Recession hits North Country harder than rest of NYS

As this recession built steam, a lot of economic development leaders around the North Country chimed in with the opinion that we might just be insulated from its worst effects.

The theory goes that we avoid the highs (housing bubbles, big factory openings, etc.) but we also avoid the lows.

Buoying our economy: our proximity the US-Canada border, high rates of government employment, and a lot of small mom-and-pop businesses.

But new research by the New York Times goes a long way toward dispelling that optimism.

The Times has produced a county-by-county map that clearly shows the North Country region leading the way in job losses for New York state.

Zoom in and you’ll see that Lewis County’s unemployment shot up to 9% over the last year – a one-third increase.

Essex County’s jobless rate rose 2.6% and Warren county saw a 2.8% hike.

Hamilton County, as always, is hardest hit: 10% of the county’s workers are now jobless, twice the rate of Albany County.

Tags: economy