Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois by job destruction rate

Pulaski County had the highest job destruction rate of 102 counties in 2021, at 27.767%. Edwards County had the lowest, at 3.561%. The median was 13.375% and the figure for Illinois was 15.284%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest27.767Pulaski County
Lowest3.561Edwards County
Median13.375102 counties
Illinois15.284History

Map of counties, 2021

Adams County: 11.778 %Alexander County: 18.03 %Bond County: 14.278 %Boone County: 12.896 %Brown County: 11.905 %Bureau County: 10.454 %Calhoun County: 11.638 %Carroll County: 15.944 %Cass County: 11.155 %Champaign County: 13.454 %Christian County: 12.377 %Clark County: 17.477 %Clay County: 13.256 %Clinton County: 15.828 %Coles County: 14.07 %Cook County: 17.018 %Crawford County: 21.248 %Cumberland County: 16.927 %DeKalb County: 13.529 %De Witt County: 12.463 %Douglas County: 10.114 %DuPage County: 15.471 %Edgar County: 8.905 %Edwards County: 3.561 %Effingham County: 8.408 %Fayette County: 18.922 %Ford County: 10.892 %Franklin County: 13.086 %Fulton County: 12.628 %Gallatin County: 16.527 %Greene County: 10.175 %Grundy County: 10.888 %Hamilton County: 17.287 %Hancock County: 12.784 %Hardin County: 5.157 %Henderson County: 13.964 %Henry County: 10.707 %Iroquois County: 14.817 %Jackson County: 14.615 %Jasper County: 22.892 %Jefferson County: 9.704 %Jersey County: 13.678 %Jo Daviess County: 15.571 %Johnson County: 17.344 %Kane County: 15.592 %Kankakee County: 16.249 %Kendall County: 14.008 %Knox County: 15.079 %Lake County: 13.745 %LaSalle County: 14.688 %Lawrence County: 11.894 %Lee County: 12.662 %Livingston County: 16.134 %Logan County: 13.074 %McDonough County: 12.646 %McHenry County: 15.138 %McLean County: 12.355 %Macon County: 16.476 %Macoupin County: 11.178 %Madison County: 12.904 %Marion County: 11.719 %Marshall County: 22.222 %Mason County: 10.216 %Massac County: 13.643 %Menard County: 13.133 %Mercer County: 10.661 %Monroe County: 14.767 %Montgomery County: 15.154 %Morgan County: 13.279 %Moultrie County: 9.924 %Ogle County: 14.16 %Peoria County: 12.15 %Perry County: 13.295 %Piatt County: 10.324 %Pike County: 10.74 %Pope County: 10.685 %Pulaski County: 27.767 %Putnam County: 9.47 %Randolph County: 10.638 %Richland County: 13.853 %Rock Island County: 13.725 %St. Clair County: 16.234 %Saline County: 16.88 %Sangamon County: 14.998 %Schuyler County: 10.146 %Scott County: 12.052 %Shelby County: 14.252 %Stark County: 15.262 %Stephenson County: 15.051 %Tazewell County: 14.183 %Union County: 15.936 %Vermilion County: 10.744 %Wabash County: 27.687 %Warren County: 18.356 %Washington County: 9.092 %Wayne County: 12.409 %White County: 9.728 %Whiteside County: 11.677 %Will County: 14.215 %Williamson County: 10.068 %Winnebago County: 16.861 %Woodford County: 11.234 %
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%, 2021. 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, 2021

