For Release
Jobs Up in All 14 Metro Areas, Unemployment Rate Down in Most
SPRINGFIELD –Jobs increased over-the-year in all fourteen Illinois metropolitan areas in October according to preliminary data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). The unemployment rate decreased in twelve metropolitan areas, increased in one and was unchanged in one.
“Job growth in every corner of the state has remained consistently strong for more than a year and a half” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “Employers and jobseekers alike are encouraged to take advantage of the employment services IDES has to offer to participate in the expanding labor market.”
The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Rockford MSA (+5.5%, +7,700), the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL MSA (+5.1%, +9,300), and the Chicago Metro Division (+3.9%, +142,800). Industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas included: Manufacturing and Leisure and Hospitality (fourteen areas each); Mining and Construction and Other Services (thirteen areas each); Education and Health Services (twelve areas); Wholesale Trade (eleven areas); Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities (ten areas); Professional and Business Services and Government (eight areas each).
The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate decreases were the Rockford MSA (-1.3 points to 5.9%), the Chicago Metro Division (-0.7 point to 4.4%) and the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL MSA (-0.7 point to 3.5%). The unemployment rate increased slightly in the Kankakee MSA (+0.1 point to 5.3%). The unemployment rate was unchanged in the Champaign-Urbana MSA (3.7%).
Not Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates
| Metropolitan Area | October 2022* | October 2021** | Over-the-Year Change |
| Bloomington | 3.5% | 3.6% | -0.1 |
| Carbondale-Marion | 4.1% | 4.4% | -0.3 |
| Champaign-Urbana | 3.7% | 3.7% | 0.0 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights | 4.4% | 5.1% | -0.7 |
| Danville | 5.1% | 5.3% | -0.2 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 3.5% | 4.2% | -0.7 |
| Decatur | 5.7% | 6.2% | -0.5 |
| Elgin | 4.2% | 4.5% | -0.3 |
| Kankakee | 5.3% | 5.2% | 0.1 |
| Lake-Kenosha, IL-WI | 3.7% | 3.8% | -0.1 |
| Peoria | 4.5% | 4.7% | -0.2 |
| Rockford | 5.9% | 7.2% | -1.3 |
| Springfield | 3.9% | 4.3% | -0.4 |
| St. Louis (IL-Section) | 3.9% | 4.0% | -0.1 |
| Illinois Statewide | 4.3% | 4.8% | -0.5 |
| * Preliminary | ** Revised |
Total Nonfarm Jobs (Not Seasonally Adjusted) – October 2022
| Metropolitan Area | October | October | Over-the-Year |
| 2022* | 2021** | Change | |
| Bloomington MSA | 96,300 | 93,100 | 3,200 |
| Carbondale-Marion MSA | 58,600 | 57,600 | 1,000 |
| Champaign-Urbana MSA | 119,500 | 119,000 | 500 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metro Division | 3,833,200 | 3,690,400 | 142,800 |
| Danville MSA | 26,600 | 25,800 | 800 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island MSA | 190,800 | 181,500 | 9,300 |
| Decatur MSA | 49,200 | 48,300 | 900 |
| Elgin Metro Division | 258,100 | 252,200 | 5,900 |
| Kankakee MSA | 43,700 | 42,500 | 1,200 |
| Lake-County-Kenosha County Metro Division | 426,600 | 414,800 | 11,800 |
| Peoria MSA | 169,800 | 165,300 | 4,500 |
| Rockford MSA | 148,200 | 140,500 | 7,700 |
| Springfield MSA | 110,100 | 107,600 | 2,500 |
| Illinois Section of St. Louis MSA | 239,400 | 238,100 | 1,300 |
| Illinois Statewide | 6,144,400 | 5,952,500 | 191,900 |
| *Preliminary | **Revised |
Not Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates
(percent) for Local Counties and Areas
| Labor Market Area | Oct 2022 | Oct 2021 | Over the Year Change | ||
| Champaign-Urbana MSA | |||||
| Champaign County | 3.7 % | 3.8 % | -0.1 | ||
| Ford County | 3.4 % | 3.3 % | 0.1 | ||
| Piatt County | 3.0 % | 3.0 % | 0.0 | ||
| Danville MSA | |||||
| Vermilion County | 5.1 % | 5.3 % | -0.2 | ||
| Cities | |||||
| Champaign City | 3.7 % | 3.7 % | 0.0 | ||
| Urbana City | 4.1 % | 3.9 % | 0.2 | ||
| Danville City | 6.3 % | 6.8 % | -0.5 | ||
| Counties | |||||
| Clark County | 3.8 % | 3.8 % | 0.0 | ||
| Coles County | 4.1 % | 4.0 % | 0.1 | ||
| Cook County | 4.9 % | 5.7 % | -0.8 | ||
| De Witt County | 3.6 % | 3.8 % | -0.2 | ||
| Douglas County | 3.0 % | 3.0 % | 0.0 | ||
| Edgar County | 3.4 % | 3.3 % | 0.1 | ||
| Iroquois County | 3.8 % | 3.6 % | 0.2 | ||
| McLean County | 3.4 % | 3.6 % | -0.2 | ||
| Macon County | 5.7 % | 6.2 % | -0.5 | ||
| Moultrie County | 3.0 % | 2.7 % | 0.3 | ||
| Sangamon County | 4.0 % | 4.3 % | -0.3 | ||
| Shelby County | 3.4 % | 3.1 % | 0.3 | ||
| Other Areas | |||||
| LWIA 17 | 3.6 % | 3.6 % | 0.0 | ||
| LWIA 18 | 5.1 % | 5.3 % | -0.2 | ||
| East Central EDR | 3.9 % | 3.9 % | 0.0 | ||
East Central Illinois Highlights
Champaign-Urbana MSA
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.7 percent in October 2022 was unchanged from the October 2021 level.
Nonfarm employment increased by +500 compared to last October.
Leisure-Hospitality (+900), Educational-Health Services (+500), Construction (+300), and Transportation-Warehousing-Utilities (+200) had the largest payroll gains over the year. The Government (-1,800) and Retail Trade (-100) sectors had employment declines from a year ago.
Danville MSA
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 5.1 percent in October 2022 from 5.3 percent in October 2021. The last time the October rate was equal to or lower was in 2019 when it was 4.3 percent.
Nonfarm employment increased by +800 compared to last October.
Manufacturing (+200), Construction (+100), Transportation-Warehousing-Utilities (+100), Educational-Health Services (+100), Other Services (+100), and Government (+100) had payroll gains over the year. No sectors had employment declines from a year ago.
Note: Monthly 2021 unemployment rates and total nonfarm jobs for Illinois metro areas were revised in February and March 2022, 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 (January 2022 data compared to January 2021 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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