Press Release - Thursday, October 26, 2023
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Jobs Up in Most Metro Areas in September
SPRINGFIELD - Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in eleven metropolitan areas and decreased in three for the year ending September 2023, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (DES). Over-the-year, the unemployment rate increased in all fourteen metropolitan areas.
"The consistently expanding labor market and employment opportunities throughout the state continue to instill confidence and motivation into workers and jobseekers looking for their next employment opportunities," said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. "IDES and its workforce partners continue to provide critical employment and reemployment services to match individuals with the right employers to take advantage of the expanding labor market."
The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Danville MSA (+3.7%, +1,000), the Elgin Metro Division (+2.5%, +6,500), and the Bloomington MSA (+1.6%, +1,600). Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago Metropolitan Division were up +1.4% or +51,200. Total nonfarm jobs were down in the Kankakee MSA (-0.7%, -300), the Rockford MSA (-0.7%, -1,000), and the Decatur MSA (-0.6%, -300). Industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas included: Education and Health Services (thirteen areas); Leisure and Hospitality and Government (twelve areas each); and Other Services (nine areas).
The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate increases were the Rockford MSA (+2.1 points to 6.9%), the Danville MSA (+1.9 points to 6.3%), and the Decatur MSA (+1.9 points to 6.7%). The Chicago Metro Division unemployment rate increased +0.1 point to 4.7%.
Unemployment Rates (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
| Metropolitan Area | September 2023* | September 2022** | Over-the-Year Change |
| Bloomington | 4.5% | 3.2% | 1.3 |
| Carbondale-Marion | 5.0% | 3.7% | 1.3 |
| Champaign-Urbana | 4.8% | 3.3% | 1.5 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights | 4.7% | 4.6% | 0.1 |
| Danville | 6.3% | 4.4% | 1.9 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 5.0% | 3.4% | 1.6 |
| Decatur | 6.7% | 4.8% | 1.9 |
| Elgin | 5.2% | 3.7% | 1.5 |
| Kankakee | 6.3% | 4.6% | 1.7 |
| Lake-Kenosha, IL-WI | 4.9% | 3.4% | 1.5 |
| Peoria | 5.4% | 3.8% | 1.6 |
| Rockford | 6.9% | 4.8% | 2.1 |
| Springfield | 4.7% | 3.6% | 1.1 |
| St. Louis (IL-Section) | 4.8% | 3.4% | 1.4 |
| Illinois Statewide | 4.9% | 4.2% | 0.7 |
| * Preliminary I ** Revised |
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Total Nonfarm Jobs (Not Seasonally Adjusted)- September 2023
| Metropolitan Area | September | September | Over-the-Year |
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| 2023* | 2022** | Change |
| Bloomington MSA | 98,700 | 97,100 | 1,600 |
| Carbondale-Marion MSA | 58,500 | 58,100 | 400 |
| Champaign-Urbana MSA | 122,800 | 121,000 | 1,800 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metro Division | 3,838,200 | 3,787,000 | 51,200 |
| Danville MSA | 27,900 | 26,900 | 1,000 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island MSA | 185,800 | 183,300 | 2,500 |
| Decatur MSA | 48,600 | 48,900 | -300 |
| Elgin Metro Division | 269,700 | 263,200 | 6,500 |
| Kankakee MSA | 42,900 | 43,200 | -300 |
| Lake-County-Kenosha County Metro Division | 422,900 | 419,900 | 3,000 |
| Peoria MSA | 172,100 | 170,700 | 1,400 |
| Rockford MSA | 146,300 | 147,300 | -1,000 |
| Springfield MSA | 109,900 | 108,300 | 1,600 |
| Illinois Section of St. Louis MSA | 241,300 | 239,600 | 1,700 |
| Illinois Statewide | 6,185,500 | 6,089,500 | 96,000 |
| *Preliminary | **Revised |
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Not Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates
(percent) for Local Counties and Areas
| Labor Market Area | Sep 2023 | Sep 2022 | Over the Year Change |
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| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metro Division | |||||
| Cook County | 4.9 % | 5.0 % | -0.1 | ||
| DuPage County | 3.8 % | 3.6 % | 0.2 | ||
| Grundy County | 4.5 % | 4.5 % | 0.0 | ||
| Kendall County | 4.1 % | 3.9 % | 0.2 | ||
