nevada

When times are hard, fraud often gets worse. Americans are under great financial pressure, and there is no shortage of criminals waiting to take advantage of it. 24/7 Wall St. examined the 10 states that had the most per-capita fraud complaints.

You might think that with the economy on its slow climb back to health, Americans would have gotten a little bit happier in 2011. In fact, they got a bit more miserable. And some states have more reasons to be down in the dumps than others.

Balancing the budget isn't just a federal problem -- it's a state one, too. The Great Recession resulted in some of the lowest state revenues in years, and some of the biggest budget shortfalls ever -- in some cases, into the billions of dollars.

North Dakota topped Gallup's list of best places to find jobs last year, followed by other states rich in natural resources, such as South Dakota and Alaska. Meanwhile, Nevada, New Jersey and California were the worst states for job hunters.

Nevada's unemployment rate hit a new high in December 2010 -- and with home prices continuing to fall, the beleaguered state's problems are far from over.

Amazon will hire more than 12,500 temporary workers for its U.S. fulfillment centers during the holiday season as the world's largest online retailer gears up for its busiest time of year.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics data on regional and state unemployment for September shows jobless rates remain uneven. Nevada and Michigan have been particularly hard hit, with no relief in sight.

New data from RealtyTrac shows that 24% of all U.S. properties sold in the second quarter were foreclosed homes. The group projects that the U.S. "will get through the distressed inventory largely by the end of 2013."

Last month, 27 states lost jobs, while 10 states and Washington, D.C., had no rate change from July, according to the report. Overall unemployment was down slightly from the 9.7% rate in August 2009, the BLS said.

You don't need the U.S. Misery Index to tell you that things are bad in the U.S. Unemployment is near or at all-time highs in many parts of the country, foreclosures continue to happen at unprecedented rates and there are some very real indicators that we are heading toward a double-dip recession....