Check out this map, created by the Associated Press, which shows the degree of economic misery in various parts of the United States. Their economic index weighs three variables: unemployment, foreclosures, and bankruptcy.
I find interesting that the western part of the U.S. is experiencing the most economic pain. On April 24 COTTonLINE cited a Michael Barone column which talked about the Sand States - California, Nevada, Arizona, and Florida - having many foreclosures. Clearly those foreclosures, and the associated collapse of the labor-intensive building industry, are a major contributor to the AP misery index.
Note: units on the map appear to be counties, which in the west tend to be much larger.
