Chart 2.
The title is "Job Growth in the Grand Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area Is Well Below Its Cyclical Peak, but the Area Continues to Outperform the Region."
A bar graph showing percentage change in job growth in the Grand Rapids metropolitan statistical area and the Chicago region from first-quarter 1990 through third-quarter 2001. Grand Rapids rose from 3 percent to about 3.8 percent between first-quarter 1990 and third-quarter 1990, then plunged to minus 1 percent by third-quarter 1991. It climbed to 2.8 percent by third-quarter 1992, dropped to 2.3 percent by first-quarter 1993, and climbed to 4 percent by third-quarter 1993. It peaked at 6 percent in fourth-quarter 1994, dropped to 5.6 percent by first-quarter 1995, rose slightly in second-quarter 1995, and then began to sink again, to just below 2 percent by third-quarter 1996. It climbed to 4 percent by third-quarter 1997, dropped to 2.5 percent by first-quarter 1998, and rose to 3 percent by third-quarter 1998. It dropped to 2 percent by third-quarter 1999, then climbed to 3.6 percent by first-quarter 2000. It then declined steeply to below 0 percent by third-quarter 2001.
The Chicago region followed a similar, although somewhat less dramatic, path, with both highs and lows below those of Grand Rapids. From just below 2 percent at third-quarter 1990, it dropped to minus 1.5 percent by fourth-quarter 1991. It then rose to 2 percent by first-quarter 1993 and to 3.2 percent at first-quarter 1995. It dropped to about 1.6 percent by second-quarter 1996 and remained in that range for a time, climbing to 2 percent at third-quarter 1998. It then declined to 1.3 percent by third-quarter 1999, rose to 2 percent at first-quarter 2000, and declined steeply to less than minus 1 percent by third-quarter 2001.