New Jersey's economy has lost 85,600 jobs since Barack Obama -- who today visits Edison to talk up his economic proposals -- became president in January 2009. Fourteen states have had larger losses.
Taken as a percentage of its job base, which accounts for differences in the sizes of states, New Jersey's loss of 2.17 percent of the jobs it had at the start of 2009 ranks in the middle of the pack -- better performance than in 27 states, but trailing 22 states and Washington, D.C.
The only places that have experienced a net gain in jobs since Obama's term began are North Dakota (up 5,600, or 1.5%), D.C. (up 3,500, or 0.5%) and Alaska (up 1,900, or 0.6%).
Since the recession began at the end of 2007, New Jersey's employment base is down by 220,200 jobs. The number of private-sector jobs in the state, though up by nearly 4,000 in the first half of 2010, remains around levels last seen in early 1998.
In case you're curious: New Jersey was down 7,200 jobs in President George W. Bush's eight years in office, one of 17 state to experience employment drops in Bush's tenure.
