Data / Rankings / Covered employment (QCEW) / Counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois by covered employment (QCEW)

Cook County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 102 counties in 2023, at 2,559,676 jobs. Pope County had the lowest, at 638 jobs. The median was 7,828 jobs and the figure for Illinois was 6,013,493 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest2,559,676Cook County
Lowest638Pope County
Median7,828102 counties
Illinois6,013,493History

Map of counties, 2023

Adams County: 32,284 jobsAlexander County: 871 jobsBond County: 4,468 jobsBoone County: 12,117 jobsBrown County: 4,663 jobsBureau County: 10,495 jobsCalhoun County: 750 jobsCarroll County: 4,004 jobsCass County: 5,449 jobsChampaign County: 95,666 jobsChristian County: 9,395 jobsClark County: 4,441 jobsClay County: 4,597 jobsClinton County: 12,212 jobsColes County: 23,584 jobsCook County: 2,559,676 jobsCrawford County: 7,289 jobsCumberland County: 2,933 jobsDeKalb County: 36,133 jobsDe Witt County: 5,027 jobsDouglas County: 7,686 jobsDuPage County: 621,258 jobsEdgar County: 6,883 jobsEdwards County: 2,081 jobsEffingham County: 23,344 jobsFayette County: 5,216 jobsFord County: 5,466 jobsFranklin County: 8,879 jobsFulton County: 8,332 jobsGallatin County: 899 jobsGreene County: 2,291 jobsGrundy County: 21,396 jobsHamilton County: 2,005 jobsHancock County: 4,082 jobsHardin County: 751 jobsHenderson County: 1,130 jobsHenry County: 13,510 jobsIroquois County: 7,170 jobsJackson County: 24,672 jobsJasper County: 2,111 jobsJefferson County: 19,209 jobsJersey County: 5,246 jobsJo Daviess County: 7,394 jobsJohnson County: 2,339 jobsKane County: 213,176 jobsKankakee County: 42,090 jobsKendall County: 30,350 jobsKnox County: 16,611 jobsLake County: 327,625 jobsLaSalle County: 39,739 jobsLawrence County: 3,821 jobsLee County: 12,691 jobsLivingston County: 13,770 jobsLogan County: 7,970 jobsMcDonough County: 10,227 jobsMcHenry County: 96,359 jobsMcLean County: 87,157 jobsMacon County: 45,500 jobsMacoupin County: 10,110 jobsMadison County: 103,506 jobsMarion County: 12,623 jobsMarshall County: 2,820 jobsMason County: 2,770 jobsMassac County: 2,841 jobsMenard County: 1,735 jobsMercer County: 3,036 jobsMonroe County: 8,590 jobsMontgomery County: 8,859 jobsMorgan County: 13,714 jobsMoultrie County: 5,037 jobsOgle County: 15,065 jobsPeoria County: 103,504 jobsPerry County: 4,487 jobsPiatt County: 3,640 jobsPike County: 3,921 jobsPope County: 638 jobsPulaski County: 1,179 jobsPutnam County: 1,893 jobsRandolph County: 11,549 jobsRichland County: 5,783 jobsRock Island County: 71,816 jobsSt. Clair County: 90,028 jobsSaline County: 8,095 jobsSangamon County: 128,309 jobsSchuyler County: 1,515 jobsScott County: 885 jobsShelby County: 4,862 jobsStark County: 1,551 jobsStephenson County: 17,144 jobsTazewell County: 46,480 jobsUnion County: 5,202 jobsVermilion County: 25,475 jobsWabash County: 3,320 jobsWarren County: 6,310 jobsWashington County: 6,385 jobsWayne County: 4,005 jobsWhite County: 4,033 jobsWhiteside County: 21,015 jobsWill County: 262,954 jobsWilliamson County: 28,238 jobsWinnebago County: 125,284 jobsWoodford County: 11,069 jobs
  • Under 10K
  • 10K to 40K
  • 40K and over
jobs, 2023. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2023

