Cities that have the longest way back from the recession Joseph Sohm / Visions Of America / Corbis file Carson City, Nev., has the dubious honor to be the only metropolitan area that is not projected to recover any jobs at all this year. By Michael B. Sauter, Ashley C. Allen, Charles B. Stockdale, 24/7 Wall St. The nation continues to be mired in an anemic, jobless recovery. And according to a report commissioned by the United States Conference of Mayors, and prepared by IHS Global Insight, many regions in the country still continue to lose jobs. Of the 363 U.S. metropolitan regions reviewed by IHS, only 61 will fully recover all the jobs that were lost during the recession by the end of this year. The rest will recover far fewer - the average city will only recover roughly 40 percent of jobs lost from peak employment. 24/7 Wall St. examined the nine metropolitan regions that are projected to recover less than 5 percent of the jobs lost during the recession by the end of 2012. These cities, in particular, were hurt by the housing crash, the loss or decline of an industry, and a reduction in government services and jobs. Many of the cities that will recover the least jobs this year experienced particularly heady housing markets through 2006. As a result, they also had among the worst housing crashes in the country. In Reno-Sparks, Nevada, median home values dropped nearly 40 percent between 2007 and 2010. Five of the nine cities on this list had a major decline in housing, with four markets losing 25 percent of their median home value. According to the Conference of Mayors" report, many cities that rely heavily on merchandise exports, such as the automotive-based Flint, have been suffering as manufacturing businesses continue to move overseas. In 2005, nearly 10 percent of the Flint Michigan's economy was based on exported goods. As of 2009, the number dropped to just 3.2 percent. Over that time, the value of the city's annual exports dropped by roughly $850 million, or 70 percent of its original value. 24/7 Wall St.: 10 most-hated companies in America Many cities were also hurt and will continue to be hurt by government cutbacks. While most industries will add jobs this year, the government sector will actually continue to shed them. Because of increasingly austere budgets, IHS projects that 196,000 government jobs will be lost by the end of 2012. For several cities on our list, like Carson City, Nevada, a high percentage of government employees comprise the total workforce. Between June and November of last year alone, Carson City laid off over 600 city workers. 24/7 Wall St. examined the cities in the U.S. Conference of Mayor's report that were projected to regain the smallest percentage of the jobs lost during the recession by the end of this year. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed additional data collected by IHS and from the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics to measure the impact of the recession on the nine cities that are projected to recover the least jobs. A full methodology is here. These are the cities that have the longest road back from the recession. Flint, Michigan Percentage of jobs recovered: 2.8 Pre-recession jobs peak: 151,300 Recession jobs trough: 131,100 Percentage of jobs lost: 13.3 Flint's economy, which is primarily based on auto manufacturing, has been suffering for a number of years. In the first quarter of 2007, employment reached its peak with over 151,300 residents employed. By the end of the first quarter of 2012, IHS projects employment to reach a floor, after a loss of over 20,000 positions. Recovery, is seems, will also be slow as only 600 jobs are projected to be recovered by the end of the year, or just 2.8 percent of jobs lost. The value of exports from the region has dropped 81.9 percent since 2005 - one of the largest decreases in the country. This, of course, has had a huge effect on Flint's economy and population. Poverty rate in the area has risen to 21 percent, one of the worst rates in the country. 24/7 Wall St.: Most-popular American companies in China Champaign-Urbana, Illinois Percentage of jobs recovered: 2.7 Pre-recession jobs peak: 114,200 Recession jobs trough: 105,100 Percentage of jobs lost: 7.9 Unlike much of the country, unemployment in Champaign-Urbana actually increased from 9.1 percent to 10 percent between June and November of 2011. The region's employment peaked late, in the third quarter of 2008, when 114,000 residents were employed. By the second quarter of this year, IHS projects the region to lose 7.9 percent of those jobs. Through the rest of the year, the area will regain only 2.7 percent of jobs lost. Many of the jobs lost in the area have been government jobs, especially in the education sector, which were cut due to budget constraints. Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, California Percentage of jobs recovered: 1.9 Pre-recession jobs peak: 174,300 Recession jobs trough: 160,300 Percentage of jobs lost: 8 As of the first quarter of 2012, the Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta metropolitan statistical area is projected to lose 14,000 jobs, or 8 percent of its employment peak of 174,300 person workforce. By the end of this year, just 200 of those positions might be recovered, according to the report. The region has suffered greatly from the housing bust. Its housing market has not yet fully recovered, which has also hurt major industries such as construction. 24/7 Wall St.: 10 states that can't pay their bills Reno-Sparks, Nevada Percentage of jobs recovered: 1.6 Pre-recession jobs peak: 225,200 Recession jobs trough: 187,000 Percentage of jobs lost: 16.9 Between 2007 and 2010, the median home value in Reno-Sparks, Nevada declined 37.4 percent, the 13th biggest drop in the country among metro areas. The problems of the recession have plagued states in the southwest, which once had booming housing markets, arguably more than any other part in the country. From the beginning of 2007 to the third quarter of this year, jobs are projected to decline by 38,200, or 16.9 percent of the workforce. And according to the report, only 600 jobs, a mere 1.6 percent, will be recovered by the end of the year. Carson City, Nevada Percentage of jobs recovered: 0 Pre-recession jobs peak: 33,300 Recession jobs trough: 28,200 Percentage of jobs lost: 15.1 Carson City, Nevada has the dubious honor to be the only metropolitan area that is not projected to recover any jobs at all this year. The region has lost thousands of jobs during the recession, and will continue to lose them through the end of 2012. By the end of this year, the region is projected to lose 4,800 jobs from the beginning of 2007, according to the report. It is the only area not to reach a bottom this year so that it could start recovering. Between June and November of last year, the region lost roughly 600 government jobs. Between 2005 and 2009, the metro region's exports dropped $94 million, or nearly 40 percent. Click here to read the rest of the list of cities with a long way back.