Pulaski County: 27.767 %Pulaski County27.767Wabash County: 27.687 %Wabash County27.687Jasper County: 22.892 %Jasper County22.892Marshall County: 22.222 %Marshall County22.222Crawford County: 21.248 %Crawford County21.248Fayette County: 18.922 %Fayette County18.922Warren County: 18.356 %Warren County18.356Alexander County: 18.03 %Alexander County18.03Clark County: 17.477 %Clark County17.477Johnson County: 17.344 %Johnson County17.344Hamilton County: 17.287 %Hamilton County17.287Cook County: 17.018 %Cook County17.018Cumberland County: 16.927 %Cumberland County16.927Saline County: 16.88 %Saline County16.88Winnebago County: 16.861 %Winnebago County16.861Gallatin County: 16.527 %Gallatin County16.527Macon County: 16.476 %Macon County16.476Kankakee County: 16.249 %Kankakee County16.249St. Clair County: 16.234 %St. Clair County16.234Livingston County: 16.134 %Livingston County16.134Carroll County: 15.944 %Carroll County15.944Union County: 15.936 %Union County15.936Clinton County: 15.828 %Clinton County15.828Kane County: 15.592 %Kane County15.592Jo Daviess County: 15.571 %Jo Daviess County15.571DuPage County: 15.471 %DuPage County15.471Stark County: 15.262 %Stark County15.262Montgomery County: 15.154 %Montgomery County15.154McHenry County: 15.138 %McHenry County15.138Knox County: 15.079 %Knox County15.079Stephenson County: 15.051 %Stephenson County15.051Sangamon County: 14.998 %Sangamon County14.998Iroquois County: 14.817 %Iroquois County14.817Monroe County: 14.767 %Monroe County14.767LaSalle County: 14.688 %LaSalle County14.688Jackson County: 14.615 %Jackson County14.615Bond County: 14.278 %Bond County14.278Shelby County: 14.252 %Shelby County14.252Will County: 14.215 %Will County14.215Tazewell County: 14.183 %Tazewell County14.183Pulaski County: 27.767 %Pulaski County27.767Wabash County: 27.687 %Wabash County27.687Jasper County: 22.892 %Jasper County22.892Marshall County: 22.222 %Marshall County22.222Crawford County: 21.248 %Crawford County21.248Fayette County: 18.922 %Fayette County18.922Warren County: 18.356 %Warren County18.356Alexander County: 18.03 %Alexander County18.03Clark County: 17.477 %Clark County17.477Johnson County: 17.344 %Johnson County17.344Hamilton County: 17.287 %Hamilton County17.287Cook County: 17.018 %Cook County17.018Cumberland County: 16.927 %Cumberland County16.927Saline County: 16.88 %Saline County16.88Winnebago County: 16.861 %Winnebago County16.861Gallatin County: 16.527 %Gallatin County16.527Macon County: 16.476 %Macon County16.476Kankakee County: 16.249 %Kankakee County16.249St. Clair County: 16.234 %St. Clair County16.234Livingston County: 16.134 %Livingston County16.134Carroll County: 15.944 %Carroll County15.944Union County: 15.936 %Union County15.936Clinton County: 15.828 %Clinton County15.828Kane County: 15.592 %Kane County15.592Jo Daviess County: 15.571 %Jo Daviess County15.571DuPage County: 15.471 %DuPage County15.471Stark County: 15.262 %Stark County15.262Montgomery County: 15.154 %Montgomery County15.154McHenry County: 15.138 %McHenry County15.138Knox County: 15.079 %Knox County15.079Stephenson County: 15.051 %Stephenson County15.051Sangamon County: 14.998 %Sangamon County14.998Iroquois County: 14.817 %Iroquois County14.817Monroe County: 14.767 %Monroe County14.767LaSalle County: 14.688 %LaSalle County14.688Jackson County: 14.615 %Jackson County14.615Bond County: 14.278 %Bond County14.278Shelby County: 14.252 %Shelby County14.252Will County: 14.215 %Will County14.215Tazewell County: 14.183 %Tazewell County14.183
%. 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

