Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois by job destruction rate, 2023

Pulaski County had the highest job destruction rate of 102 counties in 2023, at 19.522%. Brown County had the lowest, at 3.425%. The median was 9.413% and the figure for Illinois was 10.704%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest19.522Pulaski County
Lowest3.425Brown County
Median9.413102 counties
Illinois10.704History

Map of counties, 2023

Adams County: 8.94 %Alexander County: 11.561 %Bond County: 11.465 %Boone County: 6.581 %Brown County: 3.425 %Bureau County: 8.797 %Calhoun County: 10.805 %Carroll County: 12.204 %Cass County: 5.156 %Champaign County: 10 %Christian County: 8.859 %Clark County: 9.958 %Clay County: 9.34 %Clinton County: 10.979 %Coles County: 9.026 %Cook County: 10.971 %Crawford County: 4.607 %Cumberland County: 14.274 %DeKalb County: 10.93 %De Witt County: 6.878 %Douglas County: 8.659 %DuPage County: 10.785 %Edgar County: 5.28 %Edwards County: 4.81 %Effingham County: 5.548 %Fayette County: 8.008 %Ford County: 11.621 %Franklin County: 13.469 %Fulton County: 9.955 %Gallatin County: 13.231 %Greene County: 12.903 %Grundy County: 12.136 %Hamilton County: 9.217 %Hancock County: 11.765 %Hardin County: 7.544 %Henderson County: 8.96 %Henry County: 6.591 %Iroquois County: 11.698 %Jackson County: 10.771 %Jasper County: 8.887 %Jefferson County: 5.635 %Jersey County: 11.448 %Jo Daviess County: 10.352 %Johnson County: 18.563 %Kane County: 10.681 %Kankakee County: 8.398 %Kendall County: 9.737 %Knox County: 10.283 %Lake County: 8.393 %LaSalle County: 9.517 %Lawrence County: 8.55 %Lee County: 5.504 %Livingston County: 10.866 %Logan County: 9.176 %McDonough County: 9.367 %McHenry County: 11.026 %McLean County: 8.555 %Macon County: 12.228 %Macoupin County: 9.01 %Madison County: 11.705 %Marion County: 10.367 %Marshall County: 12.226 %Mason County: 11.602 %Massac County: 6.601 %Menard County: 10.508 %Mercer County: 13.033 %Monroe County: 12.852 %Montgomery County: 9.457 %Morgan County: 9.013 %Moultrie County: 11.994 %Ogle County: 7.038 %Peoria County: 7.62 %Perry County: 6.981 %Piatt County: 7.423 %Pike County: 6.702 %Pope County: 12.115 %Pulaski County: 19.522 %Putnam County: 6.431 %Randolph County: 6.058 %Richland County: 8.472 %Rock Island County: 8.622 %St. Clair County: 10.826 %Saline County: 13.696 %Sangamon County: 12.349 %Schuyler County: 9.218 %Scott County: 5.766 %Shelby County: 9.222 %Stark County: 12.367 %Stephenson County: 8.847 %Tazewell County: 9.366 %Union County: 11.396 %Vermilion County: 10.602 %Wabash County: 9.62 %Warren County: 6.024 %Washington County: 13.707 %Wayne County: 8.211 %White County: 8.741 %Whiteside County: 9.931 %Will County: 9.872 %Williamson County: 9.351 %Winnebago County: 7.494 %Woodford County: 9.37 %
  • Under 7
  • 7 to 8.8
  • 8.8 to 9.4
  • 9.4 to 11
  • 11 to 12
  • 12 and over
%, 2023. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2023

