Press Release - Thursday, April 27, 2023
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Jobs Up in All 14 Metro Areas, Most Unemployment Rates Down in March
SPRINGFIELD - The unemployment rate decreased in eleven areas, increased in one area and was unchanged in two for the year ending March 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, total nonfarm jobs increased in all fourteen metropolitan areas.
"Over the last 24 consecutive months, job growth has remained consistent throughout industry sectors in metro areas across the state," said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. "Newly created jobs position jobseekers and employers statewide to fill opportunities for career growth and professional expansion."
The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Peoria MSA (+3.9%, +6,400), the Champaign-Urbana MSA (+3.4%, +4,000), and the Bloomington MSA (+3.1%, +2,900). Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago Metro were up +1.6% or +60,100. Industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas included: Education and Health Services (fourteen areas); Leisure and Hospitality (thirteen areas); Wholesale Trade and Government (twelve areas each); Manufacturing and Other Services (eleven areas each); Mining and Construction and Transportation, Utilities and Warehousing (nine areas).
The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate decreases were the Rockford MSA (-1.1 points to 6.7%), the Carbondale-Marion MSA (-0.6 point to 4.0%), and the Springfield MSA (-0.6 point to 3.9%). The Chicago Metro Division unemployment rate fell -0.3 point to 4.1%. The unemployment rate increased in the Lake County-Kenosha County IL-WI Metropolitan Division (+0.2 point to 5.0%). The unemployment rate was unchanged in the Danville MSA (5.4%) and the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL MSA (4.1%).
Not Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates
| Metropolitan Area | March 2023* | March 2022** | Over-the-Year Change |
| Bloomington | 3.4% | 3.8% | -0.4 |
| Carbondale-Marion | 4.0% | 4.6% | -0.6 |
| Champaign-Urbana | 3.6% | 3.9% | -0.3 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights | 4.1% | 4.4% | -0.3 |
| Danville | 5.4% | 5.4% | 0.0 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 4.1% | 4.1% | 0.0 |
| Decatur | 6.1% | 6.2% | -0.1 |
| Elgin | 5.3% | 5.4% | -0.1 |
| Kankakee | 5.8% | 5.9% | -0.1 |
| Lake-Kenosha, IL-WI | 5.0% | 4.8% | 0.2 |
| Peoria | 4.7% | 5.1% | -0.4 |
| Rockford | 6.7% | 7.8% | -1.1 |
| Springfield | 3.9% | 4.5% | -0.6 |
| St. Louis (IL-Section) | 3.6% | 4.0% | -0.4 |
| Illinois Statewide | 4.3% | 4.7% | -0.4 |
| * Preliminary I ** Revised |
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Total Nonfarm Jobs (Not Seasonally Adjusted) - March 2023
| Metropolitan Area | March | March | Over-the-Year |
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| 2023* | 2022** | Change |
| Bloomington MSA | 97,500 | 94,600 | 2,900 |
| Carbondale-Marion MSA | 58,200 | 56,900 | 1,300 |
| Champaign-Urbana MSA | 122,200 | 118,200 | 4,000 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metro Division | 3,743,600 | 3,683,500 | 60,100 |
| Danville MSA | 26,900 | 26,600 | 300 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island MSA | 181,900 | 180,900 | 1,000 |
| Decatur MSA | 48,300 | 47,400 | 900 |
| Elgin Metro Division | 260,600 | 255,600 | 5,000 |
| Kankakee MSA | 43,100 | 42,500 | 600 |
| Lake-County-Kenosha County Metro Division | 411,000 | 407,800 | 3,200 |
| Peoria MSA | 171,900 | 165,500 | 6,400 |
| Rockford MSA | 146,600 | 143,800 | 2,800 |
| Springfield MSA | 108,900 | 106,600 | 2,300 |
| Illinois Section of St. Louis MSA | 237,700 | 236,900 | 800 |
| Illinois Statewide | 6,046,900 | 5,929,600 | 117,300 |
| *Preliminary | ** Revised |
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Not Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates
(percent) for Local Counties and Areas
| Labor Market Area | Mar 2023 | Mar 2022 | Over the Year Change |
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| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metro Division | |||||
| Cook County | 4.2 % | 4.7 % | -0.5 | ||
| DuPage County | 3.1 % | 3.3 % | -0.2 | ||
| Grundy County | 5.0 % | 4.7 % | 0.3 | ||
| Kendall County | 3.8 % | 3.7 % | 0.1 | ||
| McHenry County | 3.9 % | 3.9 % | 0.0 | ||
| Will County | 4.3 % | 4.5 % | -0.2 | ||
| Elgin, IL Metro Division |
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| DeKalb County | 4.5 % | 4.9 % | -0.4 | ||
| Kane County | 5.5 % | 5.5 % | 0.0 | ||
| Lake & Kenosha, IL-WI Metro Division |
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| Lake County (IL) | 5.6 % | 5.1 % | 0.5 | ||
| Kankakee, IL MSA |
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| Kankakee County | 5.8 % | 5.9 % | -0.1 | ||
| Cities |
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| Aurora City | 4.5 % | 4.4 % | 0.1 | ||
| Chicago City | 4.4 % | 4.8 % | -0.4 | ||
| Elgin City | 7.6 % | 8.2 % | -0.6 | ||
| Joliet City | 5.7 % | 6.1 % | -0.4 | ||
| Kankakee City | 8.4 % | 8.6 % | -0.2 | ||
| Naperville City | 2.9 % | 2.6 % | 0.3 | ||
* 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
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metro Division
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 4.1 percent in March 2023 from 4.4 percent in March 2022.
Total nonfarm employment increased +60,100 compared to March 2022. The Leisure-Hospitality (+33,700) and Educational-Health Services (+24,400) sectors had the largest payroll gains over the year. Employment declines were reported in Professional-Business Services (-10,500), Retail Trade (-2,300), and Information (-900).
Elgin, IL Metro Division
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 5.3 percent in March 2023 from 5.4 percent in March 2022.
Total nonfarm employment increased +5,000 compared to March 2022. Government (+1,900), Educational-Health Services (+1,500), Leisure-Hospitality (+1,500), and Manufacturing (+1,200) sectors had the largest payroll gains over the year. The Professional-Business Services (-1,600), Construction (-900), and Retail Trade (-200) sectors had employment declines from a year ago.
Lake & Kenosha Counties, IL-WI Metro Division
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 5.0 percent in March 2023 from 4.8 percent in March 2022.
Total nonfarm employment increased +3,200 compared to March 2022. Leisure-Hospitality (+2,300), Retail Trade (+1,200), Educational-Health Services (+900), and Manufacturing (+800) sectors had the largest payroll gains over the year. Financial Activities (-1,500), Professional-Business Services (-500), Transportation-Warehousing-Utilities (-500), and Information (-200) sectors had employment declines from a year ago.
Kankakee, IL MSA
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 5.8 percent in March 2023 from 5.9 percent in March 2022.
Total nonfarm employment increased +600 compared to March 2022. Government (+400), Educational-Health Services (+300), Retail Trade (+100), Wholesale Trade (+100), and Leisure-Hospitality (+100) sectors had payroll gains over the year. The Professional-Business Services (-300) and Manufacturing (-100) sectors recorded employment declines compared to one 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. 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 (February 2023 data compared to February 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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