Since the current recession began in 2008 there has been a lot of talk about how the current unemployment rate compares with historical unemployment rates.

To put things in context, below is a graph that show the United States unemployment rate back to the 1940s (i.e. post-Depression era).

As the chart demonstrates, we are currently experiencing the highest unemployment rate since the early 1980s. Back then, the national unemployment rate peaked at 10.8% in November and December of 1982. When you dive into the data on the state and city levels, there are more interesting statistics that emerge:

• West Virginia experienced the highest unemployment rate among all 50 states during the 1980s, peaking at over 18% in March of 1983.
• South Dakota witnessed the lowest levels of unemployment compared with the other 49 states, reaching a level of only 5.9% during October of 1982.
• Certain metropolitan areas have been hit particularly hard during the current recession. Fresno, California is a prime example, with a stated unemployment rate above 29%

If you’d like to see a quick graph of the historical unemployment rates in your state or county, check out Google Public Data. This graph shows Los Angeles county, and can be compared with other counties, states, or even the United States as a whole.