Central Texas does not have the lowest unemployment rates in the country... (Austin: Home Depot)

[CptnRn]

All the newspaper hype has been focused on Metroplexes, but many rural areas have lower unemployment rates.

In the Austin Forum we hear all the time how Austin is one of the top preforming job markets in the country (refering to metroplexes).

Austin is at 7.2% unemployment for the month of August 2009, and we came down slightly from the month before (which was 7.3%). The US national average is 9.6%, down from 9.7%.

But I offer for comparison:

The Gillette News-Record: Today (http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/articles/2009/09/25/news/today/news06.txt - broken link)

CAMPBELL COUNTY, Wyoming - Unemployment Rate: 5.4 percent

WYOMING - Unemployment Rate: 6.6 percent

COUNTIES - Highest rates:

✔ Big Horn and Fremont counties with 7.7 percent

✔ Natrona and Uinta counties with 6.9 percent

- Lowest rates:

✔ Albany County with 4.1 percent

✔ Teton County with 4.2 percent

✔ 4 Sublette County with 4.4 percent

Maybe it is time to consider moving to a more rural and cooler area. I have to tell you that the experience of growing up in Wyoming was vastily superior to anything I can imagine for anyone growing up in the Austin Metroplex. There is a lot to be said for the lifestyle.

My heart goes out to all the unemployed who want to work and can't find a job. Especially those with families to raise, I wish you all the best.



Edit: Reminds me of this exchange:

They will if its constantly publicized as one of the top ten best overcrowded hellholes to live and work in.

[sliverbox]

I grew up in the outright sticks myself. There were very, very few job opportunities. Sure- most people worked. But they worked at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Mcdonalds, and at truck repair centers. Most of them worked for the same place for decades on end. I would definitely not call it paradise. Nice people, beautiful surroundings, and lately they're building Mcmansions all over the place. But there's a reason behind those low numbers and its because a lot of those people work in service jobs, which is a bit more stable: we still go to Wal-mart.

[centralaustinite]

Well, you know how we all like to keep cool in the summer and run the AC?

That coal mainly comes from the Powder River basin in Wy. There are plenty of mining, trucking, train jobs in Wyoming plus the associated service jobs that go with them.

I'm sure Peabody is always hiring.

Peabody Powder River Basin Coal Operations - Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) (http://www.peabodyenergy.com/Operations/coaloperations-PowderRiver.asp - broken link)

Low-density states don't really tell us much about overall employment. But it is interesting to think about.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by sliverbox

I grew up in the outright sticks myself. There were very, very few job opportunities. Sure- most people worked. But they worked at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Mcdonalds, and at truck repair centers. Most of them worked for the same place for decades on end. I would definitely not call it paradise. Nice people, beautiful surroundings, and lately they're building Mcmansions all over the place. But there's a reason behind those low numbers and its because a lot of those people work in service jobs, which is a bit more stable: we still go to Wal-mart.

The energy industries are doing quite well in Wyoming, there are job opportunities in that sector for people who have skills, far beyond just service jobs. I have been reading the Wyoming forum for some time now and people are moving there and finding work.