Recession-Proof Areas If you're looking for areas that are recession-proof AND growing today, these data provide criteria that will help you make decisions. These are nationwide trends thru May 2009. 1990s In the 1990s, most states were relatively recession-proof (green or grey).  In other words, employment growth went up at least 80% of the time for all the monthly reports issued by the BLS. Scroll down for the color codes. 2000s By contrast, in the 2000s, only 7 states and DC have remained 80% or more recession-proof. This is primarily because the 2000s had two recessions. The only states that remained 90% recession-proof were Alaska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Washington DC and Wyoming.	1990s
	2000s (thru May 2009)

Metropolitan Areas

The data below provides more detail to help you make decisions:

• 1990s = percent recession-proof in the 1990s (Green is 90% or more, Grey is 80% to 90%, Red is 70% to 80% and Black is less than 70%)
• 2000s = percent recession-proof in the 2000s
• Trend = 12-month employment growth rate. (Green is growing faster than the workforce, Grey is slower, Red is declining and Black is declining more than 8% per year)
• NewJobs = number of new jobs in the last 12 months.
• Employed = total employed in a given area

In other words, green is good, grey is okay, red is bad and black is terrible.

Those highlighted in yellow have been at least 80% recession-proof in the 1990s and 2000s, and are still growing today.

ST Metro Area 1990s 2000s Trend NewJobs Employed AK Statewide 99% 98% -0.3% -1,100 327,800 AK Anchorage, AK 95% 99% -0.1% -200 173,200 AL Statewide 98% 57% -4.8% -96,100 1,915,900 AL Anniston-Oxford, AL 78% 60% -4.1% -2,200 51,500 AL Auburn-Opelika, AL 81% 82% -1.5% -800 53,900 AL Birmingham-Hoover, AL 96% 58% -3.7% -19,600 511,600 AL Decatur, AL 82% 59% -5.0% -2,900 55,600 AL Dothan, AL 87% 44% -2.7% -1,700 60,400 AL Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL 74% 52% -2.0% -1,100 55,100 AL Huntsville, AL 82% 83% -2.4% -5,100 210,700 AL Mobile, AL 100% 58% -1.8% -3,300 182,400 AL Montgomery, AL 93% 65% -2.9% -5,300 175,400 AL Tuscaloosa, AL 85% 65% -2.5% -2,500 96,600 AR Statewide 100% 68% -2.8% -33,800 1,179,400 AR Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO 100% 88% -0.8% -1,600 207,300 AR Fort Smith, AR-OK 98% 71% -1.5% -1,900 123,900 AR Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 100% 81% -1.9% -6,800 343,700 AZ Statewide 99% 76% -7.1% -188,400 2,459,900 AZ Flagstaff, AZ 94% 72% -7.8% -5,200 61,300 AZ Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 98% 74% -9.1% -4,800 48,100 AZ Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 89% 78% -7.4% -139,800 1,751,500 AZ Prescott, AZ 100% 80% -8.9% -5,600 57,000 AZ Tucson, AZ 100% 67% -5.0% -19,100 365,500 AZ Yuma, AZ 91% 90% -5.6% -3,000 50,100 CA Statewide 67% 63% -4.9% -738,800 14,387,600 CA Bakersfield, CA 75% 88% -2.1% -5,100 235,200 CA Chico, CA 84% 69% -3.9% -3,000 73,000 CA Fresno, CA 88% 79% -3.9% -12,000 295,600 CA Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metro 60% 56% -4.5% -183,600 3,926,700 CA Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA 63% 61% -4.5% -254,700 5,353,000 CA Merced, CA 79% 72% -2.9% -1,700 56,300 CA Modesto, CA 93% 73% -3.9% -6,200 150,900 CA Napa, CA 79% 77% -6.7% -4,400 61,000 CA Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metro 81% 58% -4.3% -44,500 993,300 CA Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 77% 77% -5.6% -16,400 276,900 CA Redding, CA 85% 59% -6.0% -3,800 59,500 CA Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 96% 81% -6.3% -77,900 1,158,200 CA Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA 86% 84% -5.2% -46,200 844,800 CA Salinas, CA 69% 58% -3.2% -4,200 125,200 CA San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 75% 87% -4.0% -52,200 1,255,700 CA San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 