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Though unemployment in Winnebago and Boone counties continues to drop, the two Stateline counties continue to have some of the highest unemployment rates in Illinois. Of a total labor force of 136,156 in Winnebago County, almost 9,000 remain unemployed, compared to 150 in Alexander County and 131 in Pulaski County, the only two counties with a higher unemployment rate. Specifically, Winnebago County has an unemployment rate of 6.6%, Alexander County has 8.1%, and Pulaski County has 7.7%. But employment in Winnebago County has improved 1.7% in the past month and 2.6% in the past year.
The rate in both Stateline counties is higher than the state average and almost twice the national average. June 2022's unemployment rate in Illinois was 4.5%. Boone County has about the same unemployment rate (6.5%) as Winnebago County, with similar recent improvements. Of Boone County's total labor force of 25,446, about 1,664 are unemployed.
Nationwide unemployment rates, while significantly lower than the alarming pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, remain a subject of concern, notably as economic experts bandy around the idea of a potential recession by 2023. The last economic recession—the Great Recession of 2008-2010—sent rates up to 10% as of October 2009. It was not until the spring of 2019 that unemployment finally went down to the same level it sits at now.
As of June of this year, national unemployment is at 3.5%, 0.1% lower than in May, marking a three-month stagnation—following a steady drop since that aforementioned COVID-affected peak. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 1.8% in Minnesota, to 4.9% in New Mexico and 5.5% in the District of Columbia. Further breakdown by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows yet another county-based spectrum within each state.
To that end, using data from the BLS, Stacker compiled a list of the 50 counties with the highest unemployment rate in Illinois. Counties are ranked by unemployment rate in June 2022, which as of this writing is the most current Bureau data. The good news is that all the counties not on the list are doing better than the state average, and some are even doing better than the national average. But our county isn't.
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- Current Unemployment rate: 4.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
-Total Labor Force: 69,900 (2,921 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -0.8%
-Total Labor Force: 6,054 (254 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.1%
-Total Labor Force: 5,654 (238 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
-Total Labor Force: 11,662 (492 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
-Total Labor Force: 8,610 (364 unemployed)
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- Current Unemployment rate: 4.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.9%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
-Total Labor Force: 2,997 (127 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
-Total Labor Force: 100,051 (4,268 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
-Total Labor Force: 105,104 (4,498 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.3%
--- 1 month change: +0.6%
--- 1 year change: -2.4%
-Total Labor Force: 26,178 (1,127 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
-Total Labor Force: 2,544 (110 unemployed)
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- Current Unemployment rate: 4.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
-Total Labor Force: 2,398 (104 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
-Total Labor Force: 54,511 (2,366 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
-Total Labor Force: 20,891 (916 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
-Total Labor Force: 11,439 (502 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.4%
--- 1 month change: +0.7%
--- 1 year change: -2.8%
-Total Labor Force: 368,919 (16,378 unemployed)
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- Current Unemployment rate: 4.5%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
-Total Labor Force: 30,691 (1,374 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.5%
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
-Total Labor Force: 5,165 (233 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.5%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
-Total Labor Force: 267,314 (12,135 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.6%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
-Total Labor Force: 5,810 (266 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.6%
--- 1 month change: -0.9%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
-Total Labor Force: 24,028 (1,102 unemployed)
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- Current Unemployment rate: 4.6%
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
-Total Labor Force: 26,874 (1,233 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.6%
--- 1 month change: -1.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
-Total Labor Force: 13,491 (626 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
-Total Labor Force: 52,947 (2,495 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
-Total Labor Force: 7,276 (345 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
-Total Labor Force: 5,881 (279 unemployed)
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- Current Unemployment rate: 4.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
-Total Labor Force: 21,542 (1,044 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.9%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
-Total Labor Force: 16,670 (812 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.9%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
-Total Labor Force: 125,251 (6,120 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 4.9%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
-Total Labor Force: 14,431 (711 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 5.1%
--- 1 month change: +0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
-Total Labor Force: 11,815 (599 unemployed)
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- Current Unemployment rate: 5.1%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -2.1%
-Total Labor Force: 16,326 (831 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 5.1%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
-Total Labor Force: 7,935 (407 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 5.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -1.1%
-Total Labor Force: 5,613 (294 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 5.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.9%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
-Total Labor Force: 53,057 (2,826 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 5.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
-Total Labor Force: 20,404 (1,091 unemployed)
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- Current Unemployment rate: 5.4%
--- 1 month change: +0.8%
--- 1 year change: -3.4%
-Total Labor Force: 2,683,171 (144,793 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 5.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
-Total Labor Force: 1,986 (108 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 5.5%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
-Total Labor Force: 31,538 (1,724 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 5.5%
--- 1 month change: +0.7%
--- 1 year change: -0.3%
-Total Labor Force: 1,726 (95 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 5.5%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
-Total Labor Force: 5,391 (298 unemployed)
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- Current Unemployment rate: 5.6%
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
-Total Labor Force: 4,113 (230 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 5.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.9%
--- 1 year change: -2.1%
-Total Labor Force: 83,808 (4,812 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 5.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
-Total Labor Force: 9,124 (525 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 5.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
-Total Labor Force: 15,615 (900 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 6.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
-Total Labor Force: 1,334 (86 unemployed)
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- Current Unemployment rate: 6.5%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
-Total Labor Force: 47,067 (3,040 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 6.5%
--- 1 month change: -1.9%
--- 1 year change: -2.9%
-Total Labor Force: 25,446 (1,664 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 6.6%
--- 1 month change: -1.7%
--- 1 year change: -2.6%
-Total Labor Force: 136,156 (8,984 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 7.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.9%
--- 1 year change: -2.4%
-Total Labor Force: 1,706 (131 unemployed)
- Current Unemployment rate: 8.1%
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
-Total Labor Force: 1,856 (150 unemployed)
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