Illinois Metro Unemployment Rates Continue Dropping | Strong Job Gains in Northern Illinois; Downstate Continues to Struggle
Contact: Anjali Julka
anjali.julka@illinois.gov
 metro_April2015.pdf
April was the fourteenth month in a row that unemployment rates fell in every metro area in the state compared to a year ago, according to preliminary data released today by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Rates also fell in 101 of Illinois’s 102 counties. Not seasonally adjusted data compares April 2015 with April 2014.
Illinois businesses added jobs in eight metros. The largest increases were seen in: Kankakee (+2.7 percent, +1,200), Elgin Metro Division (+2.4 percent, +6,000) and the Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metro Division (+1.4 percent, +49,400). Decreases were seen in: Peoria (-1.7 percent, -3,100), Carbondale-Marion (-1.6 percent, -900) and Decatur (-1.6 percent, -800). The industry sectors recording job growth in the majority of metros were Transportation, Warehousing and Public Utilities (eleven of 14) and Retail Trade (ten of 14).
“Metro areas in northern Illinois posted strong job gains, while most downstate areas lost ground,” IDES Director Jeff Mays said. “Yet even in areas that lost jobs, there are good jobs going unfilled. We can and must improve on how we connect the unemployed seeking work with employers seeking workers.”
The not seasonally adjusted Illinois rate was 5.5 percent in April 2015 and stood at 12.2 percent at its peak in this economic cycle in January 2010. Nationally, the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.1 percent in April and 10.6 percent in January 2010 at its peak. The unemployment rate identifies those who are out of work and looking for work, and is not tied to collecting unemployment insurance benefits.
Not Seasonally Adjusted
Unemployment
Rates
| Metropolitan Area |
Apr. 2015 |
Apr. 2014 |
Over-the-
Year Change |
| Bloomington |
3.9% |
4.9% |
-1.0 |
| Carbondale-Marion |
5.3% |
6.3% |
-1.0 |
| Champaign-Urbana |
4.1% |
5.2% |
-1.1 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights |
5.9% |
7.1% |
-1.2 |
| Danville |
5.9% |
8.0% |
-2.1 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL |
5.0% |
5.7% |
-0.7 |
| Decatur |
5.9% |
8.3% |
-2.4 |
| Elgin |
4.8% |
6.5% |
-1.7 |
| Kankakee |
5.8% |
7.9% |
-2.1 |
| Lake-Kenosha, IL-WI |
4.6% |
6.1% |
-1.5 |
| Peoria |
5.3% |
6.6% |
-1.3 |
| Rockford |
5.8% |
8.2% |
-2.4 |
| Springfield |
4.3% |
5.3% |
-1.0 |
| St. Louis (IL-Section) |
5.0% |
6.5% |
-1.5 |
| Illinois Statewide |
5.5% |
6.8% |
-1.3 |
Total
Nonfarm Jobs (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
– April 2015
|
Metropolitan Area
|
April 2015*
|
April 2014**
|
Over-the-Year Change
|
|
Bloomington
MSA
|
94,500
|
95,800
|
-1,300
|
|
Carbondale-Marion MSA
|
54,300
|
55,200
|
-900
|
|
Champaign-Urbana MSA
|
110,500
|
109,300
|
1,200
|
|
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metro
Div.
|
3,602,500
|
3,553,100
|
49,400
|
|
Danville MSA
|
29,200
|
28,900
|
300
|
|
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
IA-IL MSA
|
183,000
|
183,100
|
-100
|
|
Decatur MSA
|
50,100
|
50,900
|
-800
|
|
Elgin Metro
Division
|
252,900
|
246,900
|
6,000
|
|
Kankakee MSA
|
44,900
|
43,700
|
1,200
|
|
Lake County-Kenosha
County IL-WI
Metro Div.
|
398,200
|
396,100
|
2,100
|
|
Peoria MSA
|
176,700
|
179,800
|
-3,100
|
|
Rockford MSA
|
150,900
|
148,900
|
2,000
|
|
Springfield
MSA
|
111,800
|
111,200
|
600
|
|
Illinois Section of St. Louis
MSA
|
231,800
|
223,400
|
-1,600
|
|
Illinois Statewide
|
5,900,900
|
5,846,000
|
54,900
|
|
*Preliminary
|
**Revised
|
|
|
|