Monied 'Burbs

The economy is at tricky juncture. Things are clearly better if you look at some indicators – such as last quarter’s 3.5 percent figure for gross domestic product. But that jump has not manifested itself in a meaningful way – at least not yet.

Consider the unemployment figures for Patchwork Nation in September (the most recent month available for county-by-county figures). There are signs that things are getting better – in some places – but the changes are not the kinds of things you write home about.

Nine of our 12 community types saw small drops in the unemployment rate – emphasis on ...