RankCounties2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Pulaski County27.767+16.99 pts
2Wabash County27.687+18.23 pts
3Jasper County22.892+5.06 pts
4Marshall County22.222+13.42 pts
5Crawford County21.248+11.83 pts
6Fayette County18.922+10 pts
7Warren County18.356+9.83 pts
8Alexander County18.03+4.99 pts
9Clark County17.477+2.97 pts
10Johnson County17.344+3.82 pts
11Hamilton County17.287+8.47 pts
12Cook County17.018+5.99 pts
13Cumberland County16.927+7.26 pts
14Saline County16.88+4.04 pts
15Winnebago County16.861+7.24 pts
16Gallatin County16.527+3.17 pts
17Macon County16.476+4.02 pts
18Kankakee County16.249+6.97 pts
19St. Clair County16.234+4.55 pts
20Livingston County16.134+7.95 pts
21Carroll County15.944+0.41 pts
22Union County15.936+0.96 pts
23Clinton County15.828+6.42 pts
24Kane County15.592+3.43 pts
25Jo Daviess County15.571-0.71 pts
26DuPage County15.471+3.94 pts
27Stark County15.262+5.74 pts
28Montgomery County15.154+2.81 pts
29McHenry County15.138+3.96 pts
30Knox County15.079+0.91 pts
31Stephenson County15.051+9.1 pts
32Sangamon County14.998+3.83 pts
33Iroquois County14.817+2.6 pts
34Monroe County14.767+1.88 pts
35LaSalle County14.688+3.44 pts
36Jackson County14.615+4.39 pts
37Bond County14.278-0.81 pts
38Shelby County14.252+3.99 pts
39Will County14.215+2.04 pts
40Tazewell County14.183+1.59 pts
41Ogle County14.16+2.37 pts
42Coles County14.07+5.06 pts
43Kendall County14.008+3.56 pts
44Henderson County13.964+4.36 pts
45Richland County13.853+5.15 pts
46Lake County13.745+1.09 pts
47Rock Island County13.725+3.47 pts
48Jersey County13.678+5.45 pts
49Massac County13.643+6.69 pts
50DeKalb County13.529+3.64 pts
51Champaign County13.454+3.46 pts
52Perry County13.295+3.9 pts
53Morgan County13.279+1.39 pts
54Clay County13.256+4.28 pts
55Menard County13.133-3.31 pts
56Franklin County13.086+1.58 pts
57Logan County13.074+1.5 pts
58Madison County12.904+2.68 pts
59Boone County12.896+4.71 pts
60Hancock County12.784+1.96 pts
61Lee County12.662+1.2 pts
62McDonough County12.646+3 pts
63Fulton County12.628+3.19 pts
64De Witt County12.463+1.21 pts
65Wayne County12.409+4.7 pts
66Christian County12.377-2.55 pts
67McLean County12.355+2.55 pts
68Peoria County12.15-0.25 pts
69Scott County12.052-4.48 pts
70Brown County11.905+8.08 pts
71Lawrence County11.894-0.96 pts
72Adams County11.778+1.97 pts
73Marion County11.719+1.15 pts
74Whiteside County11.677+2.99 pts
75Calhoun County11.638+0.71 pts
76Woodford County11.234+1.38 pts
77Macoupin County11.178-2.65 pts
78Cass County11.155+4.39 pts
79Ford County10.892+1.27 pts
80Grundy County10.888+2.14 pts
81Vermilion County10.744+2.65 pts
82Pike County10.74+1.41 pts
83Henry County10.707+2.7 pts
84Pope County10.685-0.41 pts
85Mercer County10.661-5.61 pts
86Randolph County10.638+1.7 pts
87Bureau County10.454+1.07 pts
88Piatt County10.324+0.72 pts
89Mason County10.216+0.98 pts
90Greene County10.175-5.74 pts
91Schuyler County10.146-4.01 pts
92Douglas County10.114+0.62 pts
93Williamson County10.068-1.94 pts
94Moultrie County9.924+1.4 pts
95White County9.728-5.43 pts
96Jefferson County9.704+2.2 pts
97Putnam County9.47-5.82 pts
98Washington County9.092+0.79 pts
99Edgar County8.905+0.53 pts
100Effingham County8.408+1.67 pts
101Hardin County5.157-3.78 pts
102Edwards County3.561-9.78 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, 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Illinois by job destruction 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-destruction-rate/illinois-counties?period=2021. 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, 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-destruction-rate/illinois-counties?period=2021.

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, 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-destruction-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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Illinois by job destruction 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-destruction-rate/illinois-counties?period=2021. 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, 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-destruction-rate/illinois-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/illinois-counties?period=2021.
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 27.767% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Edwards County, with 3.561% 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 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