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State on the up: North Dakota. This frigid state with historically high levels of out-migration is thriving. Boasting the nation's lowest jobless rate (4.2 per cent) and booming oil, mining and construction sectors, North Dakota is recruiting jobseekers from across the country and offering incentives to companies to relocate there.
State on the down: Florida. Once a beacon of opportunity, Florida is losing population for the first time in 60 years. The problems are mammoth - it has the highest foreclosure rate in the nation, unemployment at 11 per cent and spiralling property taxes. This autumn legislators may consider lifting a ban on offshore oil drilling to pump up revenues.
Writer: Justin Bergman
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