Covered employment (QCEW) in Illinois

Covered employment (QCEW) in Illinois was 6,067,518 jobs in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is up 0.4% from 2024. That is the 5th highest of 51 states in 2025.

2025, jobs6,067,518
Change on 2024+0.4%
Rank5th of 51US states ranked
Series high6,067,5182025
Series low5,502,3222010

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Covered employment (QCEW) in Illinois, 2001 to 2025

5.4M5.6M5.8M6M6.2M20012005200920132017202120252001: 5,886,248 jobs2002: 5,771,132 jobs2003: 5,698,184 jobs2004: 5,700,643 jobs2005: 5,748,355 jobs2006: 5,821,022 jobs2007: 5,869,157 jobs2008: 5,841,692 jobs2009: 5,551,930 jobs2010: 5,502,322 jobs2011: 5,566,648 jobs2012: 5,636,918 jobs2013: 5,687,541 jobs2014: 5,762,156 jobs2015: 5,848,451 jobs2016: 5,895,633 jobs2017: 5,934,549 jobs2018: 5,973,316 jobs2019: 5,995,905 jobs2020: 5,570,198 jobs2021: 5,694,355 jobs2022: 5,918,832 jobs2023: 6,013,493 jobs2024: 6,043,357 jobs2025: 6,067,518 jobs
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12, published 2026-08-21.
All 25 values
Periodjobs
20256,067,518
20246,043,357
20236,013,493
20225,918,832
20215,694,355
20205,570,198
20195,995,905
20185,973,316
20175,934,549
20165,895,633
20155,848,451
20145,762,156
20135,687,541
20125,636,918
20115,566,648
20105,502,322
20095,551,930
20085,841,692
20075,869,157
20065,821,022
20055,748,355
20045,700,643
20035,698,184
20025,771,132
20015,886,248

Compared with United States

Place2025
Illinois6,067,518
United States155,732,363

Rankings

Definition

Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Covered employment (QCEW), Illinois, 2001 to 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Covered employment (QCEW), Illinois, 2001 to 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/illinois. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Covered employment (QCEW), Illinois, 2001 to 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/illinois.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Covered employment (QCEW), Illinois, 2001 to 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/illinois (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_covered_employment_qcew_illinois_2025,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Covered employment (QCEW), Illinois, 2001 to 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/illinois. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Covered employment (QCEW), Illinois, 2001 to 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/illinois
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/illinois.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

What is the covered employment (QCEW) in Illinois?

Covered employment (QCEW) in Illinois was 6,067,518 jobs in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is up 0.4% from 2024. That is the 5th highest of 51 states in 2025.

Where does this figure come from?

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.

What was the highest covered employment (QCEW) in Illinois?

6,067,518 jobs in 2025, the highest value since 2001 in this series.

Covered employment (QCEW) elsewhere in United States

Related statistics for Illinois

All statistics for Illinois | Illinois in figures