Mapping Out Nation’s Soaring Veteran Unemployment Rates

By Myers Reece, 11-16-11

I meant to post a blog following up on my unemployed veterans story last week, but I think it's still relevant. In the Nov. 9 Beacon cover story, I looked into Montana's unemployment rate for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, which, at 20.1 percent, is the fourth highest in the nation. We didn't have space to include a map of all 50 states' jobless veterans rates for those two wars, so I thought I'd post it on this blog.

It's also worth mentioning that the veterans jobs legislation discussed in the article passed the U.S. Senate with broad bipartisan support on Nov. 10. Arguing on behalf of bill in the Senate, Montana Sen. Max Baucus referenced my story and one of the veterans I interviewed, Apollo Child. Hopefully, with the increased exposure and new legislation, veterans like Child can find work now that they're back home from war.



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