THE Bureau of Economic Analysis has just released a marvelous collection of state-level economic data. Unfortunately, it's on a bit of a lag; the new figures are for state level output in 2009. Still, the numbers provide one of the best looks so far at how the recession and recovery proceeded across the country through the end of last year. Here's the quick overview:

Regionally, the Rocky Mountain area performed the best last year and the Great Lakes the worst. At the state level Nevada clearly had the ugliest 2009, with a drop in state output of 6.4%, while Oklahoma did the best, enjoying an increase in output of 6.6%. Looking back from the beginning of the recession, it's easy to see how drastically different the experience has been across states:

Looking at the above, however, one might suspect that things are roughly as bad in Nevada as they are in Michigan. Not really:

Despite two years of brutal contraction, Nevada's economy remains nearly 30% larger than it was in 2000. Michigan's, by contrast, has shrunk nearly 10%. Of course, this year's data indicate that Michigan's economy is now rebounding, while Nevada's may still be contracting. Certainly their unemployment rates have been moving in opposite directions.

And because everyone loves to compare California and Texas, I give you this:

And this:

There's plenty more data at the link, including industry-level figures. Go, enjoy your Friday!