Data / Rankings / Unemployed people / Cities in Illinois

Cities in Illinois by unemployed people, 2025

Chicago, IL had the highest unemployed people of 104 cities in 2025, at 73,793. East St. Louis, IL had the lowest, at 479. The median was 866. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest73,793Chicago, IL
Lowest479East St. Louis, IL
Median866104 cities

Top 40 cities, 2025

Chicago, IL: 73,793 personsChicago, IL73,793Aurora, IL: 4,495 personsAurora, IL4,495Joliet, IL: 4,422 personsJoliet, IL4,422Rockford, IL: 3,933 personsRockford, IL3,933Elgin, IL: 3,360 personsElgin, IL3,360Naperville, IL: 3,145 personsNaperville, IL3,145Peoria, IL: 2,835 personsPeoria, IL2,835Waukegan, IL: 2,655 personsWaukegan, IL2,655Springfield, IL: 2,533 personsSpringfield, IL2,533Cicero, IL: 2,040 personsCicero, IL2,040Champaign, IL: 1,939 personsChampaign, IL1,939Decatur, IL: 1,906 personsDecatur, IL1,906Bolingbrook, IL: 1,873 personsBolingbrook, IL1,873Schaumburg, IL: 1,727 personsSchaumburg, IL1,727Bloomington, IL: 1,724 personsBloomington, IL1,724Evanston, IL: 1,718 personsEvanston, IL1,718Arlington Heights, IL: 1,556 personsArlington Heights, IL1,556Palatine, IL: 1,535 personsPalatine, IL1,535Berwyn, IL: 1,529 personsBerwyn, IL1,529Oak Lawn, IL: 1,405 personsOak Lawn, IL1,405Skokie, IL: 1,389 personsSkokie, IL1,389Des Plaines, IL: 1,378 personsDes Plaines, IL1,378Oak Park, IL: 1,265 personsOak Park, IL1,265Tinley Park, IL: 1,244 personsTinley Park, IL1,244Orland Park, IL: 1,222 personsOrland Park, IL1,222Carpentersville, IL: 1,182 personsCarpentersville, IL1,182Normal, IL: 1,145 personsNormal, IL1,145Hoffman Estates, IL: 1,139 personsHoffman Estates, IL1,139Calumet City, IL: 1,137 personsCalumet City, IL1,137Mount Prospect, IL: 1,116 personsMount Prospect, IL1,116Romeoville, IL: 1,094 personsRomeoville, IL1,094Streamwood, IL: 1,072 personsStreamwood, IL1,072Wheaton, IL: 1,072 personsWheaton, IL1,072Downers Grove, IL: 1,058 personsDowners Grove, IL1,058Moline, IL: 1,051 personsMoline, IL1,051Lombard, IL: 1,011 personsLombard, IL1,011Hanover Park, IL: 1,005 personsHanover Park, IL1,005DeKalb, IL: 1,000 personsDeKalb, IL1,000Plainfield, IL: 999 personsPlainfield, IL999Round Lake Beach, IL: 969 personsRound Lake Beach, IL969Chicago, IL: 73,793 personsChicago, IL73,793Aurora, IL: 4,495 personsAurora, IL4,495Joliet, IL: 4,422 personsJoliet, IL4,422Rockford, IL: 3,933 personsRockford, IL3,933Elgin, IL: 3,360 personsElgin, IL3,360Naperville, IL: 3,145 personsNaperville, IL3,145Peoria, IL: 2,835 personsPeoria, IL2,835Waukegan, IL: 2,655 personsWaukegan, IL2,655Springfield, IL: 2,533 personsSpringfield, IL2,533Cicero, IL: 2,040 personsCicero, IL2,040Champaign, IL: 1,939 personsChampaign, IL1,939Decatur, IL: 1,906 personsDecatur, IL1,906Bolingbrook, IL: 1,873 personsBolingbrook, IL1,873Schaumburg, IL: 1,727 personsSchaumburg, IL1,727Bloomington, IL: 1,724 personsBloomington, IL1,724Evanston, IL: 1,718 personsEvanston, IL1,718Arlington Heights, IL: 1,556 personsArlington Heights, IL1,556Palatine, IL: 1,535 personsPalatine, IL1,535Berwyn, IL: 1,529 personsBerwyn, IL1,529Oak Lawn, IL: 1,405 personsOak Lawn, IL1,405Skokie, IL: 1,389 personsSkokie, IL1,389Des Plaines, IL: 1,378 personsDes Plaines, IL1,378Oak Park, IL: 1,265 personsOak Park, IL1,265Tinley Park, IL: 1,244 personsTinley Park, IL1,244Orland Park, IL: 1,222 personsOrland Park, IL1,222Carpentersville, IL: 1,182 personsCarpentersville, IL1,182Normal, IL: 1,145 personsNormal, IL1,145Hoffman Estates, IL: 1,139 personsHoffman Estates, IL1,139Calumet City, IL: 1,137 personsCalumet City, IL1,137Mount Prospect, IL: 1,116 personsMount Prospect, IL1,116Romeoville, IL: 1,094 personsRomeoville, IL1,094Streamwood, IL: 1,072 personsStreamwood, IL1,072Wheaton, IL: 1,072 personsWheaton, IL1,072Downers Grove, IL: 1,058 personsDowners Grove, IL1,058Moline, IL: 1,051 personsMoline, IL1,051Lombard, IL: 1,011 personsLombard, IL1,011Hanover Park, IL: 1,005 personsHanover Park, IL1,005DeKalb, IL: 1,000 personsDeKalb, IL1,000Plainfield, IL: 999 personsPlainfield, IL999Round Lake Beach, IL: 969 personsRound Lake Beach, IL969
persons. Source: BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2025
persons		Change on 2024
1Chicago, IL73,793-9.8%
2Aurora, IL4,495-6.4%
3Joliet, IL4,422-8.4%
4Rockford, IL3,933-4.5%
5Elgin, IL3,360-7.6%
6Naperville, IL3,145-10.7%
7Peoria, IL2,835-4.6%
8Waukegan, IL2,655-7.5%
9Springfield, IL2,533-0.5%
10Cicero, IL2,040-6.6%
11Champaign, IL1,939-6%
12Decatur, IL1,906-1.2%
