The 20 Cities Having The Worst Economic "Recoveries"

 

With the U.S. economic recovery losing steam, unemployment has been stubbornly high and home prices continue to tank.

A new report by Brookings picks out 20 metro areas the think-tank believes have had the worst performance from the start of the recession, through the recovery. We've highlighted each city's employment levels and home prices and ranked the 20 by their real gross metropolitan product (GMP) from the pre-recession peak to Q1 2011.

Metro areas like Washington that posted strong growth saw a jump in government employment. The worst performing areas have been the ones that were most hurt by the housing bubble or were heavily reliant on the auto industry.

#19 Minneapolis, MN-WI

Percent change in real GMP from peak to Q1 2011: 1.4%

The Minneapolis metro area has seen its employment fall 5.6% from the peak to the Q1 2011, and home prices have fallen 29.7% for the same period.

Note: Data is for Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington

Source: Brookings

#18 Tucson, AZ

Percent change in real GMP from peak to Q1 2011: -0.4%

Tucson has seen employment fall 8.2% from pre-recession peak to Q1 this year, and home prices have fallen a massive 38.7% in the same period.

Source: Brookings

#17 Cleveland, OH

Percent change in real GMP from peak to Q1 2011: -1.2%

The Cleveland metro area has had a 7.2% decline in employment from pre-recession peak to Q1 this year. Home prices have slumped 24.9% for the same period.

Note: Data is for Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor

Source: Brookings

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