Data / Rankings / Job creation rate / Counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois by job creation rate

Pope County had the highest job creation rate of 102 counties in 2021, at 30.197%. Brown County had the lowest, at 3.341%. The median was 9.538% and the figure for Illinois was 10.572%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest30.197Pope County
Lowest3.341Brown County
Median9.538102 counties
Illinois10.572History

Map of counties, 2021

Adams County: 8.836 %Alexander County: 9.075 %Bond County: 13 %Boone County: 6.609 %Brown County: 3.341 %Bureau County: 7.404 %Calhoun County: 8.836 %Carroll County: 5.971 %Cass County: 3.936 %Champaign County: 9.665 %Christian County: 8.688 %Clark County: 11.417 %Clay County: 7.089 %Clinton County: 11.397 %Coles County: 13.137 %Cook County: 10.615 %Crawford County: 9.051 %Cumberland County: 11.214 %DeKalb County: 10.139 %De Witt County: 8.293 %Douglas County: 11.689 %DuPage County: 10.839 %Edgar County: 7.509 %Edwards County: 8.222 %Effingham County: 9.835 %Fayette County: 16.187 %Ford County: 7.732 %Franklin County: 11.283 %Fulton County: 14.254 %Gallatin County: 8.914 %Greene County: 7.74 %Grundy County: 9.942 %Hamilton County: 9.293 %Hancock County: 8.93 %Hardin County: 12.891 %Henderson County: 11.327 %Henry County: 8.548 %Iroquois County: 12.803 %Jackson County: 9.178 %Jasper County: 12.733 %Jefferson County: 11.338 %Jersey County: 12.853 %Jo Daviess County: 12.637 %Johnson County: 10.078 %Kane County: 11.341 %Kankakee County: 7.782 %Kendall County: 14.163 %Knox County: 7.775 %Lake County: 9.567 %LaSalle County: 8.545 %Lawrence County: 6.319 %Lee County: 6.975 %Livingston County: 9.51 %Logan County: 6.936 %McDonough County: 11.651 %McHenry County: 10.825 %McLean County: 8.147 %Macon County: 5.654 %Macoupin County: 9.709 %Madison County: 12.144 %Marion County: 9.706 %Marshall County: 11.661 %Mason County: 9.352 %Massac County: 4.413 %Menard County: 15.686 %Mercer County: 8.394 %Monroe County: 12.501 %Montgomery County: 8.624 %Morgan County: 8.487 %Moultrie County: 10.491 %Ogle County: 10.481 %Peoria County: 7.462 %Perry County: 6.171 %Piatt County: 13.864 %Pike County: 11.723 %Pope County: 30.197 %Pulaski County: 15.385 %Putnam County: 20.626 %Randolph County: 5.562 %Richland County: 7.041 %Rock Island County: 8.469 %St. Clair County: 9.738 %Saline County: 10.377 %Sangamon County: 10.071 %Schuyler County: 10.329 %Scott County: 6.987 %Shelby County: 7.274 %Stark County: 12.189 %Stephenson County: 7.949 %Tazewell County: 8.142 %Union County: 13.822 %Vermilion County: 7.605 %Wabash County: 7.816 %Warren County: 5.769 %Washington County: 10.179 %Wayne County: 9.713 %White County: 8.189 %Whiteside County: 9.173 %Will County: 13.172 %Williamson County: 11.522 %Winnebago County: 6.631 %Woodford County: 9.329 %
  • Under 7.4
  • 7.4 to 8.5
  • 8.5 to 9.5
  • 9.5 to 11
  • 11 to 13
  • 13 and over
%, 2021. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2021

