Department of Numbers

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Illinois Job Growth

There were 4,427,100 jobs in Chicago, Illinois in November 2020 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 4,306,316 employed persons for the month. Chicago lost 11,100 jobs in November 2020 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment fell by 2,990 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Chicago job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey November 2020 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 4,427,100 -11,100 -332,700
CPS 4,306,316 -2,990 -370,564

Note: The CPS survey data is now seasonally adjusted at the metropolitan level by with the new BLS SSA series.

Chicago, Illinois Employment Changes

The charts below show the monthly job growth for Chicago as measured by the CES and CPS surveys. To illustrate the trend, the 3 month moving average change in employment is shown in green.

CES Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

CPS Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

Total Employment for Chicago, Illinois

CES employment for Chicago peaked in January 2020 at 4,783,900. Since then 356,800 jobs have been lost in Chicago according to the employer survey. From a trough of 4,148,000 in April 2020, Chicago has gained 279,100 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 4,682,560 for Chicago in January 2019. 376,244 jobs have been lost in Chicago since then according to the household survey. From a April 2020 low of 3,874,217, Chicago has added 432,099 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through November 2020

Chicago, Illinois Employment History

Date CES
Employment		 CES
Month/Month		 CPS
Employment		 CPS
Month/Month
November 2020 4,427,100 -11,100 4,306,316 -2,990
October 2020 4,438,200 10,300 4,309,306 48,356
September 2020 4,427,900 15,400 4,260,950 84,423
August 2020 4,412,500 47,300 4,176,527 729
July 2020 4,365,200 85,000 4,175,798 -8,315
June 2020 4,280,200 97,500 4,184,113 112,830
May 2020 4,182,700 34,700 4,071,283 197,066
April 2020 4,148,000 -580,700 3,874,217 -746,790
March 2020 4,728,700 -50,400 4,621,007 -46,147
February 2020 4,779,100 -4,800 4,667,154 -2,628
January 2020 4,783,900 14,400 4,669,782 -4,959
December 2019 4,769,500 9,700 4,674,741 -2,139

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