EMPLOYMENT AND CONSUMER SENTIMENT PICTURE

New applications for unemployment are at a 14-yr low, lowest since 2000.*  This does not necessarily say that the employment picture is equally as good.  What it may be saying is that layoffs are down, but hiring is not necessarily up.  Consumer sentiment is the highest since 2007.**  All signs are of an improving economy and optimism:  optimists now edge pessimists (though a plurality of those who don't know still dominates), wages and job openings doing well, the U-6 (unemployed plus underemployed) is decreasing nicely, though still above the "all time low" set in April of 2006.***

Yet, many people feel that the recovery has not reached them.  A reason for this may have been shown on Meet The Press (October 5, 2014), communities along the north-south interstate highways are doing well and those farther away are either doing less well or are even falling behind.  I have been unable to locate the figure so I'll quote a bit of the text that gives an example:

"Well, because the road to recovery is taking different routes. And that could mean trouble for Democrats in November. Let me show you another graphic and a map. Along the major interstates running north to south in the U.S., the fives, communities close to those highways are in the economic fast lane. These are the mostly urban areas that do favor Democrats, where economies are thriving and people are actually heading back into the job market at a rapid pace.

Much more rapidly than in rural America, farther away from those interstates. In fact, take a look right here in Washington D.C., along the I-95 corridor. From July 2010 to July 2014, the unemployment rate dropped nearly two points. And 35,000 more people felt encouraged enough to actually go into the job market.

150 miles to the southeast though, in rural Gloucester County, Virginia, the unemployment rate also dropped less than a point. But that was simply because nearly 1,200 fewer people are actually out there looking for work. Let's go to I-35 in Iowa, in Polk County, home to Des Moines. Not only was there a drop in the unemployment rate of two points, but 4,700 more people actually are in the job market."****

* http://www.cnbc.com/id/102092928?trknav=homestack:topnews:15
  http://www.cnbc.com/id/102096833?trknav=homestack:topnews:1
*** http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2014/10/consumers-are-better-off-finally.html; http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2014/10/economy-job-openings-doing-well.html; http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2014/10/unemployment-underemployment-rate-u-6.html
**** http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meet-press-transcript-october-5-2014-n218796