By Jake Grovum
Pew Charitable Trusts
Five years removed from the worst of the Great Recession, employment in each of the nation’s biggest metro areas has bounced back from its lowest point of the downturn, according to a Stateline analysis of federal employment data.
In a dozen metro areas, employment has grown more than 15 percent since its lowest point of the Great Recession. Among the 50 most populous metro areas, the average job growth rate is about 11 percent.
To calculate job growth, Stateline identified the lowest employment level for each of the country’s largest 50 metro areas since January 2008 (the recession officially began in December 2007). The results show percentage of job growth from each region’s low point compared to its April 2015 employment level, the most recent number available.
Two metro areas stand out as the strongest examples of job growth: San Jose, California, and Austin, Texas, both of which have seen more than 22 percent employment growth since their low points in mid-2009.
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