| McHenry County | 4.0 % | 3.7 % | 0.3 | ||
| Will County | 4.5 % | 4.4 % | 0.1 | ||
| Elgin, IL Metro Division |
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| DeKalb County | 5.1 % | 3.6 % | 1.5 | ||
| Kane County | 5.3 % | 3.7 % | 1.6 | ||
| Lake & Kenosha, IL-WI Metro Division |
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| Lake County (IL) | 5.3 % | 3.4 % | 1.9 | ||
| Kankakee, IL MSA |
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| Kankakee County | 6.3 % | 4.6 % | 1.7 | ||
| Cities |
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| Aurora City | 4.9 % | 3.7 % | 1.2 | ||
| Chicago City | 5.3 % | 5.3 % | 0.0 | ||
| Elgin City | 5.3 % | 4.1 % | 1.2 | ||
| Joliet City | 5.0 % | 4.9 % | 0.1 | ||
| Kankakee City | 8.5 % | 6.7 % | 1.8 | ||
| Naperville City | 4.2 % | 3.6 % | 0.6 | ||
* Unemployment rates for cities with total population of 25,000 or more can be found at https://ides.illinois.gov/resources/labor-market-information/laus.html
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metro Division
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 4.7 percent in September 2023 from 4.6 percent in September 2022
Total nonfarm employment increased +51,200 compared to September 2022. The Educational and Health Services (+31,200), Leisure and Hospitality (+19,400), Financial Activities (+4,400), and Construction (+4,100) sectors had the largest payroll gains over the year. Employment declines were reported in Professional-Business Services (-11,300), Information (-4,800), and Retail Trade (-500).
Elgin, IL Metro Division
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 5.2 percent in September 2023 from 3.7 percent in September 2022
Total nonfarm employment increased +6,500 compared to September 2022. Professional-Business Services (+5,000), Government (+1,800), and Educational-Health Services (+1,700) sectors had the largest payroll gains over the year. The Retail Trade (-1,100) and Construction (-1,100) sectors had employment declines from a year ago.
Lake & Kenosha Counties, IL-WI Metro Division
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 4.9 percent in September 2023 from 3.4 percent in September 2022.
Total nonfarm employment increased +3,000 compared to September 2022. Retail Trade (+900), Educational-Health Services (+900), Government (+900), and Leisure-Hospitality (+300) sectors had the largest payroll gains over the year. Transportation-Warehousing-Utilities (-400) and Information (-200) sectors had employment declines from a year ago.
Kankakee, IL MSA
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 6.3 percent in September 2023 from 4.6 percent in September 2022.
Total nonfarm employment decreased -300 compared to September 2022. Leisure-Hospitality (+300) and Retail Trade (+100) sectors had payroll gains over the year. The Manufacturing (-200) and Construction (-200) sectors recorded the largest employment declines compared to one year ago.
Note: Monthly 2022 unemployment rates and total nonfarm jobs for Illinois metro areas were revised in February and March 2023, as required by the U.S. BLS. Comments and tables distributed for prior metro area news releases should be discarded as any records or historical analysis previously cited may no longer be valid. The official monthly unemployment rate series for metro areas, counties and most cities begins in 1990. The official monthly nonfarm jobs series for metro areas begins in 1990 and for non-metropolitan counties it begins in 1999.
Disclaimer: The data contained in the metro area employment numbers press releases are not seasonally adjusted, and therefore are subject to seasonal fluctuations due to factors such as changes in weather, harvests, major holidays, and school schedules. Current monthly metro data should be compared to the same month from prior years (February 2023 data compared to February 2022 data) as data for these months have similar seasonal patterns. Comparisons should not be made to data for the immediate previous month or other previous non-matching months, as any changes in the data within these time periods may be the result of seasonal fluctuations and not economic factors.
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