Economy: Very depressing but not yet the Great Depression
— -- The U.S. economy is in bad shape — stocks, banks and housing markets — but it's nothing we haven't seen before. Nearly every generation has faced a period of economic upheaval and uncertainty. Only the financial problems themselves have changed. These problems, like those in the past, will be solved with new solutions that must be found, says economist Ken Goldstein of the Conference Board. Today's situation is "terrible, but it's not a second Great Depression," Goldstein says. "It's not even close." This graphic looks at how the Great Depression compares with recent economic upheavals. (Story)
Sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis; Bureau of Labor Statistics; Commerce Department; Labor Department; Treasury Department; USA TODAY research by Thomas Ankner and George Petras.
Photo credits: Dorothea Lange, Farm Security Administration — Office of War Information Photograph Collection (Library of Congress) and AP.
Graphic by Robert Ahrens, George Petras and Julia Schmalz, USA TODAY.
Related Stories
ABC News Live