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Jobless total exceeds population of all but four states

By Zachary Roth | The Lookout – Mon, Aug 22, 2011

America's jobless crisis has been going on so long that the raw numbers have lost much of their power to convey the severity of the problem. The Wall Street Journal's David Wessel has found a clever new way to get at the issue.

Wessel notes that there are more officially unemployed people in the United States (13.9 million, though if you count those who have given up looking it's nearly twice that) than the total individual populations of 46 out of 50 U.S. states.

Or, if you prefer: There are more offically unemployed Americans than the combined population of Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, Alaska, South Dakota, Delaware, Montana, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, Idaho and the District of Columbia.

Or finally: There are more unemployed Americans than the total population of Greece or Portugal, both of which have 10.8 million people. And more than twice as many as the total population of Norway, which has 4.7 million people.

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All Comments

2,838 comments

S H • 8 mths ago
This does not include the number of those who don't qualify for unemployment - if you don't qualify, you don't report. I am sure that number doubles the percentage they are reporting.
Felipe • 8 mths ago
why are so many people losing their jobs when congress goes on vacation as well the President hence a doctor does not leave a person bleeding to death a firemen does"t egnore a fire. Cutting schools leaves to more crime just like layoffs like a VIRUS donot lert it get bigger.The Calif. gov.should have got to the main source of it why did we lose so much. PS. why do we have so many gov bodys just to say no or yes everytime i see congress or senate on tv some are just sitting looking like they are besy with theiir SUITS WHY CAN THEY BE CUT OFF. SO MANY PEPLE LOSING THEIR JOBS.when they (big shots go on vacation) and families are throwen to the streets..Iam proud of USA but some gov officials THEY HAVE TO GO This is a SOS
A Yahoo! User • 9 mths ago
bttt

Welcome to the GREATEST DEPRESSION, or if you ask the media "a possible second recession". Are they really so RETARDED they would look around and say, "gee, looks like it MIGHT just MAYBE kind of possibly turn into another recession"???? Nope. They're a bunch of subversives trying to keep you calm while their friends on capitol hill, in the banks, and on wall street rob you blind. The media is going to keep you running in circles until it's too late to do anything about it. SubvertedNation (dot net)
Art V • 9 mths ago
Wait a minute, didn't Obama promise tons of "shovel ready' jobs?? Where are they?? I fully expect the Obama administration to come out with something like this as we near the election...."We are currently short on shovels, but during the next couple of years we expect to build factories to manufacture them, then we can put those shovels to the ground." LOL! The sad thing is that it actually sounds like something they would say...
ronald • 9 mths ago
The figures for unemployment are triple what they say they are, the self employed are not getting paid and the wall mart workers can not make a living wage. The truly sad thing is the government and president obamma is acting like these people do not count. Everything the government says is untrue. Just look around you.
Fatima Az-Zahra Zulfiqar • 9 mths ago
Well this is the right wing war of attrition going on; their buddies the big corporations are on the strategic side now laying off thousands to spike the unemployment figures so people will be spooked and vote White; it's realpolitik: but doomed; Obama is too good; too smart: and oh yes: and Blessed by God
- nada 9 mths ago
  Fool, where have you been hiding? These numbers are putting it mildly and sugar coating the reality that more than 6 million Americans will never get another job, I don't care what its doing. They're gone forever and those numbers only tell you the size not the magatude that will be felt for the next 20 years until some of those six million will be eligible for Social Security, No I'm not talking about people approaching 60 now, I'm talking those that are in their mid to late forties and fifities who have been out of work for the last two years and who are still searching to no avail. Do you really think they stand a chance in the next election which is over a year away to get gainful fulltime employment? Even if they go bck for training and new job skills, they still have to compete with much younger skilled American workers who are also waiting for a chance to even start a life and a career.. It's bleak and Obama gotta get hell off the gravy train, he and his family have sucked it dry..
- GoliathImmortal 9 mths ago
  Oh please 4users liked this comment
  Thumbs UpThumbs Down8users disliked this commentFatima Az-Zahra Zulfiqar
  your making us throw up in our mouth...
  Obama is a fux head !!
Sean • 9 mths ago
The president sets out to mid west to create more jobs.... at the end of his term?
B. A. Smith • 9 mths ago
Some of yous feel that Obama was handed a mess ?? Obama spent millions to become the president. He ran, he won, his mess. Nor can you inherit something that you BOUGHT.
- JMO 9 mths ago
  Right. And this followed Bush not even being elected in the first place...and taking us to never-ending war.
p2010 • 9 mths ago
agree on this statement totally i am a college graduated with a nice degree. The problem is the degree I have I cannot use right now because of the job cuts and the hiring freezes. It is very hard to get a job...even with a degree. How am I going to pay back my loans?
- Dave 9 mths ago
  Start small and do whatever but don't join the military... good luck!
Ruth • 9 mths ago
Keep letting the big corporations outsource our jobs and pretty soon the president will be looking for work too!
Julio • 9 mths ago
Our president promised us 100s of thousands of green jobs in his campaign speeches where are they. He made a lot of promises and claims he never followed through on. It is about time he was called on his promises versus his delivery he needs to step down for his poor performance.
- JMO 9 mths ago
  The problem is that congress has not supported anything. They haven't done anything to help anyone but themselves.
lost0001 • 9 mths ago
I love how people say people are lazy, I used to make a middle class income in construction, but low wage illegals immigrants hired by some contractors put the company I worked for ten years out of business, and it's been in business for more than forty years. I have worked temp services for $9hr next to people with engineering degrees, MBA's, and Law degree's, and I have an associates degree in business, but after 90 days the temp services put's you in another factor so they can continue to make money off you. I now make less than a third what I made 20 years ago, which really isn't that motivating when that alarm goes off in the morning, so why would someone want to go to work at slave wages if they didn't have to. The only reason I do is because I just hope things get better, and people don't get hired if they have not worked in the last six months.
GoliathImmortal • 9 mths ago
Being lazy and expecting every thing on a silver platter from the goverment just aint working out for you.....
Is it Demo Rats ?
- Neptune 9 mths ago
  just S T F U!
GoliathImmortal • 9 mths ago
Newsflash ......
Vote for Obama this election, and he gets re elected, there might very well be a revolution !
The nation has just about had it with this clown!
Design. • 9 mths ago
I love how the Fed does not include the number of unemployed people who "stopped looking for jobs."

