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Economy & jobs Statistics · Area

Labour force in Cook County

1990 – 2025 · 36 data points 1 of 102 · Regions of Illinois Updated Oct 22, 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 1990 – 2025

Labour force, 1990 – 2025 people
+3.9% since 2015

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 1990 – 2025

Compared with Labour force · people
Cook County 2.8M
Illinois 6.6M

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics

The series at a glance Cook County · 1990 – 2025
Latest value 2,784,839 · 2025
First value 2,601,521 · 1990
Highest 2,784,839 · 2025
Lowest 2,532,959 · 2005
Average change +0.2% a year on average
Data points 36

By year

All years · 1990 – 2025

YearCook CountyChange Illinois
2025 2,784,839 +0.0% 6.6M
2024 2,783,840 +2.6% 6.6M
2023 2,711,995 +0.3% 6.5M
2022 2,703,173 +2.3% 6.5M
2021 2,641,506 +0.6% 6.4M
2020 2,625,455 −2.5% 6.3M
2019 2,692,380 +0.1% 6.5M
2018 2,688,534 −0.7% 6.6M
2017 2,706,837 −0.9% 6.6M
2016 2,732,644 +2.0% 6.6M
2015 2,680,203 −0.1% 6.6M
2014 2,682,426 −0.6% 6.6M
2013 2,698,590 +0.9% 6.6M
2012 2,673,987 +1.7% 6.6M
2011 2,628,433 −0.1% 6.6M
2010 2,630,611 +2.1% 6.6M
2009 2,576,474 −0.7% 6.6M
2008 2,594,515 +0.3% 6.6M
2007 2,587,017 +1.7% 6.6M
2006 2,544,519 +0.5% 6.5M
2005 2,532,959 −0.9% 6.4M
2004 2,557,217 −0.8% 6.3M
2003 2,576,653 −1.7% 6.3M
2002 2,622,287 −3.3% 6.3M
2001 2,711,323 −1.1% 6.4M
2000 2,742,757 +0.4% 6.5M
1999 2,732,126 +2.0% 6.5M
1998 2,678,470 −0.3% 6.3M
1997 2,687,805 +0.6% 6.3M
1996 2,672,529 +0.4% 6.2M
1995 2,662,578 +0.4% 6.2M
1994 2,652,180 +0.6% 6.1M
1993 2,637,257 +0.5% 6.1M
1992 2,622,973 +1.4% 6M
1991 2,585,864 −0.6% 5.9M
1990 2,601,521 5.9M

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 1990 – 2025

Ranking · Regions of Illinois

2017 · Place 1 is the highest value.

#TerritoryLabour force
1 Cook County 2.7M
2 DuPage County 497K
3 Lake County 374K
4 Will County 366K
5 Kane County 279K
6 McHenry County 168K
7 Winnebago County 140K
8 Madison County 136K
9 St. Clair County 127K
10 Champaign County 105K
11 Sangamon County 99,009
12 McLean County 92,272
13 Peoria County 87,687
14 Rock Island County 71,061
15 Kendall County 69,527
16 Tazewell County 66,353
17 LaSalle County 56,851
18 DeKalb County 54,276
19 Kankakee County 53,230
20 Macon County 49,081
21 Adams County 34,680
22 Vermilion County 33,441
23 Williamson County 31,567
24 Whiteside County 27,959
25 Boone County 27,839
…

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2017

What it means

Residents who work or are looking for work.

How it is calculated

Employed plus unemployed residents, annual average.