Cook County: 2,559,676 jobsCook County2,559,676DuPage County: 621,258 jobsDuPage County621,258Lake County: 327,625 jobsLake County327,625Will County: 262,954 jobsWill County262,954Kane County: 213,176 jobsKane County213,176Sangamon County: 128,309 jobsSangamon County128,309Winnebago County: 125,284 jobsWinnebago County125,284Madison County: 103,506 jobsMadison County103,506Peoria County: 103,504 jobsPeoria County103,504McHenry County: 96,359 jobsMcHenry County96,359Champaign County: 95,666 jobsChampaign County95,666St. Clair County: 90,028 jobsSt. Clair County90,028McLean County: 87,157 jobsMcLean County87,157Rock Island County: 71,816 jobsRock Island County71,816Tazewell County: 46,480 jobsTazewell County46,480Macon County: 45,500 jobsMacon County45,500Kankakee County: 42,090 jobsKankakee County42,090LaSalle County: 39,739 jobsLaSalle County39,739DeKalb County: 36,133 jobsDeKalb County36,133Adams County: 32,284 jobsAdams County32,284Kendall County: 30,350 jobsKendall County30,350Williamson County: 28,238 jobsWilliamson County28,238Vermilion County: 25,475 jobsVermilion County25,475Jackson County: 24,672 jobsJackson County24,672Coles County: 23,584 jobsColes County23,584Effingham County: 23,344 jobsEffingham County23,344Grundy County: 21,396 jobsGrundy County21,396Whiteside County: 21,015 jobsWhiteside County21,015Jefferson County: 19,209 jobsJefferson County19,209Stephenson County: 17,144 jobsStephenson County17,144Knox County: 16,611 jobsKnox County16,611Ogle County: 15,065 jobsOgle County15,065Livingston County: 13,770 jobsLivingston County13,770Morgan County: 13,714 jobsMorgan County13,714Henry County: 13,510 jobsHenry County13,510Lee County: 12,691 jobsLee County12,691Marion County: 12,623 jobsMarion County12,623Clinton County: 12,212 jobsClinton County12,212Boone County: 12,117 jobsBoone County12,117Randolph County: 11,549 jobsRandolph County11,549Cook County: 2,559,676 jobsCook County2,559,676DuPage County: 621,258 jobsDuPage County621,258Lake County: 327,625 jobsLake County327,625Will County: 262,954 jobsWill County262,954Kane County: 213,176 jobsKane County213,176Sangamon County: 128,309 jobsSangamon County128,309Winnebago County: 125,284 jobsWinnebago County125,284Madison County: 103,506 jobsMadison County103,506Peoria County: 103,504 jobsPeoria County103,504McHenry County: 96,359 jobsMcHenry County96,359Champaign County: 95,666 jobsChampaign County95,666St. Clair County: 90,028 jobsSt. Clair County90,028McLean County: 87,157 jobsMcLean County87,157Rock Island County: 71,816 jobsRock Island County71,816Tazewell County: 46,480 jobsTazewell County46,480Macon County: 45,500 jobsMacon County45,500Kankakee County: 42,090 jobsKankakee County42,090LaSalle County: 39,739 jobsLaSalle County39,739DeKalb County: 36,133 jobsDeKalb County36,133Adams County: 32,284 jobsAdams County32,284Kendall County: 30,350 jobsKendall County30,350Williamson County: 28,238 jobsWilliamson County28,238Vermilion County: 25,475 jobsVermilion County25,475Jackson County: 24,672 jobsJackson County24,672Coles County: 23,584 jobsColes County23,584Effingham County: 23,344 jobsEffingham County23,344Grundy County: 21,396 jobsGrundy County21,396Whiteside County: 21,015 jobsWhiteside County21,015Jefferson County: 19,209 jobsJefferson County19,209Stephenson County: 17,144 jobsStephenson County17,144Knox County: 16,611 jobsKnox County16,611Ogle County: 15,065 jobsOgle County15,065Livingston County: 13,770 jobsLivingston County13,770Morgan County: 13,714 jobsMorgan County13,714Henry County: 13,510 jobsHenry County13,510Lee County: 12,691 jobsLee County12,691Marion County: 12,623 jobsMarion County12,623Clinton County: 12,212 jobsClinton County12,212Boone County: 12,117 jobsBoone County12,117Randolph County: 11,549 jobsRandolph County11,549
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.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023
jobs		Change on 2022
1Cook County2,559,676+1.6%
2DuPage County621,258+2.9%
3Lake County327,625+0.4%
4Will County262,954+2.8%
5Kane County213,176+1.4%
6Sangamon County128,309+0.3%
7Winnebago County125,284+1.1%
8Madison County103,506+1.7%
9Peoria County103,504+1.3%
10McHenry County96,359+1.2%
11Champaign County95,666+2.1%
12St. Clair County90,028+1.1%
