BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

03/18/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/18/2026 10:29

County Employment and Wages in Illinois — Third Quarter 2025

News Release Information

26-480-CHI
Wednesday, March 18, 2026

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County Employment and Wages in Illinois - Third Quarter 2025

Employment declined in 7 of the 13 largest counties in Illinois from September 2024 to September 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that Sangamon County had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment, with a loss of 2.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

View Chart Data
Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Illinois, September 2025
County Percent change, September 2025

Sangamon

-2.0

McLean

-1.7

Kane

-1.5

Winnebago

-1.5

Lake

-0.6

Peoria

-0.6

Cook

-0.1

DuPage

0.1

Madison

0.1

St. Clair

0.1

McHenry

0.3

Champaign

0.8

Will

0.8

Among the 13 largest counties in Illinois, employment was highest in Cook (2,596,400) in September 2025. Together, the 13 largest counties accounted for 80.2 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.2 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)

Large county average weekly wages in the third quarter 2025

All 13 large Illinois counties reported average weekly wage gains over the year. (See chart 2.) McLean had the largest gain (+5.4 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among Illinois' other 12 large counties ranged from 4.6 percent to 3.3 percent.

View Chart Data
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Illinois, third quarter 2025
County Percent change, third quarter 2025

McLean

5.4

Peoria

4.6

St. Clair

4.6

Will

4.6

Sangamon

4.4

Cook

4.2

Kane

4.1

Madison

3.7

McHenry

3.6

DuPage

3.5

Winnebago

3.4

Champaign

3.3

Lake

3.3

Weekly wages in 3 of the 13 largest counties in Illinois were above the national average of $1,459. Average weekly wages ranged from $1,618 in Cook to $1,074 in McHenry.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the third quarter of 2025

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 89 small counties in Illinois, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in all 89 smaller counties were below the national average. Henderson reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,420). Calhoun reported the lowest average weekly wage ($739) in the state.

Among all 102 Illinois counties, 21 reported average weekly wages of less than $925, 19 registered wages from $925 to $999, 23 had wages from $1,000 to $1,074, 18 reported wages from $1,075 to $1,149, and 21 had average weekly wages of $1,150 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)

Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Illinois, third quarter 2025

(U.S. average = $1,459 )


Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.

Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The County Employment and Wages release for the fourth quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the 13 largest counties in Illinois, third quarter 2025
Area Establishments,
third quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2025
(thousands) 		Percent change,
September
2024-25 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3) 		Third quarter
2025 ($) 		National ranking
by level (3) 		Percent change,
third quarter
2024-25 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

12,353.8 155,767.7 0.1 -- 1,459 -- 4.7 --

Illinois

386.5 6,086.3 -0.1 -- 1,457 12 4.3 23

Champaign

4.2 95.4 0.8 68 1,309 178 3.3 259

Cook

139.3 2,596.4 -0.1 183 1,618 42 4.2 157

DuPage

34.2 630.1 0.1 154 1,497 74 3.5 238

Kane

13.2 215.1 -1.5 336 1,228 234 4.1 164

Lake

20.2 328.0 -0.6 267 1,603 47 3.3 259

McHenry

8.0 99.3 0.3 126 1,074 346 3.6 224

McLean

3.4 87.5 -1.7 345 1,278 193 5.4 48

Madison

5.5 108.3 0.1 154 1,130 323 3.7 206

Peoria

3.9 103.1 -0.6 267 1,374 135 4.6 100

St. Clair

4.9 89.5 0.1 154 1,138 314 4.6 100

Sangamon

5.0 132.2 -2.0 352 1,398 117 4.4 128

Will

16.1 270.0 0.8 68 1,181 278 4.6 100

Winnebago

5.9 125.5 -1.5 336 1,153 305 3.4 251

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Illinois, third quarter 2025
Area Establishments Employment September 2025 Average weekly wage ($) (1)

United States (2)

