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DATA: Jobs in Vermont

Amid election-season rhetoric and political spin about jobs, this series of data visualizations documented labor statistics over time and across sectors, with both county-level detail and nationwide context.

I conceived and designed the series, wrangled and analyzed the data, and wrote accompanying explanatory stories.

Published on VTDigger.org in September 2014

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STATEWIDE ALTERNATIVE UNEMPLOYMENT RATES, 2003-PRESENT

screen-shot-2016-12-14-at-6-36-52-pmThe unemployment rate changes depending on how “unemployment” is defined. Does it include long-term joblessness? Discouraged workers? Underemployed? A firm grasp of the different ways employment is measured is essential to understanding the meaning behind labor statistics.

This series of four visualizations explains and illustrates those differences. It starts by tracing the size of Vermont’s labor force alongside unemployment rates from 1976 to 2014, then delves into alternative unemployment measurements. Interactive graphs compare the state’s alternative unemployment rates over a decade, examine every state’s alternative unemployment rates over time, and contrast Vermont’s alternative unemployment rates against national averages.

// Read the full story here.

 

CENSUS OF VERMONT JOBS AND WAGES, 2003-PRESENT

stacked graph comparing the size of "SuperSectors" over timeFocusing on Vermont for the publication’s primary audience, this interactive tool compares both the number of people employed in various sectors over time, and the average annual pay those workers received.

This set of three visualizations automatically changes two detailed views as the reader hovers over or clicks on each sector in the main graph.

// Read the full story here.