Where Does Your State Rank?

Cool little US map with data points - give me a map AND numbers and I'm good for at least an hour: Economic Pain - State by State

California is #1 in budget deficit, #2 in unemployment, and #4 in foreclosures. The foreclosure number is surprising (3.9%), we are well below Florida and Nevada - so I am breathing a wee sigh of relief that maybe the real estate bleeding is starting to slow. There are lots of other states very close to our percentage like Ohio, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Maine.

Overall, though, I'd say California and Florida are probably tied for #1 as far as overall economic crappiness.

In other news, I thought that my old neighbors hadn't sold their house, but I was wrong! They did - we have new neighbors. I haven't yet knocked on their door, but I really need to this week, if I don't run into them outside. They have the cutest bloodhound (I spied from my bedroom window) and, looks like, another little dog. More barking company for fuzzy Nikki! I am itching to find out what it sold for, but I'm sure it'll take a few weeks before Zillow gets the information from the county. I am hoping it's good because whatever it sold for, we can expect to get the same amount (once we finish the remodel), easily. It's 200 square feet smaller than ours and our kitchen is way better. Hoping for 400K - that would loosen my vise-grip of home-value worry. Anything to shrink the hole we are in - instead of 70K we'll only be 40-50k underwater!

Gotta find the silver lining, even if it's a bit tarnished.

Comments

  1. Sad to say, Houston was not hurting until the price of oil went down. So we need the price of oil to go up? So we can all pay more in gas? So we can get out of the slump?

    I feel like I live in Bizarro World.

    I think we all need to move to North Dakota. That's what I think.

    Glad you have new neighbors that hopefully paid a nice price for the house.

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  2. Although the current map shows CA with a higher unemployment, I'd counter that Ohio (where I live) and Michigan (neighbor state) are worse off. Mainly, because CA has just been hit with the economic crap. We've been dealing with it for years. Like, back to 2001. The foreclosure crisis started way sooner for us too - and yet it continues on, year after year. It's quite sad.

    I only say CA is better off because I live here and have relatives in CA. Whenever I visit my relatives (like almost all of my family - parents and all siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc) they were astounded that I thought the economy was bad, even as late as 2007 (early). Ironically, some of the people that didn't believe it the most are the ones that are now upside down on their homes by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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  3. For sure, Jennylou, I'd rather be here than Ohio or Michigan because the salaries are higher and the job diversity is better.

    Ohio and Michigan are in a particularly bad spot because of the manufacturing/industrial jobs that have been leaving the area and show now signs of returning.

    Well, I can't speak for your relatives, but I actually knew the economy was going bad at the end of 2006, when I put my last house on the market...

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  4. I almost delurked to gush about your kitchen remodel. I restrained. Now however I'm going to delurk to say that I live in Florida nad it certainly sucks here. The economy is horrific and the amount of homeless people and beggars is insanity. Fortunately for me I bought my house in April of this year at a great price and rate. IE: It could not get lower. There's a house across the street that's been for sale ever since I moved in. 2 out of every 3 people I know either is in foreclosur or has lost their job and some both.

    However the jobs that we've been losing the most are low paying type of jobs.

    www.shishnit.org

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  5. Don't restrain, lurkers! I am also a lurker on lots of blogs and have been comment-blabbing more often, lately, because the reality is bloggers love comments :o) Appeals to our inner "Ham"

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  6. wow, this is interesting. I havent looked, I wonder if it will further push me to my very limit
    (read my: not me monday post) i know about Ca. I saw it on the today show. somthings gatta give and now!! ♥ LA

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  7. I think we're in good shape in Texas (all things considered.) The real estate market is slow and jobs are being lost but we are not feeling as much pain as many other parts of the country.

    To give you an example from my perspective, our house was built about ten years ago. The original owners made about 10% when we bought it five years ago. Its still worth about the same as we paid. (Yet if feels like we have so much invested; so I can't imagine how people in an upside-down-can't-afford situation must feel having to walk away from their home.)

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