Pope County: 30.197 %Pope County30.197Putnam County: 20.626 %Putnam County20.626Fayette County: 16.187 %Fayette County16.187Menard County: 15.686 %Menard County15.686Pulaski County: 15.385 %Pulaski County15.385Fulton County: 14.254 %Fulton County14.254Kendall County: 14.163 %Kendall County14.163Piatt County: 13.864 %Piatt County13.864Union County: 13.822 %Union County13.822Will County: 13.172 %Will County13.172Coles County: 13.137 %Coles County13.137Bond County: 13 %Bond County13Hardin County: 12.891 %Hardin County12.891Jersey County: 12.853 %Jersey County12.853Iroquois County: 12.803 %Iroquois County12.803Jasper County: 12.733 %Jasper County12.733Jo Daviess County: 12.637 %Jo Daviess County12.637Monroe County: 12.501 %Monroe County12.501Stark County: 12.189 %Stark County12.189Madison County: 12.144 %Madison County12.144Pike County: 11.723 %Pike County11.723Douglas County: 11.689 %Douglas County11.689Marshall County: 11.661 %Marshall County11.661McDonough County: 11.651 %McDonough County11.651Williamson County: 11.522 %Williamson County11.522Clark County: 11.417 %Clark County11.417Clinton County: 11.397 %Clinton County11.397Kane County: 11.341 %Kane County11.341Jefferson County: 11.338 %Jefferson County11.338Henderson County: 11.327 %Henderson County11.327Franklin County: 11.283 %Franklin County11.283Cumberland County: 11.214 %Cumberland County11.214DuPage County: 10.839 %DuPage County10.839McHenry County: 10.825 %McHenry County10.825Cook County: 10.615 %Cook County10.615Moultrie County: 10.491 %Moultrie County10.491Ogle County: 10.481 %Ogle County10.481Saline County: 10.377 %Saline County10.377Schuyler County: 10.329 %Schuyler County10.329Washington County: 10.179 %Washington County10.179Pope County: 30.197 %Pope County30.197Putnam County: 20.626 %Putnam County20.626Fayette County: 16.187 %Fayette County16.187Menard County: 15.686 %Menard County15.686Pulaski County: 15.385 %Pulaski County15.385Fulton County: 14.254 %Fulton County14.254Kendall County: 14.163 %Kendall County14.163Piatt County: 13.864 %Piatt County13.864Union County: 13.822 %Union County13.822Will County: 13.172 %Will County13.172Coles County: 13.137 %Coles County13.137Bond County: 13 %Bond County13Hardin County: 12.891 %Hardin County12.891Jersey County: 12.853 %Jersey County12.853Iroquois County: 12.803 %Iroquois County12.803Jasper County: 12.733 %Jasper County12.733Jo Daviess County: 12.637 %Jo Daviess County12.637Monroe County: 12.501 %Monroe County12.501Stark County: 12.189 %Stark County12.189Madison County: 12.144 %Madison County12.144Pike County: 11.723 %Pike County11.723Douglas County: 11.689 %Douglas County11.689Marshall County: 11.661 %Marshall County11.661McDonough County: 11.651 %McDonough County11.651Williamson County: 11.522 %Williamson County11.522Clark County: 11.417 %Clark County11.417Clinton County: 11.397 %Clinton County11.397Kane County: 11.341 %Kane County11.341Jefferson County: 11.338 %Jefferson County11.338Henderson County: 11.327 %Henderson County11.327Franklin County: 11.283 %Franklin County11.283Cumberland County: 11.214 %Cumberland County11.214DuPage County: 10.839 %DuPage County10.839McHenry County: 10.825 %McHenry County10.825Cook County: 10.615 %Cook County10.615Moultrie County: 10.491 %Moultrie County10.491Ogle County: 10.481 %Ogle County10.481Saline County: 10.377 %Saline County10.377Schuyler County: 10.329 %Schuyler County10.329Washington County: 10.179 %Washington County10.179
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Pope County30.197+13.02 pts
2Putnam County20.626+7.45 pts
3Fayette County16.187+6.48 pts
4Menard County15.686+3.04 pts
5Pulaski County15.385+8.61 pts
6Fulton County14.254+5.36 pts
7Kendall County14.163+0.77 pts
8Piatt County13.864+7.34 pts
9Union County13.822+3.41 pts
10Will County13.172-1.71 pts
11Coles County13.137+1.01 pts
12Bond County13+7.8 pts
13Hardin County12.891+9.54 pts
14Jersey County12.853+3.46 pts
15Iroquois County12.803+1.04 pts
16Jasper County12.733+1.93 pts
17Jo Daviess County12.637+0.46 pts
18Monroe County12.501+0.48 pts
19Stark County12.189-6.3 pts
20Madison County12.144-0.28 pts
21Pike County11.723+3.17 pts
22Douglas County11.689+3.01 pts
23Marshall County11.661+3.53 pts
24McDonough County11.651+5.02 pts
25Williamson County11.522+3.72 pts
