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When we are looking for reasons to be optimistic about the U.S. economy, we try our best not to look in the direction of our nation's capital. And yet, it turns out that is a hotspot of economic optimism. At least relative to feelings about the economy in other metro areas. Gallup has released the 2012 Economic Confidence Index scores for U.S. Metro areas and Washington, DC comes in with a score of +5. The only other metro areas with positive scores on the index are San Jose and San Francisco-Oakland. Jacksonville, FL is at the other end of the spectrum with an Economic Confidence Index score of -28. DC Metro residents are also the most positive (or least negative) about current economic conditions as well: Overall, economic confidence scores in large metro areas were more positive last year than in 2011. Residents in the Washington, San Jose, and San Francisco areas had the most positive scores on the Gallup Economic Confidence Index. Nationally, the Economic Confidence Index has remained in negative territory since Gallup began daily tracking in 2008. But Americans' economic confidence has improved so far in 2013, matching a five-year monthly high in January and February. These signs suggest Americans are feeling more confident about their local job market and the U.S economy. Read the full release here .

The Midwest was the highest scoring region for Gallup 's Job Creation Index for 2012, but the index showed improvement across the nation. Only four states--Arizona, Delaware, Mississippi, and West Virginia--had lower survey scores than 2011. Gallup's Job Creation Index is based on employee reports of their own company's hiring activity, so we don't want to go overboard on what the data tells us her, but the trending is positive. Here is a look at Gallup's interactive map: On average in Gallup Daily tracking from January through December 2012, 43% of North Dakota workers said their company was hiring workers and expanding the size of its workforce, while 9% said their employer was letting workers go and reducing the size of its workforce, for a +34 Job Creation Index score. This is easily the best among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and is 16 percentage points above the national average of +18. North Dakota has ranked first four years in a row. Full results by state for 2012 can be found on page 2. South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, and the District of Columbia have also all ranked among the top states in hiring in 2011 and 2012. Maine is new to the bottom 10 states in 2012, compared with 2011, largely because its +10 Job Creation Index score was unchanged while most states showed improvement. Connecticut, Idaho, New Jersey, Oregon, New Mexico, New York, and California are the seven states that made a repeat appearance among the bottom 10 in 2012. Read the full report here .

Gallup is reporting that Americans' satisfaction with the direction of the country remains above 30%. That may not seem very high, but satisfaction has been above 30% for three months now, following three years below that mark. What we find striking in the latest Gallup report has to do with Americans' views on the economy. While economic matters are the most pressing concern for over 60% of Americans, there is a sharp post-election dip. Take a look: This coupled with the rise in Gallup's Economic Confidence Index suggests the rise in overall satisfaction in the direction of the country has a lot to do with changing confidence in the economic outlook. Take a look at the full report here .

With a lot of economists and economy-watchers not fully satisfied with the unemployment rate as a measure of how many Americans are out of work, Gallup is launching a new measure. Payroll to Population is designed to give a clearer picture of the percentage of all Americans who are employed full time. Gallup has been collecting data for Payroll to Population since 2010, and has now put out its first release. Here's a look at the trend since January, 2010: From the report: Gallup's Payroll to Population employment measure adds value to the understanding of the economy beyond that provided by the unemployment rate, the current gold standard of employment metrics. Both Gallup and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics assess unemployment, but Payroll to Population is a measure unique to Gallup. Payroll to Population is a straightforward measure based on the number of adults in the total population who work for an employer at least 30 hours per week. As the employment situation improves or deteriorates, or as populations move in and out of the workforce, Payroll to Population will do the same, and is a true representation of the economic energy of the country. In contrast, unemployment rates are based on the number of adults in the workforce who are looking for and available for work. This classic measure has become the main gauge of the nation's employment situation, and its long trends provide significant value, but the unemployment statistic also can paint an incomplete -- or in some instances, misleading -- portrait of the status of the workforce. Case in point, in the August jobs report released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there was a drop in the size of the workforce -- reflecting more discouragement among job seekers -- that helped to bring the unemployment rate down. Additionally, the government's Bureau of Labor Statistics calculations involve elaborate adjustments each month, which can mask underlying trends, and traditional unemployment metrics count Americans who are working at least one hour per week as employed. In contrast, Payroll to Population will only increase or decrease if there is a change to the number of Americans working full-time jobs. Read the full release here .

Gallup has released the new polling data today that shows nearly a third of all Americans are worried about losing their jobs. Americans were this worried about job stability two years ago, but concern dropped 5 points last year, according to Gallup. Even more Americans are concerned that they will lose benefits and/or pay: More from the report: With the U.S. unemployment rate running 50% higher than it was in 2008 (approximately 9% today vs. 6% then), American workers are again expressing record- or near-record-high levels of concern about the stability of their jobs and income. This reverses the slight improvement seen a year ago, when U.S. workers' concerns about losing a job, pay, or benefits had abated slightly. The rates of concern are even higher among workers who are the most vulnerable to financial setback -- those with low to moderate incomes. Together, the findings document the ongoing psychological impact of the country's economic problems on many working Americans and how fragile the economic recovery is in their eyes. When workers are worried about their jobs and their income more broadly, this is likely to affect broader economic confidence, the housing market, and consumer spending. Read the full report here .