Eco 372 Critique Paper

State and regional unemployment rates had a modest change in August. 26 states documented an unemployment rate boost, 12 states and the District of Columbia posted an unemployment rate decline, and 12 states had no change. Forty two states and the District of Columbia registered unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, seven states experienced increases, and one state had no change. The national jobless rate edged down to 8.1% from July and was one percentage point lower than in August 2011 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012).

In August, 54 metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, down from 99 areas a year earlier, while 123 areas stated rates fewer than seven percent, an increase from seventy three areas in August of last year....