Unemployment

The unemployment rate in the Napa County was 9.4 percent in August 2010, unchanged from a revised 9.4 percent in July 2010, and above the year-ago estimate of 8.8 percent. This compares with an unadjusted unemployment rate of 12.4 percent for California and 9.5 percent for the nation during the same period, both virtually unchanged from the prior month. Napa continues to be 3rd or 4th best of the 58 counties in California - with Marin & Santa Barbara besting us.

While we're read this week that the recession ended in June of 2009 - try telling that to the one-in-ten people unemployed or to the one-in-five who are either under or unemployed. This group is not spending - prolonging the recovery. We also heard this week that one-in-seven Americans are at the poverty level.

While Fall tourism is helping fill restaurants and hotels, the retail sector in Napa continues to struggle. This "L-shaped" recession continues on the bumpy straight line - without much improvement in sight for the remainder of this year. But the pundants say we will have some return to normalcy in 2012 and 2013.