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A1US GDP 2025 $30.86T│A2Real growth +2.3%│A3CPI, 12 mo to Sep 2026 +3.7%│A4Unemployment 2025 4.3%BEA · BLS · Census — updated October 29, 2026
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IL!JOBS=LAUS(17)

Illinois: jobs and unemployment

Unemployment, employment and the labor force in Illinois from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

BLS LAUSLatest month: September 2026
Unemployment, September 20264.6%#41 of 51 · #1 = lowest
Annual average, 20254.6%US 4.3%, weighted by labor force
Labor force, 20256.59M−0.8% on a year earlier
Employed, 20256.28M305,101 unemployed
Fig. 1Unemployment rate, monthlySeasonally adjusted, percent of the labor force, since 2000
0%5%10%15%20%200020052010201520202025Unemployment rate
Fig. 2Labor force and employment, 2000–2025Annual averages, people; the gap between the lines is the number unemployed
5.5M5.8M6M6.2M6.5M6.8M200020052010201520202025Labor forceEmployed
Labor forceEmployed
YearUnemployment rateLabor forceEmployedUnemployed
20254.6%6,587,6136,282,512305,101
20245.0%6,638,4126,307,121331,291
20234.5%6,525,7106,232,866292,844
20224.6%6,480,8086,182,803298,005
20216.1%6,370,6545,983,262387,392
20209.3%6,324,6035,737,293587,310
20194.0%6,545,4226,284,390261,032
20184.4%6,555,2666,268,164287,102
20175.0%6,556,1066,231,502324,604
20165.9%6,616,3606,227,221389,139
20156.0%6,558,6946,164,882393,812
20147.2%6,554,3276,085,618468,709
20139.1%6,588,8295,989,809599,020
20129.0%6,602,6346,007,490595,144
20119.8%6,580,9435,937,379643,564
201010.4%6,601,9325,914,278687,654
200910.0%6,569,3585,914,561654,797
20086.5%6,623,7436,195,225428,518
20075.1%6,613,5016,276,771336,730
20064.6%6,497,4286,198,292299,136
20055.7%6,397,3956,030,740366,655
20046.2%6,339,9665,946,593393,373
20036.7%6,306,8065,882,173424,633
20026.5%6,339,9765,924,794415,182
20015.4%6,449,5216,099,153350,368
20004.5%6,487,1176,197,977289,140
19994.4%6,451,7696,166,840284,929
19984.5%6,331,9866,048,344283,642
19974.8%6,290,0495,988,397301,652
19965.3%6,238,1155,907,742330,373
19955.2%6,170,1805,848,897321,283
19945.8%6,107,9635,751,833356,130
19937.5%6,073,9975,620,298453,699
19927.9%6,027,3575,553,506473,851
19917.3%5,928,0365,496,923431,113
19906.3%5,910,7265,538,385372,341
19896.1%5,864,6245,509,769354,855
19886.7%5,712,9745,328,476384,498
19877.5%5,652,4255,231,242421,183
19868.3%5,599,4705,135,075464,395
19859.1%5,580,1455,074,239505,906
19849.2%5,544,5725,036,954507,618
198311.7%5,552,3584,903,101649,257
198211.3%5,576,3774,944,976631,401
19818.7%5,574,0455,091,268482,777
19808.1%5,531,7655,081,896449,869
19795.6%5,458,1735,155,032303,141
19786.0%5,422,9175,096,902326,015
19776.2%5,286,6874,959,428327,259
19766.5%5,147,0464,810,302336,744

BLS LAUS: monthly rates are seasonally adjusted; annual averages are not seasonally adjusted.