Americans’ optimism about the economy doesn’t quite match the optimism of the chairman of the Federal Reserve.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey found that 86 percent of those questioned said they think the United States is still in a recession, CNNMoney.com reported today. Only 13 percent said the economic downturn has ended.

Forty-two percent said the country is in a serious recession, 35 percent said it was a moderate recession, and 10 percent said it was a mild recession.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said earlier this week that the recession was likely over.

Only 9 percent of the poll’s respondents said their family’s financial situation is better currently than a year prior. Almost 40 percent said they are worse off, while just more than half said their financial situation is about the same.

Iowa has remained relatively unscathed by the effects of the recession on unemployment in comparison with the rest of the country. Iowa had a 6.5 percent unemployment rate in July according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only four states – North Dakota at 4.2 percent, South Dakota at 4.9 percent, Nebraska at 4.9 percent and Utah at 6 percent – had lower unemployment rates.

The highest rates were Michigan at 15 percent, Rhode Island at 12.7 percent, Nevada at 12.5 percent, and California and Oregon at 11.9 percent. See a map of the country.

According to CNN Polling Director Keating Holland, rural America “seems to feel the pinch more than the rest of the country.” Almost 50 percent of people who live in rural areas said they were worse off, compared with 37 percent of suburbanites and 29 percent of city dwellers.