I like to preach that the year-to-year change in nonfarm employment is the best economic indicator at the local level. With this thought in mind, I've created this visualization that shows both the current job-growth situation for Utah's counties using the most recent "final" data (September 2011). Plus, you can explore each county's historical track record in relationship to the U.S., Utah, and the past recessionary period. Obviously, when it comes to job growth, there's wide variability--from 11 percent job growth to 11 percent job loss. Plus, you'll notice a decided geographic flavor to the current employment expansion (or lack thereof).