13McLean County87,157+3.7%
14Rock Island County71,816-0.7%
15Tazewell County46,480+1.3%
16Macon County45,500-0.8%
17Kankakee County42,090-0.1%
18LaSalle County39,739-1%
19DeKalb County36,133-0.7%
20Adams County32,284+1.1%
21Kendall County30,350+2.9%
22Williamson County28,238+3.3%
23Vermilion County25,475+0.6%
24Jackson County24,672+0.4%
25Coles County23,584+2.3%
26Effingham County23,344-0.4%
27Grundy County21,396+0.9%
28Whiteside County21,015+1%
29Jefferson County19,209+0.7%
30Stephenson County17,144+2%
31Knox County16,611+2.8%
32Ogle County15,065-1.1%
33Livingston County13,770+3.4%
34Morgan County13,714+1.2%
35Henry County13,510+2.7%
36Lee County12,691+1.3%
37Marion County12,623+0.4%
38Clinton County12,212+1.1%
39Boone County12,117-9.7%
40Randolph County11,549+0.3%
41Woodford County11,069+3.9%
42Bureau County10,495-3.8%
43McDonough County10,227+0.7%
44Macoupin County10,110+1%
45Christian County9,395+1.6%
46Franklin County8,879-0.1%
47Montgomery County8,859+3.3%
48Monroe County8,590+0.4%
49Fulton County8,332+0.2%
50Saline County8,095+5.8%
51Logan County7,970-2.5%
52Douglas County7,686+1.7%
53Jo Daviess County7,394+2%
54Crawford County7,289+4.5%
55Iroquois County7,170+2.4%
56Edgar County6,883-6.4%
57Washington County6,385-3.9%
58Warren County6,310+3.8%
59Richland County5,783-1.4%
60Ford County5,466+2%
61Cass County5,449+2.7%
62Jersey County5,246+1.1%
63Fayette County5,216-6.2%
64Union County5,202+2.2%
65Moultrie County5,037-2.4%
66De Witt County5,027-0.2%
67Shelby County4,862+1.7%
68Brown County4,663+0.8%
69Clay County4,597+1%
70Perry County4,487+0.3%
71Bond County4,468+3.1%
72Clark County4,441+0.1%
73Hancock County4,082-0.4%
74White County4,033+3.6%
75Wayne County4,005+0.6%
76Carroll County4,004-1.6%
77Pike County3,921-0.8%
78Lawrence County3,821-0.4%
79Piatt County3,640+3%
80Wabash County3,320-2.4%
81Mercer County3,036-4.3%
82Cumberland County2,933+3%
83Massac County2,841-0.5%
84Marshall County2,820+0.5%
85Mason County2,770-1.1%
86Johnson County2,339+1.2%
87Greene County2,291-0.9%
88Jasper County2,1110%
89Edwards County2,081+5.4%
90Hamilton County2,005+2.6%
91Putnam County1,893+9%
92Menard County1,735+3.4%
93Stark County1,551+5.2%
94Schuyler County1,515+1.1%
95Pulaski County1,179-2.3%
96Henderson County1,130+2.3%
97Gallatin County899-0.1%
98Scott County885+0.3%
99Alexander County871+5.2%
100Hardin County751+0.9%
101Calhoun County750+1.6%
102Pope County638+11.3%

Other periods

About this ranking

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.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

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/2023/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 (Counties in Illinois by covered employment (QCEW), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/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, Counties in Illinois by covered employment (QCEW), 2023. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/illinois-counties?period=2023. 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. Counties in Illinois by covered employment (QCEW), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/illinois-counties?period=2023.

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, Counties in Illinois by covered employment (QCEW), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/illinois-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_illinois_by_2023,
  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: Counties in Illinois by covered employment (QCEW), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/illinois-counties?period=2023. 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/2023/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: Counties in Illinois by covered employment (QCEW), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/illinois-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/illinois-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Cook County, with 2,559,676 jobs in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Pope County, with 638 jobs in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: 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 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Illinois: more rankings