Wednesday, October 21 Illinois
  1. Home
  2. Statistics
  3. Economy & jobs
  4. Unemployment rate
Economy & jobs Statistics · Region

Illinois: unemployment rate

1976 – 2025 · 50 data points 5 of 17 · Regions of United States Updated Oct 21, 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 1976 – 2025

Unemployment rate, 1976 – 2025 percent · Illinois · United States · World
−1.4 pp since 2015
Illinois United States World

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics · OECD Regional Database · World Bank — World Development Indicators, 1976 – 2025

Compared with Unemployment rate · percent
Illinois
4.6%
United States
3.6% · 2023
World
4.8%

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics · OECD Regional Database · World Bank — World Development Indicators

The series at a glance Illinois · 1976 – 2025
Latest value 4.6% · 2025
First value 6.5% · 1976
Highest 11.7% · 1983
Lowest 4.0% · 2019
Data points 50

By year

All years · 1976 – 2025

YearIllinoisChange United StatesWorld
2025 4.6% −0.4 pp — 4.8%
2024 5.0% +0.5 pp — 4.8%
2023 4.5% −0.1 pp 3.6% 4.8%
2022 4.6% −1.5 pp 3.7% 5.2%
2021 6.1% −3.2 pp 5.4% 6.0%
2020 9.3% +5.3 pp 8.1% 6.6%
2019 4.0% −0.4 pp 3.7% 5.6%
2018 4.4% −0.6 pp 3.9% 5.8%
2017 5.0% −0.9 pp 4.4% 5.9%
2016 5.9% −0.1 pp 4.9% 6.0%
2015 6.0% −1.2 pp 5.3% 6.0%
2014 7.2% −1.9 pp 6.2% 6.0%
2013 9.1% +0.1 pp 5.3% 6.1%
2012 9.0% −0.8 pp 8.1% 6.2%
2011 9.8% −0.6 pp 9.0% 6.1%
2010 10.4% +0.4 pp 9.6% 6.3%
2009 10.0% +3.5 pp 9.3% 6.4%
2008 6.5% +1.4 pp 5.8% 5.8%
2007 5.1% +0.5 pp 4.6% 5.8%
2006 4.6% −1.1 pp 4.6% 6.0%
2005 5.7% −0.5 pp 5.1% 6.2%
2004 6.2% −0.5 pp 5.5% 6.3%
2003 6.7% +0.2 pp 6.0% 6.5%
2002 6.5% +1.1 pp 5.8% 6.4%
2001 5.4% +0.9 pp 4.8% 6.2%
2000 4.5% +0.1 pp 4.0% 6.1%
1999 4.4% −0.1 pp 4.2% 6.3%
1998 4.5% −0.3 pp 4.5% 6.2%
1997 4.8% −0.5 pp 4.9% 6.0%
1996 5.3% +0.1 pp 5.4% 6.0%
1995 5.2% −0.6 pp 5.6% 5.9%
1994 5.8% −1.7 pp — 5.8%
1993 7.5% −0.4 pp — 5.5%
1992 7.9% +0.6 pp — 5.3%
1991 7.3% +1.0 pp — 5.1%
1990 6.3% +0.2 pp — —
1989 6.1% −0.6 pp — —
1988 6.7% −0.8 pp — —
1987 7.5% −0.8 pp — —
1986 8.3% −0.8 pp — —
1985 9.1% −0.1 pp — —
1984 9.2% −2.5 pp — —
1983 11.7% +0.4 pp — —
1982 11.3% +2.6 pp — —
1981 8.7% +0.6 pp — —
1980 8.1% +2.5 pp — —
1979 5.6% −0.4 pp — —
1978 6.0% −0.2 pp — —
1977 6.2% −0.3 pp — —
1976 6.5% — —

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics · OECD Regional Database · World Bank — World Development Indicators, 1976 – 2025

Ranking · Regions of United States

2025 · Place 1 is the highest value.

#TerritoryUnemployment rate
1 California 5.5%
2 New Jersey 5.2%
3 Michigan 5.2%
4 Washington 4.7%
5 Illinois 4.6%
6 Kentucky 4.6%
7 Ohio 4.6%
8 New York 4.3%
9 Arizona 4.3%
10 Texas 4.2%
11 Missouri 4.0%
12 Florida 3.9%
13 Idaho 3.7%
14 Indiana 3.7%
15 Utah 3.6%
16 Tennessee 3.5%
17 Wisconsin 3.2%

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

What it means

The share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one.

How it is calculated

Unemployed people divided by the labour force (employed plus unemployed), following the international definition; annual average.