Pulaski County: 19.522 %Pulaski County19.522Johnson County: 18.563 %Johnson County18.563Cumberland County: 14.274 %Cumberland County14.274Washington County: 13.707 %Washington County13.707Saline County: 13.696 %Saline County13.696Franklin County: 13.469 %Franklin County13.469Gallatin County: 13.231 %Gallatin County13.231Mercer County: 13.033 %Mercer County13.033Greene County: 12.903 %Greene County12.903Monroe County: 12.852 %Monroe County12.852Stark County: 12.367 %Stark County12.367Sangamon County: 12.349 %Sangamon County12.349Macon County: 12.228 %Macon County12.228Marshall County: 12.226 %Marshall County12.226Carroll County: 12.204 %Carroll County12.204Grundy County: 12.136 %Grundy County12.136Pope County: 12.115 %Pope County12.115Moultrie County: 11.994 %Moultrie County11.994Hancock County: 11.765 %Hancock County11.765Madison County: 11.705 %Madison County11.705Iroquois County: 11.698 %Iroquois County11.698Ford County: 11.621 %Ford County11.621Mason County: 11.602 %Mason County11.602Alexander County: 11.561 %Alexander County11.561Bond County: 11.465 %Bond County11.465Jersey County: 11.448 %Jersey County11.448Union County: 11.396 %Union County11.396McHenry County: 11.026 %McHenry County11.026Clinton County: 10.979 %Clinton County10.979Cook County: 10.971 %Cook County10.971DeKalb County: 10.93 %DeKalb County10.93Livingston County: 10.866 %Livingston County10.866St. Clair County: 10.826 %St. Clair County10.826Calhoun County: 10.805 %Calhoun County10.805DuPage County: 10.785 %DuPage County10.785Jackson County: 10.771 %Jackson County10.771Kane County: 10.681 %Kane County10.681Vermilion County: 10.602 %Vermilion County10.602Menard County: 10.508 %Menard County10.508Marion County: 10.367 %Marion County10.367Pulaski County: 19.522 %Pulaski County19.522Johnson County: 18.563 %Johnson County18.563Cumberland County: 14.274 %Cumberland County14.274Washington County: 13.707 %Washington County13.707Saline County: 13.696 %Saline County13.696Franklin County: 13.469 %Franklin County13.469Gallatin County: 13.231 %Gallatin County13.231Mercer County: 13.033 %Mercer County13.033Greene County: 12.903 %Greene County12.903Monroe County: 12.852 %Monroe County12.852Stark County: 12.367 %Stark County12.367Sangamon County: 12.349 %Sangamon County12.349Macon County: 12.228 %Macon County12.228Marshall County: 12.226 %Marshall County12.226Carroll County: 12.204 %Carroll County12.204Grundy County: 12.136 %Grundy County12.136Pope County: 12.115 %Pope County12.115Moultrie County: 11.994 %Moultrie County11.994Hancock County: 11.765 %Hancock County11.765Madison County: 11.705 %Madison County11.705Iroquois County: 11.698 %Iroquois County11.698Ford County: 11.621 %Ford County11.621Mason County: 11.602 %Mason County11.602Alexander County: 11.561 %Alexander County11.561Bond County: 11.465 %Bond County11.465Jersey County: 11.448 %Jersey County11.448Union County: 11.396 %Union County11.396McHenry County: 11.026 %McHenry County11.026Clinton County: 10.979 %Clinton County10.979Cook County: 10.971 %Cook County10.971DeKalb County: 10.93 %DeKalb County10.93Livingston County: 10.866 %Livingston County10.866St. Clair County: 10.826 %St. Clair County10.826Calhoun County: 10.805 %Calhoun County10.805DuPage County: 10.785 %DuPage County10.785Jackson County: 10.771 %Jackson County10.771Kane County: 10.681 %Kane County10.681Vermilion County: 10.602 %Vermilion County10.602Menard County: 10.508 %Menard County10.508Marion County: 10.367 %Marion County10.367
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Pulaski County19.522+3.5 pts
2Johnson County18.563+4.72 pts
3Cumberland County14.274+5.88 pts
4Washington County13.707-11.14 pts
5Saline County13.696-2.33 pts
6Franklin County13.469+2.48 pts
7Gallatin County13.231-0.21 pts
8Mercer County13.033+3.99 pts
9Greene County12.903-5.9 pts
10Monroe County12.852+3.76 pts
11Stark County12.367+3.17 pts
12Sangamon County12.349+0.97 pts
13Macon County12.228+2.62 pts
14Marshall County12.226+0.02 pts
15Carroll County12.204+4.62 pts
16Grundy County12.136-3.13 pts
17Pope County12.115-1.94 pts
18Moultrie County11.994+4.51 pts
19Hancock County11.765-2.04 pts
20Madison County11.705-3.01 pts
21Iroquois County11.698+0.05 pts
22Ford County11.621+4.24 pts
23Mason County11.602+2.87 pts
24Alexander County11.561+0.93 pts
25Bond County11.465+1.85 pts
26Jersey County11.448+1.58 pts
