Hard Times Leveling Off In Patchwork Nation

As economists and politicians point to a possible economic turnaround, Patchwork Nation’s September Hardship Index found that troublesome economic indicators are starting to level off, as they did in August, yet times are still getting tougher in some places.

The Hardship Index, a county-by-county short-term economic indicator that includes gas prices, foreclosures and unemployment, gauges how counties and the 12 Patchwork Nation community types are faring relative to the previous month.

Explore an interactive map of the September Hardship Index

“The level of hardship by community in some ways is flattening — you could see that as a sign that the recession may be abating — but what it also means is in some ways the pain has gotten more evenly spread around and in some ways people are feeling worse even,” said Patchwork Nation project director Dante Chinni in an interview with the Online NewsHour.

Listen to Chinni’s full interview:

As the U.S. recovers from financial turmoil, the economic landscape will be different, and people will need to adjust to those changes, he said.

“The real concern, even after the recession is that there’s something bigger going on in the U.S. economy and it’s about the restructuring of the economy,” Chinni said. “Those people right now that are waiting for jobs, that don’t have jobs, that’s not just about the recession. Those are structural problems. And what it means is that we really need to re-imagine the American economy.”