26Clark County11.417+4.19 pts
27Clinton County11.397+1.42 pts
28Kane County11.341+1.51 pts
29Jefferson County11.338+6.89 pts
30Henderson County11.327-0.91 pts
31Franklin County11.283+2.15 pts
32Cumberland County11.214+3.58 pts
33DuPage County10.839-0.82 pts
34McHenry County10.825+0.54 pts
35Cook County10.615-0.65 pts
36Moultrie County10.491+4.85 pts
37Ogle County10.481+1.7 pts
38Saline County10.377+1.13 pts
39Schuyler County10.329+2.37 pts
40Washington County10.179+4.18 pts
41DeKalb County10.139+1.1 pts
42Johnson County10.078-2.03 pts
43Sangamon County10.071+0.89 pts
44Grundy County9.942-1.18 pts
45Effingham County9.835-2.57 pts
46St. Clair County9.738-0.16 pts
47Wayne County9.713-0.73 pts
48Macoupin County9.709+0.59 pts
49Marion County9.706+3.72 pts
50Champaign County9.665-0.99 pts
51Lake County9.567-3.44 pts
52Livingston County9.51-1.78 pts
53Mason County9.352+3.06 pts
54Woodford County9.329-2.18 pts
55Hamilton County9.293+3.26 pts
56Jackson County9.178+0.75 pts
57Whiteside County9.173+1.74 pts
58Alexander County9.075-4.54 pts
59Crawford County9.051-0.72 pts
60Hancock County8.93-0.96 pts
61Gallatin County8.914+0.13 pts
62Adams County8.836+2.25 pts
62Calhoun County8.836+2.65 pts
64Christian County8.688+2.05 pts
65Montgomery County8.624-2.27 pts
66Henry County8.548-0.16 pts
67LaSalle County8.545-0.24 pts
68Morgan County8.487+0.46 pts
69Rock Island County8.469-1.56 pts
70Mercer County8.394+2.8 pts
71De Witt County8.293+0.04 pts
72Edwards County8.222+4.16 pts
73White County8.189-2.05 pts
74McLean County8.147-1.43 pts
75Tazewell County8.142-0.22 pts
76Stephenson County7.949-3.06 pts
77Wabash County7.816-5.14 pts
78Kankakee County7.782-4.48 pts
79Knox County7.775-3.68 pts
80Greene County7.74-13.19 pts
81Ford County7.732+0.11 pts
82Vermilion County7.605-1.77 pts
83Edgar County7.509-2.92 pts
84Peoria County7.462+0.26 pts
85Bureau County7.404+0.01 pts
86Shelby County7.274-2.88 pts
87Clay County7.089+2.73 pts
88Richland County7.041-5.61 pts
89Scott County6.987+1.53 pts
90Lee County6.975-1.33 pts
91Logan County6.936+0.11 pts
92Winnebago County6.631-3.03 pts
93Boone County6.609+1.05 pts
94Lawrence County6.319-4.86 pts
95Perry County6.171-3.51 pts
96Carroll County5.971-6.01 pts
97Warren County5.769-0.53 pts
98Macon County5.654-5.49 pts
99Randolph County5.562-2.44 pts
100Massac County4.413-5.18 pts
101Cass County3.936-8.72 pts
102Brown County3.341-9.66 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs added at opening and expanding establishments during the year, as a percentage of average employment in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

A gross flow: jobs lost elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is this rate minus job_destruction_rate. Not the same as payroll job growth from the monthly employment surveys. The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

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. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.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. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in Illinois by job creation rate, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Illinois by job creation rate, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/illinois-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in Illinois by job creation rate, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/illinois-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Illinois by job creation rate, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/illinois-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_illinois_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Illinois by job creation rate, 2021}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/illinois-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Illinois by job creation rate, 2021
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/illinois-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/illinois-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest job creation rate?

Pope County, with 30.197% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job creation rate?

Brown County, with 3.341% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job creation rate: other rankings

Counties in Illinois: more rankings