First, what does the unemployment rate measure--who is counted and who is not counted? Are these numbers an accurate measure or are they misleading?

Second, go online and find the current unemployment rate in North Carolina--you'll need to add a month and year to your search terms in order to get more specific/current. Then find the unemployment rate for the United States. How does North Carolina's unemployment rate compare to the national average? Find at least one more state's unemployment rate from a completely different region i.e. Nebraska or Iowa, for example. How does this state's unemployment rate compare to your state's and to the national average?

Third, what explains the differences between the unemployment rates you've found?

Lastly, What do these figures tell us? Is this information encouraging or discouraging?''

Be sure to include a link to an external source