AUG 26, 2014![shutterstock_170430692-800x521]()
For a second consecutive month, Illinois unemployment rates fell in all 102 counties. July also marks the fourth successive month that jobless numbers dropped in each metropolitan statistical area (MSA), according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) and Bureau of Labor Statistics.The preliminary data is not seasonally adjusted and compares July 2014 to July 2013. Excluded from these statistics are individuals who have left the workforce and people currently collecting unemployment benefits. Only those who are out of work but attempting to find it are counted as unemployed.Here’s a look at unemployment rates for each metro area in Illinois:
| Metro Area | *Jul-14 | **Jul-13 | Over-the-year change |
| Bloomington-Normal | 6.5% | 8.0% | -600 |
| Champaign-Urbana | 7.2% | 9.0% | 2,000 |
| Chicago-Joliet-Naperville | 6.8% | 9.6% | 36,000 |
| Danville | 9.5% | 12.0% | 300 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island | 6.6% | 6.8% | 500 |
| Decatur | 9.5% | 13.0% | -300 |
| Kankakee-Bradley | 8.7% | 11.3% | -300 |
| Lake-Kenosha, IL-WI | 6.8% | 8.4% | 7,400 |
| Peoria | 7.6% | 9.6% | -2,800 |
| Rockford | 9.4% | 11.6% | 400 |
| Springfield | 6.5% | 8.1% | -100 |
| St. Louis (IL Section) | 6.9% | 8.7% | -200 |
| *Preliminary | **Revised | ||
Top four MSAs with the largest over-the-year jobs gains:
- Champaign-Urbana: +2.0 percent / 2,000
- Lake-Kenosha: +1.8 percent / 7,400
- Chicago-Joliet-Naperville: +1.0 percent / 36,000
- Danville: +1.0 percent / 300
Top four MSAs with the largest over-the-year job losses:
- Peoria: -1.6 percent / -2,800
- Bloomington-Normal: -0.7 percent / -600
- Kankakee-Bradley: -0.7 percent / -300
- Decatur: -0.6 percent / -300
“Falling unemployment rates reflect a growing Illinois economy, although more still needs to be done,” IDES Director Jay Rowell said in a press release. “As companies do more with less, changes in federal job training strategies to ensure programs impart specific skills needed by local employers also will help with long- term economic growth.”
Illinois’ statewide unemployment rate is currently 6.8 percent, trailing 0.6 percentage behind the national jobless rate of 6.2 percent. Those numbers are seasonally adjusted and measured on a month-over-month basis. When it’s not seasonally adjusted, the rates are 7.0 and 6.5 percent, respectively.
Moving along, here are the counties with the highest and lowest unemployment rates:
Top Illinois counties with the highest unemployment rates (July-14, June-14, July-13):
- Hardin County – 11.5 / 10.8 / 13.5 percent
- Alexander County – 10.7 / 10.5 / 12.2 percent
- Pulaski County – 10.2 / 9.7 / 12.2 percent
- Pope County – 10.1 / 10.1 / 11.4 percent
- Franklin County – 10.1 / 9.8 / 13.2 percent
- Union County – 9.6 / 9.1 / 11.9 percent
- Vermilion County – 9.5 / 9.3 / 12.0 percent
- Winnebago County – 9.5 / 8.9 / 11.6 percent
- Macon County – 9.5 / 9.3 / 13.0 percent
- Perry County – 9.4 / 9.2 / 12.7 percent
- Montgomery County – 9.3 / 9.1 / 11.5 percent
- Marion County – 9.2 / 9.0 / 12.1 percent
- Clay County – 9.2 / 8.8 / 11.0 percent
- Boone County – 9.1 / 8.5 / 11.1 percent
- Johnson County – 9.1 / 8.7 / 11.8 percent
Top Illinois counties with the lowest unemployment rates (July-14, June-14, July-13):
- Brown County - 3.6 / 3.5 / 5.0 percent
- Adams County - 5.3 / 5.0 / 6.7 percent
- Monroe County - 5.3 / 5.1 / 6.5 percent
- Clinton County - 5.5 / 5.7 / 6.9 percent
- DuPage County - 5.5 / 5.8 / 8.0 percent
- Washington County - 5.5 / 5.2 / 7.7 percent
- Jo Daviess County - 5.6 / 5.4 / 6.9 percent
- Henderson County - 5.7 / 5.7 / 7.5 percent
- Menard County - 5.7 / 5.7 / 6.8 percent
- McHenry County - 5.7 / 6.1 / 8.2 percent
- Pike County - 5.8 / 5.7 / 7.5 percent
- Moultrie County - 5.8 / 5.5 / 7.6 percent
- Kendall County - 5.9 / 6.5 / 8.7 percent
- Woodford County - 5.9 / 5.7 / 7.8 percent
(Click on the image to enlarge)
And here are Illinois cities that recorded the highest and lowest unemployment rates.
Top Illinois cities with the highest unemployment rate (July-14, June-14, July-13):
- East St. Louis - 14.2 /13.0 / 15.8 percent
- Harvey - 12.3 / 12.8 / 16.4 percent
- Danville - 11.4 / 10.5 / 14.7 percent
- Kankakee - 11.2 / 11.0 / 14.6 percent
- Rockford - 11.0 / 10.2 / 13.2 percent
- Decatur - 10.8 / 10.6 / 14.7 percent
- Belvidere - 10.7 / 9.7 / 11.7 percent
- Dolton - 10.4 / 11.3 / 15.0 percent
- Maywood - 10.1 / 10.2 / 15.8 percent
- North Chicago - 10.1 / 9.9 / 12.0 percent
- Calumet – 10.0 / 10.4 / 13.5 percent
- Zion – 10.0 / 10.2 / 12.0 percent
Top Illinois cities with the lowest unemployment rate (July-14, June-14, July-13):
- Glenview - 4.7 / 4.8 / 7.0 percent
- Palatine - 4.8 / 5.2 / 7.1 percent
- Elmhurst - 5.0 / 5.4 / 7.5 percent
- Mount Prospect - 5.0 / 5.3 / 7.0 percent
- Northbrook - 5.0 / 5.1 / 7.3 percent
- Wilmette - 5.0 / 5.3 / 6.6 percent
- Glen Ellyn - 5.1 / 5.1 / 7.4 percent
- Wheeling - 5.1 / 5.4 / 7.5 percent
- Arlington Heights - 5.2 / 5.4 / 7.1 percent
- Highland Park - 5.2 / 5.1 / 6.3 percent
- Hoffman Estates - 5.2 / 5.4 / 7.8 percent
- Oak Park - 5.2 / 5.3 / 7.5 percent
- Park Ridge - 5.3 / 5.7 / 7.4 percent
- Schaumburg - 5.3 / 5.5 / 7.7 percent
- St. Charles - 5.3 / 5.4 / 7.6 percent
- Elk Grove Village - 5.4 / 5.5 / 8.2 percent
NEXT ARTICLE: Comparing Illinois’ labor force participation rate to the rest of the Midwest
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