Unemployed people in Chicago, IL
Unemployed people in Chicago, IL was 73,793 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is down 9.8% from 2024. That is the 1st highest of 104 cities in 2025.
Unemployed people in Chicago, IL, 1990 to 2025
All 36 values
| Period | persons |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 73,793 |
| 2024 | 81,812 |
| 2023 | 65,956 |
| 2022 | 72,863 |
| 2021 | 103,459 |
| 2020 | 157,916 |
| 2019 | 56,009 |
| 2018 | 59,613 |
| 2017 | 75,352 |
| 2016 | 91,669 |
| 2015 | 91,842 |
| 2014 | 109,631 |
| 2013 | 140,348 |
| 2012 | 137,634 |
| 2011 | 148,008 |
| 2010 | 150,293 |
| 2009 | 141,071 |
| 2008 | 92,767 |
| 2007 | 77,334 |
| 2006 | 70,172 |
| 2005 | 92,500 |
| 2004 | 98,366 |
| 2003 | 107,486 |
| 2002 | 115,332 |
| 2001 | 95,618 |
| 2000 | 77,621 |
| 1999 | 83,780 |
| 1998 | 84,334 |
| 1997 | 92,615 |
| 1996 | 97,597 |
| 1995 | 95,771 |
| 1994 | 104,399 |
| 1993 | 134,905 |
| 1992 | 138,117 |
| 1991 | 129,017 |
| 1990 | 119,626 |
Rankings
Definition
Residents with no job who were available for work and had looked for work in the previous four weeks, or were waiting to be recalled from a layoff, annual average. People aged 16 and over by place of residence, from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Active-duty military personnel and people living in institutions are excluded.
United States cities only for now. The survey definition, not a count of benefit claimants. BLS estimates cities by splitting county estimates with Census Bureau employment and population data and unemployment insurance claims, so city figures are less precise than state ones. BLS publishes cities of 25,000 or more, and smaller cities in New England.
How to cite
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.Citation styles
APA 7
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average (Unemployed people, Chicago, IL, 1990 to 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29
MLA 9
Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average, Unemployed people, Chicago, IL, 1990 to 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 30 Sept. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/unemployed-people/chicago-il. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. Unemployed people, Chicago, IL, 1990 to 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/unemployed-people/chicago-il.
Harvard
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average, Unemployed people, Chicago, IL, 1990 to 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/unemployed-people/chicago-il (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{bureau_unemployed_people_chicago_il_2025,
author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
title = {{Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average: Unemployed people, Chicago, IL, 1990 to 2025}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/unemployed-people/chicago-il. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI - Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average: Unemployed people, Chicago, IL, 1990 to 2025
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
PB - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB - Invokely
UR - https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29
L2 - https://invokely.ai/en/unemployed-people/chicago-il
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/unemployed-people/chicago-il.
N1 - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER -
Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
What is the latest unemployed people in Chicago, IL? Cite the source.
get_value {"indicator":"unemployed_persons","place":"us-place-1714000"}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/value?indicator=unemployed_persons&place=us-place-1714000Questions
What is the unemployed people in Chicago, IL?
Unemployed people in Chicago, IL was 73,793 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is down 9.8% from 2024. That is the 1st highest of 104 cities in 2025.
Where does this figure come from?
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.
What was the highest unemployed people in Chicago, IL?
157,916 in 2020, the highest value since 1990 in this series.