Governor of state that's 42nd on job creation brags that 'the national outlook isn't as bright'

Gov. Scott Walker, overselling things just a little To hear Gov. Scott Walker talk, everything is coming up roses (and a series of other cliches) in Wisconsin's economy. In a recent op-ed, he touts his many supposed accomplishments, comparing the picture in Wisconsin with a "national outlook [that] isn't as bright." About that. While Walker talks about Wisconsin's reduced unemployment and balanced budget, here's a number he doesn't mention: job creation. When state-by-state job creation data was released in January, we learned that:

Wisconsin ranked 42 out of the 50 states in private-sector job creation, according to the latest available government jobs data deemed credible by economists.

The data, which covers the 12 months from June 2011 to June 2012, shows that Wisconsin's position worsened from a rank of 37 in the previous period from March 2011 to March 2012.

All Walker has to say about job creation is that "We are creating jobs and putting people back to work." This isn't untrue, as far as it goes. Wisconsin created 35,381 private sector jobs in the 12 months ending in June 2012. It's just that those 35,381 jobs "amount to a 1.5% increase. The Badger State trails other Midwest manufacturing states: Indiana and Michigan (both 2.9%); Ohio (2.6%); Iowa (2.0%); Minnesota (1.8%); and Illinois (1.6%)." And never mind the public sector, where Wisconsin has also been doing badly on the jobs front.

According to Walker, "Nationally, the outlook for the future isn't as promising" as in Wisconsin. Big words from Gov. 42-out-of-50.