The real unemployment rate is probably in the 20% area.
Duster_mo • 9 mths ago
Interesting programming note here on Yahoo. Here is a sample of the source code for the comments. IF comment contains "Obama" AND negative comment see LIST then VOTE DOWN.
A Yahoo! User • 9 mths ago
Why is it that no one talks about the self employed and the fact that their business is gone and they are not able to make their bills but the govt. requires more costly permits, registrations and insurance. We have worked hard all of our lives and there is no one to help us.......
RogueLoner • 9 mths ago
Not to worry. Teachers will be headed back to school soon. The media will be sure to credit President Barack H. Obama, Messiah, with "job creation". One thing I can say for the liberals. They sure know how to recognize a society of suckers.
mr R • 9 mths ago
Just a little info without digging up 25 years of history. Patty Davis, the step daughter of the late great Ronold Reagan in her book (the name escapes me) wrote I feel sorry for this country because in 20 or 30 years from now people will feel the effects of what my father did to the people of this country , remember Reagen raised the debt ceiling 17 times so he could eliminate the soviet union setting in motion the economic disaster we live in today. Every president and legistrative branch have made their contribution to the misery we live in today. and many of you are right , Big buisiness is holding the economy back and manipulating the markets for their own gains.Every member of the government are filthy rich because of investments they make. But most Americans dont have a clue.
odessa • 9 mths ago
Why does everyone want to blame Obama for the Country's Problems, I Understand that he is the President but he's not god. He's trying his best he is the solution not the problem.
Why weren't you pricks blaming bush when he was draining country, and taking us to the bottom with all the spending and extra bull he was doing.
No! So now I'm guessing Obama is supposed to come in and make magic happen, and since it's not he's to be blamed for the country's problems. I'm not saying he's perfect but he's also not the bad guy people. You guy's need to be thankful that he is the president and a republican is not. Because things would be alot worse than they are right now.
I'm not here to bash anyone, but you guys need to look at everything that has been either voted to be cut by republicans or they just vote no for everything so in return nothing can't be done.

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