68% 54% -4.5% -91,100 1,948,600 CA San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metro 57% 56% -4.7% -46,600 955,300 CA San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 79% 57% -4.4% -40,100 878,200 CA San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 76% 76% -3.2% -3,400 101,500 CA Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metro 67% 69% -4.7% -71,100 1,426,300 CA Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA 71% 66% -2.5% -4,300 170,800 CA Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 81% 54% -5.1% -4,900 90,500 CA Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 90% 63% -4.8% -9,100 179,700 CA Stockton, CA 87% 84% -3.2% -6,700 200,100 CA Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 67% 72% -4.0% -5,000 120,600 CA Visalia-Porterville, CA 80% 85% -3.7% -4,200 110,600 CO Statewide 100% 66% -4.1% -97,600 2,262,200 CO Boulder, CO 100% 65% -4.0% -6,900 164,700 CO Colorado Springs, CO 100% 63% -3.9% -10,300 251,700 CO Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO 100% 65% -3.9% -49,200 1,212,100 CO Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 100% 81% -2.6% -3,700 136,500 CO Grand Junction, CO 100% 100% 0.3% 200 66,300 CO Greeley, CO 97% 96% -3.0% -2,500 81,800 CO Pueblo, CO 92% 68% -2.4% -1,400 57,800 CT Statewide 73% 57% -3.7% -64,000 1,653,300 CT Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT NECTA 76% 53% -3.1% -13,000 408,300 CT Danbury, CT NECTA 67% 59% -4.4% -3,100 67,700 CT Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT NECTA 53% 61% -2.0% -11,100 550,900 CT New Haven, CT NECTA 56% 65% -1.8% -5,100 275,600 CT Norwich-New London, CT-RI NECTA 81% 69% -4.4% -6,100 132,900 CT Waterbury, CT NECTA 65% 27% -3.9% -2,600 64,800 DC Statewide 17% 92% -0.2% -1,200 702,100 DC Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 81% 92% -1.2% -35,300 2,986,900 DC Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro 81% 90% -1.3% -31,300 2,412,700 DE Statewide 84% 62% -4.4% -19,100 417,900 DE Dover, DE 91% 74% -3.2% -2,100 63,600 DE Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metro 83% 60% -4.1% -14,400 339,700 FL Statewide 87% 71% -5.5% -427,900 7,420,700 FL Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, FL 79% 68% -6.7% -18,500 255,600 FL Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 87% 79% -8.4% -18,400 201,100 FL Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 84% 73% -3.6% -6,100 162,700 FL Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, FL Metro 87% 81% -4.4% -34,700 746,200 FL Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin, FL 88% 74% -2.9% -2,400 81,000 FL Gainesville, FL 93% 77% -2.5% -3,300 131,300 FL Jacksonville, FL 88% 67% -4.6% -28,800 601,000 FL Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 81% 70% -4.4% -9,300 201,400 FL Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 86% 73% -4.3% -101,800 2,287,900 FL Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL Metro 85% 65% -4.2% -44,100 1,015,000 FL Naples-Marco Island, FL 84% 78% -6.2% -7,800 117,900 FL Ocala, FL 89% 69% -4.3% -4,500 99,300 FL Orlando-Kissimmee, FL 91% 76% -5.9% -64,200 1,026,200 FL Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 75% 59% -4.9% -10,300 199,200 FL Panama City-Lynn Haven-Panama City Beach, FL 93% 73% -4.1% -3,200 74,500 FL Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 85% 71% -4.1% -7,000 162,500 FL Port St. Lucie, FL 86% 81% -5.5% -7,100 122,900 FL Tallahassee, FL 95% 72% -2.8% -4,900 171,400 FL Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 86% 54% -4.4% -53,900 1,180,600 FL West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, FL Metro 83% 76% -4.2% -23,000 526,700 GA Statewide 88% 59% -5.2% -217,000 3,930,400 GA Albany, GA 74% 47% -3.4% -2,200 62,200 GA Athens-Clarke County, GA 76% 78% -1.6% -1,400 84,200 GA Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 88% 65% -5.6% -136,800 2,316,400 