Two Different Maps of the Economic Downturn

A friend posted a random question on Facebook earlier, and I wound up doing a bit of unintended research into business closings today as a result. Put together a couple of interesting thematic maps as a result. (H/T Deanna McMillan)


First, a map showing the percent change in total number of employees between the second quarter of 2007 and the same period in 2010:

The only state in the contiguous US to add jobs in that three year period was North Dakota. And yet, I haven't heard of any land rush in Grand Forks. (Alaska also created 994 jobs in this time, a .39% growth, while Hawaii lost 9.75% of it's workforce.) As you can see, most of the rest of the country has taken a licking.

Secondly, and much more interesting to me, is the percent change in total number of "establishments". The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines an "establishment" as "an economic unit, such as a farm, mine, factory, or store that produces goods or provides services."

A broad classification, to be sure. I would venture that Louisiana is an outlier, and that much of the growth is related to businesses reopening post-Katrina. But I don't think it's any coincidence that states like Wisconsin, Indiana & New Jersey, which lost workplaces, are going after businesses in Illinois, which actually gained. Furthermore, this map would seem to indicate to me that despite current budget woes, Illinois and California would seem to be on the right trajectory for creating new jobs, while the South and Inland West may be in for an extended period of stagnation. Only time will tell, of course, but interesting to consider.

London is the Place for Me

Next week I'll be in London, checking out the bikeshare program, visiting friends and ogling antiquarian maps...just in time for a Tube strike and some typically awful British weather. Expect to hear more about it.

Red de Metro

Webdesigner Depot has posted a plethora of official Metro maps from around the globe. They're really quite fascinating to look at side-by-side. Chicago doesn't look so bad compared with other world cities (take a look at Miami's single line, for instance), but a far cry from a Moscow or a Seoul.

This sort of map is interesting to me because I think it really shows the priorities of a place. Compare Atlanta with Barcelona...cities with similarly-sized metropolitan populations, and each a former Olympic host. The similarities end there, once you see how much more extensive Barcelona's system is. Atlanta's map, and many of the other American examples, put a great emphasis on showing us where riders can park their cars and the only roads shown are freeways. Now look at Barcelona's red...you'll see the funicular railway, the cable car, the ferry terminal, a couple dozen transfer points...but not a single park & ride. A resident of Barcelona would probably find it quite strange to drive one's car to get to the subway, but then again, there's likely a station within a couple hundred meters of their front door.

via the map room