The poetry is in the details

12-31-09
Merced Sun-Star
Merced County's economic woes hit hard in 2009...DANIELLE E. GAINES. Reporters Jonah Owen Lamb and Corinne Reilly contributed to this story.
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/v-print/story/1254070.html
Jobless rate jumps; property values plummet
For the whole of 2009, Merced County's jobless rate topped 15 percent, reaching a high of 20.2 percent in March.
County unemployment exceeded the state and national averages each month, for the entire year.
Merced County's unemployment for 2009, month to month, was:
Jan.: 18.9 percent
Feb.: 19.9 percent
March: 20.2 percent
April: 18.1 percent
May: 17.3 percent
June: 17.6 percent
July: 17.6 percent
Aug.: 16.6 percent
Sept.: 15.7 percent
Oct.: 16.4 percent
Nov.: 18.3 percent
Unemployment figures for December will be released after the New Year's holiday.
Homeowners in Merced County were also hit by bad news in 2009.
Assessed property values across California fell this year for the first time in nearly eight decades -- and Merced County saw the biggest drop of all.
In fact, no other counties in California experienced declines even close to the level recorded locally, according to data from the state's Board of Equalization, which tracks property assessments across California, which was released in September.
The total assessed value of all property in Merced County fell $2.6 billion -- or 13.4 percent -- compared with last year. The next largest year-to-year decline was 10.5 percent, in Riverside County.
Statewide, property values dropped 2.4 percent.
Each year, county assessors release figures compiling the assessed value of all properties in their jurisdictions. The 2009 total for Merced was $17.4 billion. In 2008, the local total was about $20 billion. The total for 2007 was roughly $20.5 billion.
12-30-09
abc30...KFSN-TV Fresno, CA
Valley Home Values Plummet in 2009...Amanda Perez...12-29-09
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=7193443

Housing Price Drop
Western Region
1.   Merced                               -62%
2.   Stockton                             -54%
3.   Modesto                             -53%
4.   Vallejo-Fairfield                    -47%
5.   Las Vegas                          -47%
6.   Salinas                               -46%
7.   Riverside-San Bernardino     -43%
8.   Bakersfield                          -41%
9.   Fresno                                -39%
10. Reno-Sparks                       -37%
Source: forbes.com