As Illinois Struggles, Animated Map Shows Stark Unemployment Contrasts In Midwest

By John Dodge

CHICAGO (CBS) -- As most of the nation continues to slowly come back from high unemployment from the Great Recession, Illinois continues to struggle in its job recovery, according to data from the U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics.

A blog called Crony Chronicles, which focuses on cronyism across the country, created an impressive animated map that illustrates the economic collapse and slow recovery in stark terms.

As the animation begins, viewers quickly see almost the entire nation covered in a deep green between 2009-2011, indicating crippling joblessness.

However, in 2012, the map begins to show job recovery, as the map slowly turns lighter green.

Focusing on the Midwest, the recovery compared to Illinois is dramatic.

Most of the region becomes a lighter green.

However, almost the entire state of Illinois remains in dark colors, and it seems to pop off the map.

In Illinois, unemployment is the second-highest in the country at 8.7 percent.

Only Rhode Island is worse.