“On Numbers analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, matching private-sector employment levels from January 2012 against the same month in 2008. The comparison is especially relevant because the recession officially began in December 2007, just one month before the start of the study period. Texas and North Dakota are rarities. They’re among only four states (and the District of Columbia) that managed to recover all private-sector jobs that were lost during the recession — and actually add new ones. Louisiana and Alaska are the others. Forty-six states are still in the hole. The worst in raw terms is California, which had 855,200 fewer private-sector jobs in January 2012 than in January 2008. Nevada is dead last on the percentage list, down 12.7 percent in four years. The following database contains state-by-state breakdowns, with separate ranks for raw and percentage changes in private-sector employment. All figures have been seasonally adjusted.”