Cost to create one stimulus job: $71,500

CNN reports:

The White House unveiled Thursday the first hard data on how many jobs the $787 billion recovery act has created.

So far, 30,383 jobs have been created by companies that have gotten $2.2 billion worth of stimulus contracts directly from the federal government. That equates to $71,500 per job based on just the funds that have been distributed.

These firms have been awarded a total of $16 billion.

Stimulus-fueled job creation has become a very controversial issue. The White House has faced blistering attacks by Republicans, who contend that the recovery act has failed to live up to its promise to put Americans back to work.