Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Illinois Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Chicago fell 0.1 percentage points in July 2021 to 7.6%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.5 percentage points higher than the Illinois rate. The unemployment rate in Chicago peaked in April 2020 at 16.7% and is now 9.1 percentage points lower. You can also compare Chicago unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | July 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 5.4% | -0.5 | -4.8 |
| Illinois | 7.1% | -0.1 | -4.9 |
| Chicago | 7.6% | -0.1 | -5.0 |
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 758,935. There are now 400,258 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Chicago employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Chicago, Illinois) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | July 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 358,677 | -3,938 | -226,297 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Chicago, Illinois Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Illinois Unemployment Rate |
Chicago Unemployment Rate |
Chicago Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2021 |
5.2% | — | — | — |
| July 2021 |
5.4% | 7.1% | 7.6% | 358,677 |
| June 2021 |
5.9% | 7.2% | 7.7% | 362,615 |
| May 2021 |
5.8% | 7.1% | 7.7% | 359,381 |
| April 2021 |
6.1% | 7.1% | 7.8% | 363,630 |
| March 2021 |
6.0% | 7.1% | 7.9% | 370,471 |
| February 2021 |
6.2% | 7.4% | 8.2% | 384,682 |
| January 2021 |
6.3% | 7.7% | 8.4% | 395,667 |
| December 2020 |
6.7% | 8.0% | 8.5% | 403,798 |
| November 2020 |
6.7% | 8.1% | 8.6% | 402,717 |
| October 2020 |
6.9% | 8.1% | 8.6% | 402,659 |
| September 2020 |
7.8% | 10.4% | 11.6% | 556,438 |
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. ↩
Department of Numbers
The Department of Numbers contextualizes public data so that individuals can form independent opinions on everyday social and economic matters.
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