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Job assets about the country account college foreclosures and helped abate the nation's bread-and-butter accent in October to an 18-month low, according to The Associated Press' account analysis.

Stress fell in 56 percent of the almost 3,100 U.S. counties analyzed and in 28 of the states, the AP's Bread-and-butter Accent Basis shows.

Demand across for U.S. semiconductors and backbone in technology companies accept helped lower unemployment in New England, for example.

And college exports and account rebuilding for abundant accessories accept additional manufacturing, administration and broad jobs in the Midwest, said William Testa, a carnality admiral of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

The AP's basis calculates a account from 1 to 100 based on unemployment, foreclosure and defalcation rates. A college account signals added bread-and-butter stress. Under a asperous aphorism of thumb, a canton is advised fatigued aback its account exceeds 11.

The boilerplate county's account in October was 9.9, bottomward from 10 in September. A little over one-third of counties were accounted stressed. That's bottomward hardly from 35 percent in September.

Except for Florida, alike the best afflicted states showed month-to-month improvements in October. Nevada, for example, afresh had by far the affliction accompaniment economy, with a Accent account of 21.68. Yet that was beneath its September account (21.93) acknowledgment to lower unemployment and defalcation rates.

Florida surpassed California for the second-worst Accent score: 16.56. Admitting its unemployment amount didn't change from September, its foreclosure amount rose.

Rounding out the five-most-stressed states were California (16.01), Michigan (15.52) and Arizona (14.6). Several Western states are backward abaft the strides fabricated by the all-embracing U.S. economy. Besides Nevada, California and Arizona, for example, Utah and Hawaii accept been awkward in contempo months.

The healthiest states were in the Great Plains and New England. Once again, North Dakota (3.5) was best. It was followed by South Dakota (4.86), Nebraska (5.44), Vermont (5.69) and New Hampshire (6.72).

Counties with abundant workers in farming, manufacturing, retail, accounts and allowance enjoyed the greatest declines in accent in October. By contrast, counties with application bases in busline and warehousing endured more.

For October, the civic unemployment amount was 9.6 percent. It rose to 9.8 percent in November. Last month's college amount was a admonition that the civic abridgement charcoal apathetic alike as it boring strengthens. The White House and Republican assembly accept agreed on a amalgamation of tax cuts that could advice activate the economy.

Nariman Behravesh, arch economist at IHS Global Insight, forecasts that the tax cuts will addition growth, as abstinent by the gross calm product, as aerial as 3 percent abutting year, up from his antecedent anticipation of 2.4 percent. That should be abundant to lower unemployment to beneath 9 percent by the end of 2011, Behravesh said.

Since the year began, accent has beneath the best in South Carolina, Alabama, New Hampshire, Michigan and Massachusetts. It's risen the best in Utah, Nevada, Florida, Hawaii and Louisiana.

Florida's abridgement lacks a abundant accomplishment abject and depends on tourists, who about cut aback on spending or annihilate biking affairs aback money is tight.

"Manufacturing is accepting a bit of a resurgence, and with Florida defective a ample accomplishment sector, we're not absolutely accommodating in that accurate uptick," said Sean Snaith, an economist at the University of Central Florida. "We were absolutely impacted by the Gulf oil spill, and we still accept aerial unemployment. All of these things affectionate of agitate into this ache bouillon that keeps accent aerial in Florida."

Some Western states, like Idaho, New Mexico and Utah, suffered college unemployment in October, admitting their ante were still beneath the 9.6 percent civic rate. A apathetic accretion in those states, accompanying with aerial accent in Arizona, California and Nevada, accept acquired the West to aisle the all-embracing U.S. recovery.

Among the 3,141 counties with at atomic 25,000 residents, Imperial County, Calif., was afresh the best fatigued in October; its account was 33.26. Abutting were Yuma County, Ariz. (28.72), Lyon County, Nev. (26.32), Nye County, Nev. (25.19) and Yuba County, Calif. (23.3).

Ward County, N.D. (2.88) was the economically healthiest county. It was followed by Burleigh County, N.D. (3.44); Sioux County, Iowa (3.73); Brown County, S.D. (3.74); and Grand Forks County, N.D. (3.77).

The AP Accent Basis goes aback to October 2007, two months afore the recession began. Over that time, Nevada, Florida, Arizona, California and Idaho accept suffered the better increases in stress. North Dakota, Nebraska, Vermont, South Dakota and Alaska accept apparent the aboriginal increases in hardship.

The counties with the better increases in accent over the accomplished three years are Lyon County, Nev.; Nye County, Nev.; Clark County, Nev.; Deschutes County, Ore.; and Yuma County, Ariz.

Those with the aboriginal increases in accident are St. Francis County, Ark.; Ward County, N.D.; Burleigh County, N.D.; Grand Forks County, N.D.; and Polk County, Minn.

Schneider appear from Orlando, Fla., Crutsinger from Washington.