15 U.S. cities that were hurt the most by the recession

The fluctuations in Wall Street in August were a big reminder to everyone: the Great Recession might have ended barely six years ago, yet there is always risk when investing. And even though six years might seem like a lifetime to some, the reality is that some cities across the United States have not been able to recover as fast as others, according to recent report in WalletHub.

The report set out to measure the progress of local economies and how they've been able to bounce back — or how they've sunk lower — since the Great Recession of 2008. Part of the results stem from a comparison of the 150 largest cities in the United States, across 17 key economic indicators. These indicators are listed below with their corresponding weights. For each metric, except "Chapter 9 Bankruptcy Filing," WalletHub analyzed the change between its pre- and post-recession levels. Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available only at the state level, according to WalletHub.

Category 1: Employment and earning opportunities – Total Weight: 5

• Unemployment Rate: Double Weight

• Inflow of College-Educated Workers (%): Full Weight

• Ratio of Part-Time to Full-Time Jobs: Full Weight

• Median Household Income: Full Weight

• Labor-Force Participation Rate: Double Weight

Category 2: Economic environment – Total Weight: 5

• Median Home Price: Full Weight

• Foreclosure Rate: Full Weight

• Poverty Rate: Full Weight

• Percentage of Households Receiving Public Assistance: Full Weight

• Population Size: Full Weight

• Bankruptcy: Half* Weight

• Number of Businesses: Full Weight

• Average Experian Vantage Credit Score: Full Weight

• Consumer Non-Housing Debt: Full Weight

• Violent-Crime Rate: Full Weight

• GMP (Gross Metropolitan Product): Full Weight

• Chapter 9 Bankruptcy Filing: Double Weight

The sources that WalletHub used to create these rankings include: the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States Courts, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Zillow Real Estate research, Experian and Governing.