The Great Recession hit hard and caused many problems in most of the country, but few areas were hit even harder. Since the end of the recession, however, many of the region’s cities have survived, adding jobs and their economies were improved.
Using a review of data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 24/7 Wall St. identified five cities that had some of the worst unemployment rates before and even during the recession, but also they had some of the most unexpected recoveries in years.
As recently as 2010, the unemployment rates in these five cities were exceptionally high when compared to the national unemployment rate of almost 10 per cent. In Muskegon, Michigan, 13.5 per cent of the workforce was unemployed, which is among the worst rates in the country. In Kokomo, Indiana, the unemployment rate exceeded 12 per cent.