State of Illinois

08/27/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/27/2026 13:41

Unemployment Rate Down for Nearly All Metros in July

Chicago Sets New Record of Jobs for the Month of July

SPRINGFIELD - Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in 4 metropolitan areas, including a record number of jobs for Chicago and eight consecutive months of year-over-year growth for Lake County, and decreased in 8 areas. Over-the-year, the unemployment rate decreased in 11 metro areas and increased in 1 for the year ending July 2026, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (DES).

"Illinois' economy continues to show its resilience, with Chicago reaching a record number of jobs and Lake County marking eight months of job growth in July, even in the face of ongoing instability of federal economic policies," said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. "These gains reflect the strength of Illinois workers and employers, and we will continue to prioritize investments that strengthen our workforce, support employers, and position Illinois for continued growth."

The metro areas which posted the largest over-the-year percentage decreases in total nonfarm jobs were the Illinois part of the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island MSA (-2.0%, -1,700), followed by a tie between the Elgin MSA (-1.3%, -3,800) and the Springfield MSA (-1.3%, -1,400). The metro areas with the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Decatur MSA (+0.8%, +400), followed by a tie between the Chicago-Naperville-Schaumburg Metro Division (+0.3%, +10,500), the Lake County Metro Division (+0.3%, +1,200) and the Peoria MSA (+0.3%, +500). Industries that saw job growth in the majority of the twelve metro areas included: Private Education and Health Services (10 areas), Mining and Construction (9 areas), and Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities (7 areas).

The metro areas with the largest unemployment decreases were the Illinois part of the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island MSA (-1.5 point to 3.7%), followed by a tie between the Decatur MSA (-1.2 point to 4.9%) and Rockford MSA (-1.2 point to 4.3%). The only metro area with an unemployment rate increase was the Chicago-Naperville-Schaumburg Metro Division (+0.4 point to 5.2%). The unemployment rate decreased over-the-year in 96 counties and increased in 6.

Not Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates

Metropolitan Area

July 2026*

July 2025**

Over-

the-Year Change

Bloomington

3.3%

4.4%

- 1.1

Champaign-Urbana

3.6%

4.7%

- 1.1

Chicago-Naperville-Schaumburg

5.2%

4.8%

0.4

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island (IL Section)

3.7%

5.2%

- 1.5

Decatur

4.9%

6.1%

- 1.2

Elgin

3.7%

4.6%

- 0.9

Kankakee

4.1%

5.2%

- 1.1

Lake

3.6%

4.5%

- 0.9

Peoria

3.8%

4.9%

- 1.1

Rockford

4.3%

5.5%

- 1.2

Springfield

3.6%

4.6%

- 1.0

St. Louis (IL Section)

3.5%

4.5%

- 1.0

Illinois Statewide

4.6%

4.7%

- 0.1

* Preliminary I ** Revised

Total Nonfarm Jobs (Not Seasonally Adjusted) - July 2026

July

July

Over-the- Year

Metropolitan Area

2026*

2025**

Change

Bloomington

90,200

90,600

- 400

Champaign-Urbana

114,900

115,100

- 200

Chicago-Naperville-Schaumburg

3,879,500

3,869,000

10,500

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island (IL Section)

84,900

86,600

-1,700

Decatur

47,700

47,300

400

Elgin

290,900

294,700

-3,800

Kankakee

42,400

42,800

- 400

Lake

348,700

347,500

1,200

Peoria

172,700

172,200

500

Rockford

143,900

144,300

- 400

Springfield

105,500

106,900

-1,400

St. Louis (IL Section)

242,800

243,600

- 800

Illinois Statewide

6,203,000

6,187,300

15,700

*Preliminary | **Revised


Not Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates (percent) for Local Counties and Areas

Labor Market Area

Jul 2026

Jul 2025

Over-the- Year Change

Chicago-Naperville-Schaumburg, IL Metro Division

Cook County

5.4%

5.0%

0.4

DuPage County

4.5%

4.1%

0.4

Grundy County

4.7%

4.6%

0.1

McHenry County

4.4%

4.1%

0.3

Will County

4.9%

4.6%

0.3

Elgin, IL Metro Division

DeKalb County

3.7%

4.7%

- 1.0

Kane County

3.7%

4.6%

- 0.9

Kendall County

3.7%

4.4%

- 0.7

Lake County, IL Metro Division

Lake County

3.6%

4.5%

- 0.9

Kankakee, IL MSA

Kankakee County

4.1%

5.2%

- 1.1

Cities

Aurora City

4.4%

4.7%

- 0.3

Chicago City

5.5%

5.1%

0.4

Elgin City

3.9%

4.6%

- 0.7

Joliet City

5.3%

5.1%

0.2

Kankakee City

5.0%

6.5%

- 1.5

Naperville City

4.5%

4.2%

0.3

Chicago-Naperville-Schaumburg, IL Metro Division

The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 5.2 percent in July 2026 from 4.8 percent in July 2025.

Total nonfarm employment increased +10,500 compared to July 2025. The Private Education-Health Services (+11,400), Transportation-Warehousing-Utilities (+5,900), Construction (+5,500), Government (+4,400), Professional-Business Services (+4,300), Leisure-Hospitality (+3,200) and Manufacturing (+1,700) sectors had payroll gains over-the-year. The Financial Activities (-11,800), Wholesale Trade (-8,700), Retail Trade (-4,900) and Information (-500) sectors had employment declines from a year ago.

Elgin, IL Metro Division

The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 3.7 percent in July 2026 from 4.6 percent in July 2025.

Total nonfarm employment decreased -3,800 compared to July 2025. The Private Education-Health Services (+700), Government (+700), Transportation-Warehousing-Utilities (+400) and Other Services (+200) sectors had payroll gains over-the-year. The Retail Trade (-1,400), Professional-Business Services (-1,200), Leisure-Hospitality (-900), Manufacturing (-800), Financial Activities (-700), Wholesale Trade (-500) and Construction (-300) sectors had employment declines from a year ago.

Lake County, IL Metro Division

The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 3.6 percent in July 2026 from 4.5 percent in July 2025.

Total nonfarm employment increased +1,200 compared to July 2025. The Leisure-Hospitality (+2,800), Private Education-Health Services (+1,500), Transportation-Warehousing-Utilities (+900), Construction (+800), Manufacturing (+800) and Government (+600) sectors had payroll gains over-the-year. The Professional-Business Services (-2,200), Retail Trade (-1,900), Financial Activities (-1,200), Wholesale Trade (-600), Other Services (-200) and Information (-100) sectors had employment declines from a year ago.

Kankakee, IL MSA

The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 4.1 percent in July 2026 from 5.2 percent in July 2025.

Total nonfarm employment decreased -400 compared to July 2025. The Mining-Construction (+200) and Professional-Business Services (+100) sectors had payroll gains over-the-year. The Government (-300), Wholesale Trade (-200), Other Services (-100) and Private Education-Health Services (-100) sectors had employment declines from a year ago.

Note: Monthly 2025 unemployment rates and total nonfarm jobs for Illinois metro areas were revised in February and March 2026, 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 2026 data compared to January 2025 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.

State of Illinois published this content on August 27, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on August 27, 2026 at 19:42 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]