The recovered counties are largely located in energy-rich areas and have small populations. Of the 65 recovered counties, 24 are in Texas and 16 are in North Dakota. The others are generally in the middle of the country, including nine in Minnesota and eight in Kansas.

So imagine if truly pro-growth policies were truly put into place - which is to say, imagine if the heavy hand of government was actually withdrawn from the businesses it burdens.

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2015/01/12/of-more-than-3000-u-s-counties-just-65-have-recovered-from-recession-naco-says/?mod=e2tw