Our previous post was about comparing apples and oranges. This post takes a different approach and searches FRED for just oranges. Most of the results have nothing to do with fruit, but rather are economic indicators for Orange County, California. FRED houses many regional data series, and if you look you’ll see there are seven other Orange Counties in the U.S. We compare four in the graph by looking at their unemployment rates. Indiana’s O.C. stands out, with a high and highly fluctuating rate; it is small and poor, with employment dominated by a large casino and golf resort. (Note: None of these series are seasonally adjusted.) Vermont’s O.C. is a little larger and better diversified, so it has smaller fluctuations. California’s O.C. is the largest and also has small fluctuations. North Carolina’s O.C., home of the University of North Carolina flagship campus, is of special interest, as its unemployment rate jumps up between 1999 and 2000. This could be due to a reclassification or a mass layoff. Maybe a reader knows why…

How this graph was created: Search for “Orange County unemployment,” select the counties you want to graph, and click on “Add to graph” to do so.

Suggested by Christian Zimmermann