Energy States Lead Job Creation In First Half Of 2011

Energy-producing states have experienced unemployment levels well below those of other states in recent years, thanks in part to a boom in energy exploration that's been driven by high oil prices.

It's perhaps little surprise then that states that significantly contribute to the nation's production of oil, natural gas and other commodities outperformed those with troubled housing markets or ties to the banking sector during the first half of 2011, a new survey finds.