27Union County11.396+0.78 pts
28McHenry County11.026-0.58 pts
29Clinton County10.979-0.07 pts
30Cook County10.971+0.4 pts
31DeKalb County10.93+0.18 pts
32Livingston County10.866-2.82 pts
33St. Clair County10.826-1.63 pts
34Calhoun County10.805-0.52 pts
35DuPage County10.785-0.55 pts
36Jackson County10.771-1.48 pts
37Kane County10.681-0.34 pts
38Vermilion County10.602-1.17 pts
39Menard County10.508-3.24 pts
40Marion County10.367-0.69 pts
41Jo Daviess County10.352+2.16 pts
42Knox County10.283-0.76 pts
43Champaign County10-0.31 pts
44Clark County9.958-1.04 pts
45Fulton County9.955+0.52 pts
46Whiteside County9.931+1.94 pts
47Will County9.872-2.52 pts
48Kendall County9.737-1.32 pts
49Wabash County9.62+1.13 pts
50LaSalle County9.517-6.16 pts
51Montgomery County9.457-2.95 pts
52Woodford County9.37-1.21 pts
53McDonough County9.367-3.94 pts
54Tazewell County9.366-2.37 pts
55Williamson County9.351-6.47 pts
56Clay County9.34-5.27 pts
57Shelby County9.222-3.91 pts
58Schuyler County9.218-1.89 pts
59Hamilton County9.217+1.14 pts
60Logan County9.176-1.89 pts
61Coles County9.026-1.89 pts
62Morgan County9.013-4.08 pts
63Macoupin County9.01-6.19 pts
64Henderson County8.96-3.3 pts
65Adams County8.94-3.62 pts
66Jasper County8.887-4.87 pts
67Christian County8.859-1.12 pts
68Stephenson County8.847-1.98 pts
69Bureau County8.797-0.7 pts
70White County8.741-3.83 pts
71Douglas County8.659-5.31 pts
72Rock Island County8.622-1.33 pts
73McLean County8.555-3.25 pts
74Lawrence County8.55-11.1 pts
75Richland County8.472-2.65 pts
76Kankakee County8.398-0.58 pts
77Lake County8.393-2.93 pts
78Wayne County8.211-2.85 pts
79Fayette County8.008-6.25 pts
80Peoria County7.62-0.82 pts
81Hardin County7.544-5.64 pts
82Winnebago County7.494-0.7 pts
83Piatt County7.423-4.51 pts
84Ogle County7.038-0.42 pts
85Perry County6.981-2.58 pts
86De Witt County6.878-8.64 pts
87Pike County6.702-4.93 pts
88Massac County6.601-7.7 pts
89Henry County6.591-2.91 pts
90Boone County6.581-5.87 pts
91Putnam County6.431-8.66 pts
92Randolph County6.058-4.84 pts
93Warren County6.024-9.97 pts
94Scott County5.766-3.06 pts
95Jefferson County5.635-2.89 pts
96Effingham County5.548-0.03 pts
97Lee County5.504-4.62 pts
98Edgar County5.28-3.79 pts
99Cass County5.156-1.54 pts
100Edwards County4.81-14.56 pts
101Crawford County4.607-8.49 pts
102Brown County3.425+0.84 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs lost at closing and shrinking 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 added elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is job_creation_rate minus this rate. Not a layoff rate: it counts positions lost at establishments, not people who lost a job. 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 destruction 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in Illinois by job destruction rate, 2023) [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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Illinois by job destruction rate, 2023. 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-destruction-rate/illinois-counties. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in Illinois by job destruction rate, 2023. 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-destruction-rate/illinois-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Illinois by job destruction rate, 2023 [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-destruction-rate/illinois-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_illinois_by_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Illinois by job destruction rate, 2023}},
  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-destruction-rate/illinois-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Illinois by job destruction rate, 2023
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-destruction-rate/illinois-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/illinois-counties.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction 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 destruction rate?

Pulaski County, with 19.522% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Brown County, with 3.425% in 2023.

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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job destruction rate: other rankings

Counties in Illinois: more rankings