The unemployment rate in the U.S. reached 8.5 percent in March, the highest rate in a quarter of a century. Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the country, followed by Oregon, South Carolina, California, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Nevada and Indiana.

All eight states have unemployment rates higher than 10 percent. Competition for jobs is getting nasty. But if you are willing to go where the jobs are and unemployment is low, there is still hope. Here are the best places in the country to find jobs.

Boulder, Colorado

If you have experience in the high tech industry, biotechnology or education, you might want to check out the job listings in Boulder. The city’s unemployment rate is 5.8 percent. Granted, that is still higher than the average unemployment in a normal, healthy economy, but it is much better than the current national average. Boulder has a population of 290,000. Also, an attempt last year to ban payday loans from the state failed, so consumers still have the option of getting short-term loans in financial emergencies.

Madison, Wisconsin

With an even lower unemployment rate and and even higher population than Boulder, Madison is a good place to seek work. The city’s unemployment rate is 5.3 percent, and its population is 556,000. Madison also has a big education industry as well as a lot of jobs in biotechnology. It’s also a good place to look for jobs in government. Wisconsin is one of the few states that puts a limit on how much banks can charge for NSF. Payday loans are also easy to get in Wisconsin, and still less expensive than bouncing multiple checks.

Washington, D.C.

Speaking of jobs in government, Washington, D.C.’s unemployment actually fell in March. North Dakota’s fell as well, but there aren’t a lot of jobs there. Besides the jobs in government, D.C. also has a big nonprofit industry and, of course, jobs in defense. D.C.’s unemployment rate is 5.5 percent, and its population is 5.3 million.

Salt Lake City, Utah

Heading back toward the west side of the country, Salt Lake City’s unemployment rate is downright reasonable. At just 4.6 percent, I wonder if Salt Lake City residents even feel it. Salt Lake’s main industries are education, tourism and transportation. The city’s population is 1.1 million. The state of Utah is also know for its recreation and unconventional liquor laws.

Lafayette, Louisiana

If a 1-million-plus population sounds like a bit much for you, you can try Lafayette. The city’s population is 250,000, and it has the lowest unemployment rate on the list at 3.9 percent. With that unemployment rate, it seems you could probably get a job in any industry there. If you are seeking employment in the oil and gas industry, though, you’ll probably be a shoo-in. So if you like Southern living, Lafayette’s your place.

Huntsville, Alabama

If oil and gas isn’t really your thing, but Southern living is, you could try to get a job in the telecom industry in Huntsville. Huntsville’s unemployment is the highest on the list, at 6 percent, but it also supports big aerospace and defense industries.

House Oversight Committee Blasts them for Irresponsibility in Investment

At a hearing in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, December 9th, House Oversight Committee Chairman, Henry Waxman, let them have a piece of his mind after testimony from some of the former executives of the company was given at the capitol, along with other committee members who had their two cents worth.  The companies backed their company cash by basically buying up debt, almost like a loan shark, in order to have a steady flow of cash coming in from the borrowers of the subprime mortgages’ payments.  When the payments decreased, or stopped coming in altogether, the amount of operating cash that the company had on hand to use in lending to consumers for other loans, such as other mortgages and loans to businesses, decreased dramatically.  As the market for housing contracted over the summer, the income of the company continued to decline until both were about to declare bankruptcy.
Waxman called the decision to lend money for mortgages with money from other mortgages that were less reliable irresponsible.  This was after both companies’ own risk managers had advised them not to undertake such a venture, since the security of doing so was not viable.  See, the way it worked was that a lot of people had a particular type of mortgage, called an Alt-A mortgage.  Alt-A mortgages are lent to borrowers with more debt, lower credit scores, or people who wanted more money in financing than a property was worth.  These loans are far riskier than other mortgage loans, because they are made outside of the normal guidelines for what are considered viable mortgages.  What the executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac did was basically buy all of these mortgages from other companies, and then raised the interest rates in order to squeeze more cash out of people that shouldn’t have probably had a mortgage in the first place in order to make a few quick bucks, so they could keep lending.  Then, when these people defaulted, the money stopped rolling in, and things began to go circle down the drain.  Then, the federal government had to step in to bailout these companies to keep them from failing and inject capital so they could get back to work.  So we see then, that responsible financing is a skill that should be taught to not only us the consumers, but also to Wall Street CEOs apparently.   Most quick payday loans customers know responsible financing.   Perhaps Yale and Harvard should be rescinding their MBAs?

Responsibility is Key in your finances

Let this be a lesson to all of us.  You cannot put your finances in a risky situation in order to turn a quick buck.  You have to plan adequately, budget, save, and find ways to spend less, responsibly.  Also, remember that a responsible option in the wake of a sudden change in fortune is needed as well, and trying to get a wacky venture that no one really understands is not the way to go if you need some bailout funds, but quick payday loans from a reputable vendor is far and away a better option.