GA Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 73% 68% -2.8% -6,100 213,200 GA Columbus, GA-AL 94% 42% -2.3% -2,800 119,900 GA Dalton, GA 88% 48% -8.8% -6,600 68,300 GA Gainesville, GA 92% 78% -4.6% -3,600 75,200 GA Macon, GA 81% 58% -5.0% -5,200 98,300 GA Savannah, GA 92% 72% -3.0% -4,900 156,200 GA Valdosta, GA 100% 88% -3.0% -1,700 55,700 GA Warner Robins, GA 87% 87% -1.2% -700 58,200 HI Statewide 54% 81% -3.3% -20,700 604,700 HI Honolulu, HI 32% 78% -2.4% -11,200 446,000 IA Statewide 100% 65% -2.8% -43,900 1,501,400 IA Cedar Rapids, IA 94% 67% -1.3% -1,800 139,200 IA Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 100% 69% -1.3% -4,200 324,100 IA Dubuque, IA 89% 64% -3.9% -2,200 54,300 IA Iowa City, IA 98% 94% -1.8% -1,700 91,500 IA Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 96% 42% -2.2% -1,700 75,600 IA Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA 100% 84% -2.0% -1,800 89,500 ID Statewide 100% 80% -5.7% -37,700 618,100 ID Boise City-Nampa, ID 100% 74% -7.7% -21,100 254,700 ID Coeur d'Alene, ID 100% 90% -3.1% -1,800 56,000 IL Statewide 84% 55% -4.7% -281,100 5,731,200 IL Bloomington-Normal, IL 95% 63% -0.5% -500 91,700 IL Champaign-Urbana, IL 80% 60% 0.9% 1,000 116,100 IL Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL Metro 83% 55% -4.8% -185,900 3,698,100 IL Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI 83% 55% -4.6% -209,000 4,366,800 IL Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 92% 60% -1.4% -2,600 189,300 IL Decatur, IL 63% 42% -3.6% -2,000 53,200 IL Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metro 100% 77% -4.2% -17,200 389,800 IL Peoria, IL 76% 65% -2.7% -5,200 185,600 IL Rockford, IL 82% 44% -3.4% -5,400 155,200 IL Springfield, IL 67% 61% -2.6% -2,900 110,600 IN Statewide 90% 59% -5.3% -157,700 2,844,800 IN Bloomington, IN 93% 64% 0.6% 500 80,400 IN Elkhart-Goshen, IN 78% 47% -13.4% -16,800 108,400 IN Evansville, IN-KY 90% 47% -3.3% -6,000 173,200 IN Fort Wayne, IN 80% 50% -4.6% -10,200 209,400 IN Gary, IN Metro 85% 50% -2.1% -5,900 278,900 IN Indianapolis-Carmel, IN 96% 83% -4.0% -37,000 890,800 IN Lafayette, IN 93% 70% -0.2% -200 96,800 IN Muncie, IN 59% 27% -2.6% -1,400 51,900 IN South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI 82% 34% -2.5% -3,600 140,100 IN Terre Haute, IN 74% 34% -2.9% -2,100 71,200 KS Statewide 97% 67% -2.8% -39,100 1,366,500 KS Kansas City, KS 93% 72% -1.1% -4,800 444,100 KS Topeka, KS 88% 50% -1.9% -2,100 110,800 KS Wichita, KS 88% 70% -2.1% -6,500 304,200 KY Statewide 97% 59% -4.8% -90,100 1,788,600 KY Bowling Green, KY 98% 77% -5.3% -3,300 59,200 KY Lexington-Fayette, KY 99% 58% -3.6% -9,200 249,600 KY Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN 89% 58% -4.7% -29,500 603,300 LA Statewide 95% 71% -0.8% -15,700 1,933,600 LA Alexandria, LA 97% 79% -1.2% -800 66,800 LA Baton Rouge, LA 95% 78% 0.3% 1,300 376,000 LA Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA 77% 83% -0.5% -500 97,700 LA Lafayette, LA 81% 69% -1.1% -1,700 151,000 LA Lake Charles, LA 74% 58% -2.6% -2,500 93,000 LA Monroe, LA 100% 57% -2.5% -2,000 77,200 LA New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA 91% 61% -0.7% -3,800 523,700 LA Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 99% 68% -0.9% -1,700 179,500 MA Statewide 81% 60% -3.4% -113,000 3,207,400 MA Barnstable Town, MA NECTA 84% 70% -5.0% -5,100 96,900 MA Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 81% 62% -2.6% -45,300 1,679,400 MA Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH NECTA 81% 61% -2.7% -68,900 2,444,200 MA Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA  NECTA Division 74% 50% -5.0% -4,500 85,600 MA Framingham, MA  NECTA Division 89% 66% -2.0% -3,300 157,900 MA Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury, MA-NH  NECTA Division 86% 52% -3.0% -2,400 76,300 MA Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH  NECTA Division