Texas' 8,4% Unemployment Rate

[erpowers]

Why are some in the media acting as if the fact that Texas has an unemployment rate of 8.4% is a good thing? I will acknowledge that Fox News might be the only media outlet that is doing so. I saw a video clip at Think Progress that discussed Rick Perry's economic record in Texas. In the clip, a Fox News anchor asked Perry how he was able to keep Texas' unemployment rate at 8.4% while so many other states were over 10%. Other media outlets have pointed to the 8.4% rate and pointed out that it was lower than the national rate.

Once someone learns the facts about the unemployment rates in all 50 states the 8.4% rate does not look so good. Even though it is only by a small margin there are more states with lower unemployment rates than Texas than states with higher unemployment rates. There are 26 state with lower unemployment rates than Texas while 23 states have higher unemployment rates than Texas. There are only 10 states with unemployment rates over 10%. Of those ten states(Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Rhode Island, Michigan, South Carolina, California, and Nevada) four of those states(Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina) are Republican states.

In conclusion, on its face an 8.4% unemployment rate does not seem to be much to celebrate. When the facts are taken into account there seems to be even less to celebrate. The majority of American states(26) have unemployment rates under 8.4%. An even greater majority of states (40) have unemployment rates under 10%.

http://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/08/24/303592/video-the-mess-in-texas-debunking-rick-perrys-texas-miracle/