Counties with the highest unemployment in Illinois
While today's unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Illinois using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in March 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Experts have mixed views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession.
The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.
But as of April 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.9%—up slightly from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.
Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Illinois.
#50. St. Clair County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 124,951 people (5,941 unemployed)
#49. Saline County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,755 people (476 unemployed)
#48. Marion County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,703 people (816 unemployed)
#47. Lee County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,756 people (817 unemployed)
#46. Tazewell County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 61,601 people (3,028 unemployed)
#45. Cook County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2.7 million people (131,580 unemployed)
#44. Will County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 375,129 people (18,607 unemployed)
#43. Christian County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,392 people (679 unemployed)
#42. DeKalb County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 54,324 people (2,762 unemployed)
#41. Mason County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,909 people (310 unemployed)
#40. Fayette County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,567 people (507 unemployed)
#39. Logan County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,300 people (595 unemployed)
#38. Whiteside County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,482 people (1,449 unemployed)
#37. Hardin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,446 people (78 unemployed)
#36. Schuyler County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,174 people (171 unemployed)
#35. Perry County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,714 people (416 unemployed)
#34. Grundy County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,808 people (1,450 unemployed)
#33. Marshall County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,116 people (283 unemployed)
#32. Montgomery County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,323 people (618 unemployed)
#31. Rock Island County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 66,371 people (3,681 unemployed)
#30. Clay County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,774 people (321 unemployed)
#29. Jo Daviess County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,504 people (591 unemployed)
#28. Iroquois County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,971 people (725 unemployed)
#27. Stephenson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,991 people (1,172 unemployed)
#26. Henry County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,428 people (1,303 unemployed)
#25. Carroll County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,996 people (401 unemployed)
#24. Union County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,166 people (412 unemployed)
#23. Clark County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,300 people (415 unemployed)
#22. Vermilion County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 31,962 people (1,808 unemployed)
#21. Scott County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,277 people (132 unemployed)
#20. Fulton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,628 people (842 unemployed)
#19. Franklin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,912 people (926 unemployed)
#18. Alexander County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,813 people (109 unemployed)
#17. Lawrence County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,988 people (300 unemployed)
#16. Mercer County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,529 people (450 unemployed)
#15. Knox County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,227 people (1,209 unemployed)
#14. Peoria County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 82,020 people (4,961 unemployed)
#13. Johnson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,240 people (257 unemployed)
#12. Ogle County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 24,126 people (1,467 unemployed)
#11. Macon County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 44,298 people (2,755 unemployed)
#10. Lake County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 366,285 people (22,631 unemployed)
#9. Kane County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 268,994 people (16,843 unemployed)
#8. Stark County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,409 people (155 unemployed)
#7. Kankakee County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 51,996 people (3,329 unemployed)
#6. Winnebago County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 130,997 people (8,404 unemployed)
#5. LaSalle County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 51,393 people (3,406 unemployed)
#4. Putnam County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,965 people (203 unemployed)
#3. Pulaski County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,658 people (115 unemployed)
#2. Bureau County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,543 people (1,066 unemployed)
#1. Boone County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,924 people (1,973 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
