INTERNET "FEATURE" SITES

This page is devoted to Internet sites that are somewhat difficult to classify. They are useful for certain specific purposes as explained below.

DRAW A MAP EMPLOYMENT DATA 1978 to 2003
This is a new (in 2003) Internet feature from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The link below brings up a page on which you can select (1) states (2) counties or (3) metropolitan areas (in Maine principally Bangor, Lewiston and Portland), enter the year and month for which you want the data and click on “draw map.” The site will then, for instance, draw a map of all the Maine counties for the year/month entered and show by color shading the data for each county. When you put your cursor on a county the “pop up box” gives you the name of the county and the actual percentage of unemployment for the year/month you entered. This is an excellent resource for comparing the rate of unemployment in various areas of the state at any given time or the change in unemployment in any given area (state, county, local) over the years (1978 to the present).
    You can also print out the state/county shaded unemployment map for the year/month you have selected and below it get a printed list of all the states (or counties in one state) with the specific unemployment data for each state or county within a state. This is clear enough to be placed in a printed document. The map and specific data can also be selected and saved and pasted into your own word processor for use in any reports or documents.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics developed the data visualization tool to help researchers understand national, state, local unemployment over time by creating customized maps.

See their new website

http://data.bls.gov/servlet/map.servlet.MapToolServlet?survey=la