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 February 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 are mixed in their 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 March 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.8%—down 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. Gallatin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,024 people (106 unemployed)
#49. Cook County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2.7 million people (139,478 unemployed)
#48. Shelby County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,735 people (520 unemployed)
#47. Whiteside County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,164 people (1,433 unemployed)
#46. Tazewell County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 61,309 people (3,267 unemployed)
#45. Saline County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,639 people (524 unemployed)
#44. Pike County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 6,517 people (358 unemployed)
#43. Logan County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,212 people (618 unemployed)
#42. Will County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 370,914 people (20,255 unemployed)
#41. Christian County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,260 people (739 unemployed)
#40. DeKalb 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: 54,020 people (3,010 unemployed)
#39. Carroll County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,897 people (396 unemployed)
#38. Perry County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 7,649 people (433 unemployed)
#37. Henry County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,260 people (1,336 unemployed)
#36. Jo Daviess County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,416 people (602 unemployed)
#35. Montgomery County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,186 people (648 unemployed)
#34. Iroquois County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,710 people (734 unemployed)
#33. Hardin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,433 people (85 unemployed)
#32. Marshall County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,080 people (302 unemployed)
#31. Clay County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 5,779 people (343 unemployed)
#30. Stephenson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,653 people (1,210 unemployed)
#29. Lawrence County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,954 people (299 unemployed)
#28. Mason County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,866 people (350 unemployed)
#27. Rock Island County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 66,043 people (3,941 unemployed)
#26. Fayette 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: 9,519 people (584 unemployed)
#25. Fulton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,451 people (886 unemployed)
#24. Franklin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,810 people (962 unemployed)
#23. Vermilion County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 31,880 people (1,949 unemployed)
#22. Scott County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,267 people (141 unemployed)
#21. Schuyler County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,146 people (196 unemployed)
#20. Union County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,121 people (443 unemployed)
#19. Knox County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,024 people (1,236 unemployed)
#18. Clark County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,273 people (461 unemployed)
#17. Grundy County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,590 people (1,676 unemployed)
#16. Peoria County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 81,477 people (5,127 unemployed)
#15. Alexander County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,810 people (116 unemployed)
#14. Macon County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 43,991 people (2,811 unemployed)
#13. Lake County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 362,938 people (23,132 unemployed)
#12. Johnson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,203 people (274 unemployed)
#11. Winnebago County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 130,331 people (8,534 unemployed)
#10. Kane County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 266,803 people (17,248 unemployed)
#9. Ogle County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,893 people (1,575 unemployed)
#8. Kankakee County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 51,788 people (3,542 unemployed)
#7. Stark County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,396 people (165 unemployed)
#6. Mercer County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,533 people (521 unemployed)
#5. LaSalle County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 51,597 people (3,556 unemployed)
#4. Putnam County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,958 people (215 unemployed)
#3. Bureau County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,469 people (1,174 unemployed)
#2. Pulaski County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,651 people (132 unemployed)
#1. Boone County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,890 people (2,084 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
