For Release
Jobs Up in Most Metro Areas in October
Unemployment Rates (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
| Metropolitan Area | October 2023* | October 2022** | Over-the-Year Change |
| Bloomington | 4.0% | 3.3% | 0.7 |
| Carbondale-Marion | 4.4% | 3.8% | 0.6 |
| Champaign-Urbana | 4.2% | 3.4% | 0.8 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights | 4.4% | 4.5% | -0.1 |
| Danville | 5.7% | 4.6% | 1.1 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 4.9% | 3.4% | 1.5 |
| Decatur | 6.1% | 4.9% | 1.2 |
| Elgin | 4.7% | 3.9% | 0.8 |
| Kankakee | 5.8% | 4.8% | 1.0 |
| Lake-Kenosha, IL-WI | 4.5% | 3.5% | 1.0 |
| Peoria | 4.9% | 4.0% | 0.9 |
| Rockford | 6.1% | 4.9% | 1.2 |
| Springfield | 4.2% | 3.7% | 0.5 |
| St. Louis (IL-Section) | 4.3% | 3.6% | 0.7 |
| Illinois Statewide | 4.5% | 4.2% | 0.3 |
| * Preliminary I ** Revised |
SPRINGFIELD – Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in eleven metropolitan areas and decreased in three for the year ending October 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 thirteen metropolitan areas and decreased in one.
“With consistent gains in payroll jobs, jobseekers and employers continue to find new opportunities to land their next jobs and fill open positions,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “Further investments in workforce development throughout the state, coupled with the employment resources provided by IDES and its partners, continue to provide a strong foundation for the Illinois labor market.”
The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Danville MSA (+3.0%, +800), the Elgin Metro Division (+2.2%, +5,900), and the Springfield MSA (+1.6%, +1,800). Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago Metro were up +0.7% or +26,200. Total nonfarm jobs were down in the Kankakee MSA (-1.1%, -500), the Decatur MSA (-0.8%, -400), and the Rockford MSA (-0.8%, -1,200). Industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas included: Government (thirteen areas); Education and Health Services and Leisure and Hospitality (eleven areas each); and Other Services (nine areas).
The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate increases were the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL MSA (+1.5 percentage points to 4.9%), the Decatur MSA (+1.2 percentage points to 6.1%), and the Rockford MSA (+1.2 points to 6.1%). The Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metropolitan Division unemployment rate fell -0.1 point to 4.4%.
Total Nonfarm Jobs (Not Seasonally Adjusted) – October 2023
| Metropolitan Area | October | October | Over-the-Year |
| 2023* | 2022** | Change | |
| Bloomington MSA | 99,000 | 98,600 | 400 |
| Carbondale-Marion MSA | 59,300 | 58,900 | 400 |
| Champaign-Urbana MSA | 124,200 | 122,900 | 1,300 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metro Division | 3,841,000 | 3,814,800 | 26,200 |
| Danville MSA | 27,800 | 27,000 | 800 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island MSA | 186,800 | 186,100 | 700 |
| Decatur MSA | 48,700 | 49,100 | -400 |
| Elgin Metro Division | 270,500 | 264,600 | 5,900 |
| Kankakee MSA | 43,300 | 43,800 | -500 |
| Lake-County-Kenosha County Metro Division | 423,000 | 421,900 | 1,100 |
| Peoria MSA | 173,300 | 172,100 | 1,200 |
| Rockford MSA | 147,500 | 148,700 | -1,200 |
| Springfield MSA | 111,200 | 109,400 | 1,800 |
| Illinois Section of St. Louis MSA | 242,500 | 240,500 | 2,000 |
| Illinois Statewide | 6,205,900 | 6,141,700 | 64,200 |
| *Preliminary | **Revised |
Not Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates
(percent) for Local Counties and Areas
| Labor Market Area | Oct 2023 | Oct 2022 | Over-the-Year Change | ||
| Champaign-Urbana MSA | |||||
| Champaign County | 4.2 % | 3.5 % | 0.7 | ||
| Ford County | 4.1 % | 3.3 % | 0.8 | ||
| Piatt County | 3.8 % | 3.0 % | 0.8 | ||
| Danville MSA | |||||
| Vermilion County | 5.7 % | 4.6 % | 1.1 | ||
| Cities | |||||
| Champaign City | 4.4 % | 3.5 % | 0.9 | ||
| Urbana City | 4.6 % | 3.9 % | 0.7 | ||
| Danville City | 7.1 % | 5.5 % | 1.6 | ||
| Counties | |||||
| Clark County | 4.3 % | 3.5 % | 0.8 | ||
| Coles County | 4.3 % | 3.8 % | 0.5 | ||
| Cook County | 4.7 % | 4.8 % | -0.1 | ||
| De Witt County | 4.3 % | 3.5 % | 0.8 | ||
| Douglas County | 3.4 % | 2.9 % | 0.5 | ||
| Edgar County | 3.7 % | 3.2 % | 0.5 | ||
| Iroquois County | 4.5 % | 3.7 % | 0.8 | ||
| McLean County | 4.0 % | 3.3 % | 0.7 | ||
| Macon County | 6.1 % | 4.9 % | 1.2 | ||
| Moultrie County | 3.5 % | 2.9 % | 0.6 | ||
| Sangamon County | 4.2 % | 3.7 % | 0.5 | ||
| Shelby County | 4.4 % | 3.5 % | 0.9 | ||
| Other Areas | |||||
| LWIA 17 | 4.2 % | 3.4 % | 0.8 | ||
| LWIA 18 | 5.7 % | 4.6 % | 1.1 | ||
| East Central EDR | 4.4 % | 3.6 % | 0.8 | ||
East Central Illinois Highlights
Champaign-Urbana MSA
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 4.2 percent in October 2023 from 3.4 percent in October 2022.
Nonfarm employment increased by +1,300 compared to last October.
Government (+1,200), Leisure-Hospitality (+1,000), Educational-Health Services (+600) and Other Services (+100) had payroll gains over-the-year. The Professional-Business Services (-800), Retail Trade (-400), Manufacturing (-200), Transportation-Warehousing-Utilities (-100) and Information (-100) sectors had employment declines from a year ago.
Danville MSA
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 5.7 percent in October 2023 from 4.6 percent in October 2022.
Nonfarm employment increased by +800 compared to last October.
Leisure-Hospitality (+500), Government (+300) and Financial Activities (+100) had payroll gains over-the-year. The Professional-Business Services (-100) sector was the only sector that had employment declines from a 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.
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 2023 data compared to January 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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