Crime stoppers.

• Position: Statewide

Crimes per Jobless rate Rank * 15-34 Rank * 100,000 population 1 Robeson 7,348.1 11.4% 38 28.4% 16 2 Cumberland 7,153.5 9.2 74 33.6 5 3 Vance 7,142.2 13.1 17 24.6 39 4 Dare 6,561.6 9.6 68 21.5 77 5 Richmond 6,082.1 13.3 15 26.2 25 6 Durham 5,965.2 7.9 90 33.3 6 7 Forsyth 5,847.2 9.7 66 26.5 23 8 New Hanover 5,705.8 9.4 71 30.3 9 9 Mecklenburg 5,629.6 10.8 50 30.1 10 10 Pitt 5,505.2 10.3 58 35.6 4 * 1 = the highest percentage; only counties that reported a crime rate in 2009 were ranked. Sources: N.C. Department of justice, Employment Security Commission, U.S. Census Bureau [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

None of the counties with the 10 highest unemployment rates were among the 10 with the highest crime rates. Five of the 10 with the highest percentage of 15-34-year-olds were.

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Along with sad summertime sagas of oil spills and economic trauma came this welcome report: The...