12,353,804 155,767,691 1,459

Illinois

386,518 6,086,277 1,457

Adams

1,769 32,313 1,048

Alexander

92 837 975

Bond

324 4,610 1,051

Boone

904 11,756 1,114

Brown

125 4,877 1,278

Bureau

757 10,088 1,050

Calhoun

90 753 739

Carroll

404 4,190 948

Cass

269 4,602 1,030

Champaign

4,184 95,442 1,309

Christian

704 9,315 990

Clark

340 4,294 881

Clay

299 4,683 1,005

Clinton

929 12,794 1,006

Coles

1,032 23,791 1,089

Cook

139,343 2,596,443 1,618

Crawford

424 7,669 1,192

Cumberland

201 2,918 892

DeKalb

2,003 37,002 1,132

DeWitt

338 5,449 1,284

Douglas

604 7,492 1,115

DuPage

34,215 630,053 1,497

Edgar

347 7,072 1,085

Edwards

145 1,651 905

Effingham

1,240 23,405 1,042

Fayette

459 4,968 900

Ford

368 5,555 1,075

Franklin

698 8,971 921

Fulton

648 8,513 901

Gallatin

125 894 1,022

Greene

249 2,263 823

Grundy

1,217 23,460 1,273

Hamilton

208 2,067 1,024

Hancock

409 4,218 917

Hardin

54 787 954

Henderson

144 1,208 1,420

Henry

1,023 14,175 1,004

Iroquois

654 6,966 985

Jackson

1,130 26,348 1,080

Jasper

244 2,219 947

Jefferson

860 19,281 1,140

Jersey

386 5,332 892

Jo Daviess

748 7,661 919

Johnson

194 2,715 1,213

Kane

13,160 215,085 1,228

Kankakee

2,163 42,421 1,121

Kendall

2,499 31,334 1,018

Knox

973 17,068 940

Lake

20,226 327,999 1,603

LaSalle

2,436 38,556 1,119

Lawrence

244 3,981 1,022

Lee

686 12,668 1,156

Livingston

854 13,848 1,102

Logan

555 7,591 1,035

McDonough

547 10,007 953

McHenry

8,005 99,264 1,074

McLean

3,383 87,542 1,278

Macon

1,959 45,172 1,260

Macoupin

904 9,956 918

Madison

5,481 108,303 1,130

Marion

775 12,301 988

Marshall

256 2,850 970

Mason

291 2,876 884

Massac

197 2,826 1,093

Menard

237 1,925 789

Mercer

304 3,221 849

Monroe

829 8,437 976

Montgomery

696 8,933 922

Morgan

720 14,315 996

Moultrie

353 5,254 1,024

Ogle

1,033 14,381 1,088

Peoria

3,916 103,051 1,374

Perry

326 4,407 978

Piatt

391 3,814 940

Pike

421 3,820 904

Pope

47 426 746

Pulaski

107 1,223 875

Putnam

165 1,969 1,275

Randolph

597 11,141 1,143

Richland

384 5,689 987

Rock Island

2,843 69,339 1,280

St. Clair

4,878 89,476 1,138

Saline

515 8,251 933

Sangamon

5,036 132,196 1,398

Schuyler

169 1,778 1,011

Scott

99 973 1,254

Shelby

475 4,909 938

Stark

152 1,893 1,071

Stephenson

1,030 17,547 1,072

Tazewell

2,565 47,006 1,074

Union

315 5,338 925

Vermilion

1,283 25,590 1,050

Wabash

278 3,284 1,006

Warren

366 6,393 873

Washington

388 6,229 1,119

Wayne

360 3,916 879

White

333 4,055 960

Whiteside

1,180 20,449 1,024

Will

16,099 270,023 1,181

Williamson

1,460 29,604 1,038

Winnebago

5,855 125,458 1,153

Woodford

807 11,385 1,080

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, third quarter 2025
State Establishments,
third quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2025
(thousands) 		Percent change,
September
2024-25 		Third quarter
2025 ($) 		National ranking
by level 		Percent change,
third quarter
2024-25 		National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

