New Jersey, America

In many ways, New Jersey remains a microcosm of the United States as it emerges into recovery. The unemployment rate for the U.S. as a whole in September was 9.8 percent; the unemployment rate here in New Jersey was 9.8 percent. A year ago, the state's jobless rate sat at 5.8 percent, while the nation's was 6.2 percent.

On the other hand, we're laggards in the Northeast Region. The region as a whole has a 9.0 percent unemployment rate, the lowest of the Labor Department's four regions of the nation.

The two behemoths at either end of the state have jobless rates pretty much in line with the Northeast average. The New York City metropolitan area is at 9.3 percent, while Philadelphia is at 8.8 percent. Within the state itself, the unemployment rates are all over the place, from Ocean City at 7.6 percent to the Vineland-Millville area at 12.7 percent. Here in Somerset County, the jobless rate is a relatively low 7.9 percent, third-lowest among New Jersey counties after Hunterdon and Morris.