U.S. Unemployment by the Numbers: How Bad Is It Hurting?

Reports

More people are unemployed in America than live in Ohio or go to church in Texas.

Unemployment statistics don’t usually leap off the page, but the latest report from the Department of Labor offers some astounding figures. More than 651,000 jobs were cut in February, continuing a steep drop that has raised the unemployment rate to 8.1 percent, its highest level since 1983.

Matched up against some of the latest stats made available by the Census Bureau, those numbers really do begin to add up.

• 651,000 jobs were axed in February, a number larger than the populations of:
- Baltimore
- Seattle
- Denver
- El Paso
- Washington, D.C.

• 12.5 million people are unemployed in the U.S., which is more than the number of:
- people watching ABC’s “Lost” this season
- women attending college
- male scientists and engineers
- Americans who grow herbs
- people who played tackle football in the past year.

• 12.5 million people is also a number larger than the populations of 45 states, including
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Michigan
- Virginia

• 4.4 million jobs have been lost since the recession began in December 2007, which is larger than the population of the entire San Francisco Bay Area.

• 2.6 million jobs have been lost in the past four months, which is like every Presbyterian in America getting the ax in one winter, or about the number of senior citizens in Florida.

• 8.6 million people have been forced to work part-time for economic reasons, which is more than the population of New York City, or more than the number of people who try to quit smoking every year.

The roll continues, and it is a stark one: construction companies eliminated 104,000 jobs in February, factories cut 168,000 jobs, retailers sliced nearly 40,000, professional and business services got rid of 180,000, financial companies reduced payrolls by 44,000, and leisure and hospitality firms chopped 33,000 positions.

Despite all the doom and gloom in the Labor Department’s numbers, at least one sector had a pretty rosy February: the government boosted its number of employees last month.

Click here to see the Labor Department report.(PDF)

Additional Resources:

Trend Alert: U.S. Has Entered “The Greatest Depression”

Job Losses Pose a Threat to Stability Worldwide

September 11th, 2008–America’s Economic 9/11?

Pepsi and IBM are Now More Creditworthy than the U.S. Government

Global Recession: We Watch Now As Funds Get Vaporized

HSBC to Pullout of US Lending; Trading Suspended in Hong Kong

Fresh evidence points to paralysis of global economy

Fear of global depression rises as US reveals true extent of decline

The “Great Financial Crisis”: A whole new kind of struggle is emerging

A Planet at the Brink

This financial crisis is now truly global

What next for the price of gold?

In Cartoons: The Bailout and U.S. Recession

The Next Big Thing: Barter

Global Financial Crisis Forces Latvia’s Government To Resign

Global Recession: Over 100,000 demonstrate in Ireland

Fast Food Nations Eating Themselves To Death

Video: Overview Of Obama’s Stimulus Bill - Fox News Strategy Room

Gold demand surges by a third to $100bn

The New Currency Trade: Gold Vs. All Else

In the economic downturn, gold shines ever brighter

Global Recession: Foreign firms and investors flee from Ireland!

Record slump in Japan: a sign of deepening global recession

Video: The Crash of 2009 Is COMING To YOU!!

Gold Future

Global Recession: Laid-off foreigners flee as Dubai spirals down

Financial Crisis: Toxic Plans for Toxic Assets

Ireland ‘could default on debt’

Global Recession: Eurozone slump worst in 50 years

The Coming Crisis: White Collar Homelessness

Global Recession and Coming Wars: 100 Items to Disappear First

Poll: 31% of Europeans blame Jews for global financial crisis

Bad Economy Forcing Immigrants To Reconsider U.S.

Global Economy Nears Abyss

Global Recession: IMF May Run Out Of Cash In Six Months

Bank Of England to issue grimmest warning yet on economy

Global Recession: 38,000 UK Companies Expected To Die

Protectionism, unemployment and riots as the global slump deepens

Global Recession: Canada Job Losses Worst on Record

How To Play The Coming Gold Price Jump

2009 Predictions - Prepare For The Worst

Survivalism: How to Prepare for the Economic Collapse

Global Recession: Beijing rocked by 26 million lost jobs

Global Recession: Britain headed for deepest slump in 60 years

50 MILLION JOBS WILL BE LOST IN 2009 !!!

More Economists Say Crisis Is Worse Than Great Depression

Global Recession: 74,000 Layoffs Announced In One Day

USA: State Secession and the Coming Civil War

Video: The Great Depression of the 21st Century

Economic Crises Deepens: JPMorgan Chief Says 2009 Will Be Bleak

World in mad rush for Gold coins

China and Iran Switch to Gold