This Map Depicts The Staggering Highs And Lows Of The U.S. Economy Since 1999

America has been through a roller coaster ride of job creation and job loss over the last 15 years. But sometimes it can be difficult to really grasp just how wild that ride has been.

This map, which was created by TIP Strategies, an economic development consulting firm, will certainly help you do that. The map charts annual job growth and job loss in every metro area in the country between 1999 and 2014. The size of the bubbles corresponds to the net number of jobs gained or lost. Blue bubbles represent overall gains and red, losses.

Press play to start the visualization, and scroll over the bubbles to see the exact job stats for each city.

The most dramatic moments occur at the peak of the financial crisis in the middle of 2009. In the years before the financial crisis, the housing bubble had fueled significant job growth, especially in cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix where the subprime mortgage industry was particularly prevalent.

After the bubble popped, metro areas across the country hemorrhaged jobs. But since 2010, many of the red bubbles fade to blue as the economy recovers. Unfortunately, too many of those jobs have paid low wages.

The map also more subtly highlights other major events of the last 15 years, like the Dot-Com Bubble of 1999-2000 and its subsequent burst from 2001-2003, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the regeneration of the Midwest auto industry in the last few years. It has been a wild ride.