13Bolingbrook, IL1,873-11.3%
14Schaumburg, IL1,727-7%
15Bloomington, IL1,724-3.6%
16Evanston, IL1,718-6.9%
17Arlington Heights, IL1,556-7.5%
18Palatine, IL1,535-8.5%
19Berwyn, IL1,529-6.8%
20Oak Lawn, IL1,405-9.4%
21Skokie, IL1,389-10.4%
22Des Plaines, IL1,378-10.9%
23Oak Park, IL1,265-10.5%
24Tinley Park, IL1,244-13.2%
25Orland Park, IL1,222-7.6%
26Carpentersville, IL1,182-6.8%
27Normal, IL1,145-3.3%
28Hoffman Estates, IL1,139-10.8%
29Calumet City, IL1,137-11.2%
30Mount Prospect, IL1,116-11.2%
31Romeoville, IL1,094-8.2%
32Streamwood, IL1,072-7.2%
32Wheaton, IL1,072-9.2%
34Downers Grove, IL1,058-7.3%
35Moline, IL1,051-9.6%
36Lombard, IL1,011-8.3%
37Hanover Park, IL1,005-8.9%
38DeKalb, IL1,000-5.3%
39Plainfield, IL999-8.9%
40Round Lake Beach, IL969-11.9%
41Elmhurst, IL933-8.9%
42Bartlett, IL932-10.9%
43Crystal Lake, IL925-9.3%
44Belleville, IL922-8.5%
45Wheeling, IL912-8.7%
46Buffalo Grove, IL907-9.4%
46Glenview, IL907-8.1%
48Urbana, IL900-6.2%
49Addison, IL899-7.3%
50Rock Island, IL889-5.5%
51Lansing, IL876-8.7%
52Chicago Heights, IL874-4.9%
53Carol Stream, IL858-12.8%
54Oswego, IL822-8%
55Maywood, IL807-6.8%
56Mundelein, IL801-10.5%
57Glendale Heights, IL787-9.3%
58Woodridge, IL782-9%
59Dolton, IL767-11.4%
60Pekin, IL766+0.7%
61Belvidere, IL763-7.7%
62Park Ridge, IL758-10.1%
63Zion, IL750-6.3%
64Elk Grove Village, IL749-5.7%
65Burbank, IL736-11.1%
66Algonquin, IL729-3.7%
67St. Charles, IL723-3.9%
68Kankakee, IL717-5.4%
69Quincy, IL709-3.7%
70Park Forest, IL702-7.8%
71Lake in the Hills, IL701-7%
72Oak Forest, IL694-6.8%
73Gurnee, IL692-2.4%
74Danville, IL689-12.9%
75Northbrook, IL669-10.2%
76McHenry, IL656-9.6%
77West Chicago, IL651-0.6%
78Harvey, IL634-10.1%
79Galesburg, IL631-1.6%
79Woodstock, IL631-9.5%
81Lockport, IL626-6%
82New Lenox, IL614-10.4%
83Melrose Park, IL604-5.8%
84Niles, IL602-10.5%
85Highland Park, IL589-9.4%
86O'Fallon, IL580-7.2%
87Elmwood Park, IL577-11.9%
87Yorkville, IL577-2.4%
89Granite City, IL572-11.2%
90Vernon Hills, IL567-8.7%
91Alton, IL566-10.7%
92Glen Ellyn, IL565-12.1%
93Batavia, IL557-4.1%
94Carbondale, IL544+3%
95North Chicago, IL541-7.8%
96Huntley, IL530-9.4%
97Freeport, IL527-11.4%
98Westmont, IL518-12.8%
99Morton Grove, IL512-8.6%
100Homer Glen, IL509-12.8%
101Wilmette, IL497-12.5%
102Collinsville, IL492-8.6%
103Edwardsville, IL482-3.2%
104East St. Louis, IL479-13.5%

Other periods

About this ranking

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.

More on how it is measured
  • 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.

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

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

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). Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average (Cities in Illinois by unemployed people, 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, Cities in Illinois by unemployed people, 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/rankings/unemployed-people/illinois-cities. 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. Cities in Illinois by unemployed people, 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/rankings/unemployed-people/illinois-cities.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average, Cities in Illinois by unemployed people, 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployed-people/illinois-cities (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_cities_in_illinois_by_2025,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average: Cities in Illinois by unemployed people, 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/rankings/unemployed-people/illinois-cities. 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: Cities in Illinois by unemployed people, 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/rankings/unemployed-people/illinois-cities
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployed-people/illinois-cities.
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  -
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Rank Cities in Illinois by unemployed people using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which city has the highest unemployed people?

Chicago, IL, with 73,793 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which city has the lowest unemployed people?

East St. Louis, IL, with 479 in 2025.

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, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Unemployed people: other rankings

Cities in Illinois: more rankings