because the
local chemical plant shut down and there's nowhere else to go

So even with an unemployment number of 20% (considered disastrously high for
most purposes), that doesn't necessarily mean the economy is sweetness and
light for the other 80%, either.

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Semiapies
The broader CA unemployment rate is relevant, but I can't see the special
concern about unemployment in a few low-population CA counties.

