The American economy is confronting immense challenges as states have been hit with thousands of job losses, record-high prices for gasoline, heating oil and health care, falling real wages, and an unprecedented loss in housing wealth. As George W. Bush heads into his final months as president, American families are faced with an economic downturn that follows the weakest recovery in the past century. The sub-par gains of the last seven and a half years only compound the burden for American families now threatened with the devastating consequences of a recession. The economic snapshots, available below, are updated monthly using the most current economic data.

State By State Reports

State By State Reports
  • November 2008: October Payrolls By State
  • November 2008: October Unemployment Rates By State
  • November 2008: Median Wages and Unemployment Rates

    Recent employment reports have shown that the labor market is seriously distressed. Since December, the economy has shed 1.3 million private sector jobs and the national unemployment rate spiked to 6.5 percent. Many states have recessionary levels of unemployment: the unemployment rate is over 9.0 percent in Rhode Island and Michigan, and greater than or equal to 7.0 percent in California, South Carolina, Nevada, Alaska, Oregon, Ohio, Illinois, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the District of Columbia. In general, the nation has seen lackluster wage and job growth over the economic recovery of the 2000s. Between 2000 and 2007, across the nation, inflation-adjusted wages grew by just 0.3 percent per year, while productivity grew by 2.5 percent per year.
  • September 2008: Median Wages and Unemployment Rates

    Recent employment reports have shown that the labor market is seriously distressed. Since December, the economy has shed nearly one million private sector jobs and the national unemployment rate remained high at 6.1 percent for the second consecutive month. Many states have recessionary levels of unemployment: the unemployment rate is at least 7.0 percent in Rhode Island, Michigan, Mississippi, California, Nevada, South Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia, and above 6.0 percent in Illinois, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Oregon, Indiana, and Connecticut. In general, the nation has seen lackluster wage and job growth over the economic recovery of the 2000s. Between 2000 and 2007, across the nation, inflation-adjusted wages grew by just 0.3 percent per year, while productivity grew by 2.5 percent per year.


  • July 2008: State Median Wages and Unemployment Rates

    Recent employment reports have shown that the labor market is seriously distressed. The economy has lost nearly a half a million jobs since the beginning of the year and the national unemployment rate was at 5.5 percent for the second consecutive month in June.  Additionally, many states have recessionary levels of unemployment: the unemployment rate in Michigan, Rhode Island, Mississippi, California, Illinois, Alaska, Ohio, Tennessee, Nevada, Kentucky, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia is already above 6.0 percent. In general, the nation has seen lackluster wage and job growth over the economic recovery of the 2000s.  Between 2000 and 2007, across the nation, inflation-adjusted wages grew by just 0.3 percent per year, while productivity grew by 2.5 percent per year.


  • June 2008: Median Wages and Unemployment Rates

    Recent employment reports have shown that the labor market is seriously distressed. Last month, the national unemployment rate rose a half percentage point – the largest one-month increase since 1986. In general, the nation has seen lackluster wage and job growth over the economic recovery of the 2000s. Between 2000 and 2007, across the nation, inflation-adjusted wages grew by just 0.3 percent per year, while productivity grew by 2.5 percent per year.


  • May 2008: Airline Passengers Wasted Millions of Hours Due to Delay

    Using data from airports in all 50 states, the Joint Economic Committee compiled this table showing airport by airport figures for total airport passengers, passenger delay hours, and average departure delays per passenger.  This table can also be found in the JEC report Your Flight Has Been Delayed Again.

    Click on airplanes below to see the average delays at your local airports
  • April 2008: Home Prices Are Down and Families Have Lost Wealth

    American families are seeing thier home prices - and household wealth - decline as property values continue to drop.  Between 2007 and 2009, home prices have droppped 11 percent and household wealth has declined by more than $2.5 trillion nationwide. 
  • April 2008: Impact of Subprime Foreclosures on Home Equity, Values, & Taxes

    The Joint Economic Committee prepared this table using data available through the Mortgage Bankers Association.  This chart breaks down the impact the subprime mortgage crisis has had on loss of home equity, loss of property value, and loss of property tax revenue.  
  • March 2008: State by State Foreclosure Analysis
    This chart, prepared by the Joint Economic Committee calculates the increase in subprime foreclosures felt in all 50 states and the increase in prime mortgage foreclosures in 48 states. 
  • August 2007: American Families are Losing Ground on Bush's Watch - Income
    New estimates by the Census Bureau show that real (inflation-adjusted) median household income increased slightly between 2005 and 2006. From 2000 to 2006, however, real median household income fell by 2.0 percent, with the poorest households experiencing disproportionately large declines even as the richest households saw their incomes rise. Those data confirm that the vast majority of Americans have not benefited from economic growth over the past six years.
  • August 2007: American Families are Losing Ground on Bush's Watch - Poverty
    Each year, the Census Bureau releases new estimates on the number and percent of Americans living in poverty. Under the Bush administration, the number of Americans living in poverty has increased by 4.9 million people. Today, nearly one out of every eight Americans is living below the federal poverty line.
  • August 2007:American Families are Losing Ground on Bush's Watch - Insurance
    Both the number of Americans without health insurance coverage and the uninsured as a percentage of the population rose in 2006, according to the latest estimates by the Census Bureau. The number of people without health insurance is the largest on record and has increased in every year since President Bush took office.
  • June 2007: UPDATE - Subprime ARM Foreclosures and New Foreclosure Actions

    Foreclosures continue to rise across the nation as more and more subprime borrowers’ loans reset to higher rates in a weak housing environment. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported that first quarter foreclosure inventory rates for subprime loans in 2007 rose from 4.53 percent to 5.10 percent, or 57 basis points relative to the previous quarter. This represents an 81 basis point increase compared to the first quarter of 2006. According to RealtyTrac, new foreclosure events in May 2007 totaled 176,137, an increase of 19 percent since April and of 90 percent since May 2006.

Joint Economic Committee