12,353.8 155,767.7 0.1 1,459 -- 4.7 --

Alabama

165.7 2,119.0 0.6 1,212 36 3.6 38

Alaska

25.3 342.4 -0.1 1,455 13 5.3 7

Arizona

228.4 3,215.4 -0.2 1,360 19 4.0 31

Arkansas

111.2 1,310.5 0.5 1,135 49 3.8 33

California

1,986.7 18,281.7 0.3 1,815 4 7.2 2

Colorado

252.9 2,886.4 -0.6 1,570 7 5.7 3

Connecticut

149.6 1,693.8 0.1 1,604 6 3.8 33

Delaware

46.7 480.8 0.0 1,394 17 4.8 13

District of Columbia

51.5 737.4 -3.1 2,393 1 5.7 3

Florida

892.1 9,818.1 -0.2 1,342 21 5.1 8

Georgia

397.2 4,874.5 0.4 1,349 20 3.5 43

Hawaii

62.1 640.1 0.1 1,342 21 3.1 48

Idaho

103.7 879.8 1.3 1,180 44 4.9 11

Illinois

386.5 6,086.3 -0.1 1,457 12 4.3 23

Indiana

197.1 3,198.4 0.1 1,214 35 4.3 23

Iowa

109.6 1,549.3 -0.9 1,194 39 3.6 38

Kansas

102.2 1,431.7 0.1 1,179 45 3.8 33

Kentucky

160.7 1,995.4 -0.4 1,176 46 4.3 23

Louisiana

158.7 1,913.1 -0.1 1,187 42 3.3 46

Maine

67.4 659.2 -0.2 1,231 33 5.0 10

Maryland

199.5 2,739.5 -1.3 1,526 9 3.8 33

Massachusetts

293.2 3,625.0 -0.9 1,818 3 4.8 13

Michigan

316.0 4,423.8 -0.4 1,323 25 4.5 18

Minnesota

214.3 2,958.6 0.2 1,438 15 3.6 38

Mississippi

91.3 1,172.6 0.0 1,005 51 4.7 15

Missouri

256.0 2,903.7 -0.4 1,249 31 4.4 21

Montana

64.6 518.3 -0.4 1,182 43 5.1 8

Nebraska

78.6 1,021.8 -0.1 1,190 40 3.1 48

Nevada

109.5 1,581.0 1.4 1,314 27 4.3 23

New Hampshire

67.3 687.8 -0.6 1,481 11 5.5 6

New Jersey

334.9 4,301.0 0.4 1,558 8 3.6 38

New Mexico

69.0 876.4 0.3 1,190 40 3.2 47

New York

720.8 9,808.4 0.4 1,757 5 4.7 15

North Carolina

386.3 4,939.4 0.5 1,328 23 4.2 27

North Dakota

36.7 433.8 -0.5 1,291 29 2.8 50

Ohio

346.6 5,537.8 0.1 1,279 30 3.4 44

Oklahoma

128.8 1,697.9 -0.3 1,143 48 4.5 18

Oregon

180.5 1,994.7 -1.3 1,409 16 4.2 27

Pennsylvania

397.2 6,066.3 0.2 1,383 18 4.1 30

Rhode Island

48.8 503.3 0.2 1,322 26 4.7 15

South Carolina

190.8 2,312.3 0.7 1,198 38 4.9 11

South Dakota

40.9 462.9 0.1 1,146 47 4.0 31

Tennessee

224.2 3,255.5 -1.2 1,327 24 5.7 3

Texas

854.9 14,062.3 0.7 1,444 14 3.6 38

Utah

142.4 1,745.9 1.2 1,297 28 3.8 33

Vermont

34.1 307.2 -0.7 1,243 32 4.4 21

Virginia

324.0 4,142.4 0.7 1,504 10 4.2 27

Washington

242.3 3,639.4 -0.1 1,923 2 7.7 1

West Virginia

62.1 701.1 -0.1 1,121 50 3.4 44

Wisconsin

211.6 2,949.1 -0.4 1,228 34 4.5 18

Wyoming

31.7 285.6 -1.1 1,201 37 2.0 51

Puerto Rico

52.8 945.5 -0.6 687 (3) 2.7 (3)

Virgin Islands

3.0 33.2 -5.4 1,025 (3) 4.7 (3)

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on March 18, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 18, 2026 at 16:29 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]