Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Illinois Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Chicago fell 0.2 percentage points in May 2023 to 3.9%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.2 percentage points lower than the Illinois rate. The unemployment rate in Chicago peaked in April 2020 at 18.7% and is now 14.8 percentage points lower. You can also compare Chicago unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | May 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.7% | +0.3 | +0.1 |
| Illinois | 4.1% | -0.1 | -0.3 |
| Chicago | 3.9% | -0.2 | -0.7 |
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 901,755. There are now 706,588 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Chicago employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Chicago, Illinois) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | May 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 195,167 | -6,962 | -33,306 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Chicago, Illinois Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Illinois Unemployment Rate |
Chicago Unemployment Rate |
Chicago Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2023 |
3.6% | — | — | — |
| May 2023 |
3.7% | 4.1% | 3.9% | 195,167 |
| April 2023 |
3.4% | 4.2% | 4.1% | 202,129 |
| March 2023 |
3.5% | 4.4% | 4.3% | 211,315 |
| February 2023 |
3.6% | 4.5% | 4.4% | 216,025 |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 223,947 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 229,205 |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 229,478 |
| October 2022 |
3.7% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 230,464 |
| September 2022 |
3.5% | 4.6% | 4.7% | 231,534 |
| August 2022 |
3.7% | 4.5% | 4.7% | 231,833 |
| July 2022 |
3.5% | 4.4% | 4.7% | 231,028 |
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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