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Press Release - Thursday, January 25, 2024
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Jobs Up in Majority of Metro Areas in December
Unemployment Rates (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
| Metropolitan Area | December 2023* | December 2022** | Over-the-Year Change |
| Bloomington | 3.8% | 2.9% | 0.9 |
| Carbondale-Marion | 4.2% | 3.5% | 0.7 |
| Champaign-Urbana | 4.0% | 3.1% | 0.9 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights | 3.9% | 4.2% | -0.3 |
| Danville | 5.4% | 4.4% | 1.0 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 3.9% | 3.6% | 0.3 |
| Decatur | 5.7% | 4.5% | 1.2 |
| Elgin | 5.1% | 4.0% | 1.1 |
| Kankakee | 5.9% | 4.7% | 1.2 |
| Lake-Kenosha, IL-WI | 4.8% | 3.7% | 1.1 |
| Peoria | 4.8% | 3.9% | 0.9 |
| Rockford | 5.9% | 4.6% | 1.3 |
| Springfield | 3.9% | 3.4% | 0.5 |
| St. Louis (IL-Section) | 4.0% | 3.2% | 0.8 |
| Illinois Statewide | 4.2% | 4.0% | 0.2 |
| * Preliminary I ** Revised |
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SPRINGFIELD - Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in eight metropolitan areas, decreased in five and was unchanged in one for the year ending December 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.
The metro areas that had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Danville MSA (+1.8%, +500) and the Springfield MSA (+1.7%, +1,900). Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago Metro were up +0.8% or +31,600. The metro areas with the largest over-the-year percentage decreases in total nonfarm jobs were the Kankakee MSA (-1.6%, -700) and the Decatur MSA (-1.4%, -700). Peoria MSA saw no change in total nonfarm jobs. The industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas included: Education and Health Services (eleven areas); Leisure and Hospitality and Government (ten areas each); Mining and Construction (nine areas); and Other Services (eight areas).
The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate increases were the Rockford MSA (+1.3 points to 5.9%), the Decatur MSA (+1.2 points to 5.7%), and the Kankakee MSA (+1.2 points to 5.9%). The unemployment rate fell in the Chicago Metro (-0.3 point to 3.9%).
Total Nonfarm Jobs (Not Seasonally Adjusted) - December 2023
| Metropolitan Area | December | December | Over-the-Year |
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| 2023* | 2022** | Change |
| Bloomington MSA | 97,900 | 98,100 | -200 |
| Carbondale-Marion MSA | 59,300 | 58,500 | 800 |
| Champaign-Urbana MSA | 120,500 | 120,200 | 300 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metro Division | 3,835,900 | 3,804,300 | 31,600 |
| Danville MSA | 27,700 | 27,200 | 500 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island MSA | 185,300 | 184,300 | 1,000 |
| Decatur MSA | 48,200 | 48,900 | -700 |
| Elgin Metro Division | 268,300 | 264,600 | 3,700 |
| Kankakee MSA | 43,000 | 43,700 | -700 |
| Lake-County-Kenosha County Metro Division | 419,900 | 421,600 | -1,700 |
| Peoria MSA | 172,200 | 172,200 | 0 |
| Rockford MSA | 148,100 | 149,600 | -1,500 |
| Springfield MSA | 111,500 | 109,600 | 1,900 |
| Illinois Section of St. Louis MSA | 244,400 | 241,600 | 2,800 |
| Illinois Statewide | 6,181,600 | 6,125,300 | 56,300 |
| *Preliminary | **Revised |
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Not Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates
(percent) for Local Counties and Areas
| Labor Market Area | Dec 2023 | Dec 2022 | Over-the-Year Change |
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| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metro Division | |||||
| Cook County | 4.0 % | 4.4 % | -0.4 | ||
| DuPage County | 3.1 % | 3.2 % | -0.1 | ||
| Grundy County | 4.4 % | 4.9 % | -0.5 | ||
| Kendall County | 3.5 % | 3.8 % | -0.3 | ||
| McHenry County | 3.6 % | 3.8 % | -0.2 | ||
| Will County | 4.0 % | 4.3 % | -0.3 | ||
| Elgin, IL Metro Division |
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| DeKalb County | 4.5 % | 3.6 % | 0.9 | ||
| Kane County | 5.2 % | 4.1 % | 1.1 | ||
| Lake & Kenosha, IL-WI Metro Division |
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| Lake County (IL) | 5.2 % | 4.0 % | 1.2 | ||
| Kankakee, IL MSA |
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| Kankakee County | 5.9 % | 4.7 % | 1.2 | ||
| Cities |
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| Aurora City | 4.4 % | 3.8 % | 0.6 | ||
| Chicago City | 4.2 % | 4.6 % | -0.4 | ||
| Elgin City | 6.8 % | 5.9 % | 0.9 | ||
| Joliet City | 4.9 % | 5.5 % | -0.6 | ||
| Kankakee City | 8.6 % | 7.3 % | 1.3 | ||
| Naperville City | 3.1 % | 3.0 % | 0.1 | ||
* Unemployment rates for cities with total population of 25,000 or more can be found at https://www2.illinois.gov/ides/lmi/Pages/Local_Area_Unemployment_Statistics.aspx
Kankakee, IL MSA
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 5.9 percent in December 2023 from 4.7 percent in December 2022.
Total nonfarm employment decreased -700 compared to December 2022. Leisure-Hospitality (+200) and Educational-Health Services (+100) sectors had payroll gains over the year. The Manufacturing (-200), Professional-Business Services (-200) and Government (-200) sectors recorded the largest employment decline compared to one year ago.
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metro Division
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 3.9 percent in December 2023 from 4.2 percent in December 2022.
Total nonfarm employment increased +31,600 compared to December 2022. The Educational-Health Services (+27,000) and Leisure-Hospitality (+11,700) sectors had the largest payroll gains over the year. The largest employment declines were reported Professional-Business Services (-19,700), Information (-6,300) and Transportation-Warehousing-Utilities (-4,500).
Elgin, IL Metro Division
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 5.1 percent in December 2023 from 4.0 percent in December 2022.
Total nonfarm employment increased +3,700 compared to December 2022. Professional-Business Services (+2,600), Government (+1,700) and Educational-Health Services (+1,400) sectors had the largest payroll gains over the year. The Retail Trade (-900), Construction (-600) and Financial Activities (-400) sectors had the largest employment declines from a year ago.
Lake & Kenosha Counties, IL-WI Metro Division
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 4.8 percent in December 2023 from 3.7 percent in December 2022.
Total nonfarm employment decreased -1,700 compared to December 2022. Wholesale Trade (+800), Educational-Health Services (+600), Government (+500) and Construction (+500) sectors had the largest payroll gains over the year. Professional-Business Services (-1,900) and Transportation-Warehousing-Utilities (-1,100) sectors had the largest 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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