Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Illinois Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Chicago fell 0.1 percentage points in January 2023 to 4.6%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.1 percentage points higher than the Illinois rate. The unemployment rate in Chicago peaked in April 2020 at 18.2% and is now 13.6 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 4.4% in April 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.2 percentage points. You can also compare Chicago unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | January 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.4% | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| Illinois | 4.5% | -0.1 | -0.3 |
| Chicago | 4.6% | -0.1 | -0.2 |
Unemployment Rate: Chicago, Illinois, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Chicago, Illinois Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Chicago peaked in April 2020 at 892,043. There are now 665,921 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 214,728 in June 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 11,394. Chicago employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Chicago, Illinois) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | January 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 226,122 | -4,936 | -7,301 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Chicago, Illinois Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Illinois Unemployment Rate |
Chicago Unemployment Rate |
Chicago Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2023 |
3.6% | — | — | — |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 4.5% | 4.6% | 226,122 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 4.6% | 4.7% | 231,058 |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 4.6% | 4.7% | 231,616 |
| October 2022 |
3.7% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 227,787 |
| September 2022 |
3.5% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 225,241 |
| August 2022 |
3.7% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 220,854 |
| July 2022 |
3.5% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 215,832 |
| June 2022 |
3.6% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 214,728 |
| May 2022 |
3.6% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 215,849 |
| April 2022 |
3.6% | 4.5% | 4.4% | 216,183 |
| March 2022 |
3.6% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 220,374 |
1. Metro area unemployment rates are now seasonally adjusted. The BLS has started publishing smoothed seasonally adjusted metropolitan area data which makes comparisons to state and national data more relevant than the unadjusted numbers. ↩
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