Cities in Illinois by unemployment rate

Dolton, IL had the highest unemployment rate of 104 cities in August 2025, at 8.2%. Addison, IL had the lowest, at 3.3%. The median was 4.3% and the figure for Illinois was 4.3%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest8.2Dolton, IL
Lowest3.3Addison, IL
Median4.3104 cities
Illinois4.3History

Top 40 cities, August 2025

Dolton, IL: 8.2 %Dolton, IL8.2East St. Louis, IL: 7.9 %East St. Louis, IL7.9Maywood, IL: 7.8 %Maywood, IL7.8Danville, IL: 7.1 %Danville, IL7.1Harvey, IL: 7.1 %Harvey, IL7.1Kankakee, IL: 7 %Kankakee, IL7Decatur, IL: 6.9 %Decatur, IL6.9Park Forest, IL: 6.7 %Park Forest, IL6.7Calumet City, IL: 6.4 %Calumet City, IL6.4Rockford, IL: 6.4 %Rockford, IL6.4Galesburg, IL: 6.3 %Galesburg, IL6.3Chicago Heights, IL: 6.2 %Chicago Heights, IL6.2Carbondale, IL: 5.9 %Carbondale, IL5.9Lansing, IL: 5.9 %Lansing, IL5.9Peoria, IL: 5.7 %Peoria, IL5.7Zion, IL: 5.7 %Zion, IL5.7Alton, IL: 5.5 %Alton, IL5.5Belvidere, IL: 5.5 %Belvidere, IL5.5DeKalb, IL: 5.5 %DeKalb, IL5.5Rock Island, IL: 5.5 %Rock Island, IL5.5Moline, IL: 5.4 %Moline, IL5.4North Chicago, IL: 5.4 %North Chicago, IL5.4Belleville, IL: 5.3 %Belleville, IL5.3Pekin, IL: 5.3 %Pekin, IL5.3Springfield, IL: 5.2 %Springfield, IL5.2Urbana, IL: 5.2 %Urbana, IL5.2Freeport, IL: 5.1 %Freeport, IL5.1Champaign, IL: 5 %Champaign, IL5Granite City, IL: 5 %Granite City, IL5Chicago, IL: 4.9 %Chicago, IL4.9Round Lake Beach, IL: 4.8 %Round Lake Beach, IL4.8Waukegan, IL: 4.8 %Waukegan, IL4.8Aurora, IL: 4.7 %Aurora, IL4.7Elgin, IL: 4.7 %Elgin, IL4.7Joliet, IL: 4.7 %Joliet, IL4.7Oak Lawn, IL: 4.6 %Oak Lawn, IL4.6Vernon Hills, IL: 4.6 %Vernon Hills, IL4.6Yorkville, IL: 4.6 %Yorkville, IL4.6Berwyn, IL: 4.5 %Berwyn, IL4.5Elmwood Park, IL: 4.5 %Elmwood Park, IL4.5Dolton, IL: 8.2 %Dolton, IL8.2East St. Louis, IL: 7.9 %East St. Louis, IL7.9Maywood, IL: 7.8 %Maywood, IL7.8Danville, IL: 7.1 %Danville, IL7.1Harvey, IL: 7.1 %Harvey, IL7.1Kankakee, IL: 7 %Kankakee, IL7Decatur, IL: 6.9 %Decatur, IL6.9Park Forest, IL: 6.7 %Park Forest, IL6.7Calumet City, IL: 6.4 %Calumet City, IL6.4Rockford, IL: 6.4 %Rockford, IL6.4Galesburg, IL: 6.3 %Galesburg, IL6.3Chicago Heights, IL: 6.2 %Chicago Heights, IL6.2Carbondale, IL: 5.9 %Carbondale, IL5.9Lansing, IL: 5.9 %Lansing, IL5.9Peoria, IL: 5.7 %Peoria, IL5.7Zion, IL: 5.7 %Zion, IL5.7Alton, IL: 5.5 %Alton, IL5.5Belvidere, IL: 5.5 %Belvidere, IL5.5DeKalb, IL: 5.5 %DeKalb, IL5.5Rock Island, IL: 5.5 %Rock Island, IL5.5Moline, IL: 5.4 %Moline, IL5.4North Chicago, IL: 5.4 %North Chicago, IL5.4Belleville, IL: 5.3 %Belleville, IL5.3Pekin, IL: 5.3 %Pekin, IL5.3Springfield, IL: 5.2 %Springfield, IL5.2Urbana, IL: 5.2 %Urbana, IL5.2Freeport, IL: 5.1 %Freeport, IL5.1Champaign, IL: 5 %Champaign, IL5Granite City, IL: 5 %Granite City, IL5Chicago, IL: 4.9 %Chicago, IL4.9Round Lake Beach, IL: 4.8 %Round Lake Beach, IL4.8Waukegan, IL: 4.8 %Waukegan, IL4.8Aurora, IL: 4.7 %Aurora, IL4.7Elgin, IL: 4.7 %Elgin, IL4.7Joliet, IL: 4.7 %Joliet, IL4.7Oak Lawn, IL: 4.6 %Oak Lawn, IL4.6Vernon Hills, IL: 4.6 %Vernon Hills, IL4.6Yorkville, IL: 4.6 %Yorkville, IL4.6Berwyn, IL: 4.5 %Berwyn, IL4.5Elmwood Park, IL: 4.5 %Elmwood Park, IL4.5
%. Source: BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCitiesAugust 2025 (%)Change on August 2024
1Dolton, IL8.2-2.7 pts
2East St. Louis, IL7.9-1.2 pts
3Maywood, IL7.8-2.2 pts
4Danville, IL7.1-1.1 pts
4Harvey, IL7.1-1.6 pts
6Kankakee, IL70 pts
7Decatur, IL6.9+0.1 pts
8Park Forest, IL6.7-1.9 pts
9Calumet City, IL6.4-2.2 pts
9Rockford, IL6.4-0.1 pts
11Galesburg, IL6.3+0.8 pts
12Chicago Heights, IL6.2-2.2 pts
13Carbondale, IL5.9-0.2 pts
13Lansing, IL5.9-1.5 pts
15Peoria, IL5.70 pts
15Zion, IL5.7-0.3 pts
17Alton, IL5.5-0.2 pts
17Belvidere, IL5.5-0.2 pts
17DeKalb, IL5.5-0.3 pts
17Rock Island, IL5.50 pts
21Moline, IL5.4-0.3 pts
21North Chicago, IL5.40 pts
23Belleville, IL5.3+0.1 pts
23Pekin, IL5.3+0.1 pts
25Springfield, IL5.2+0.4 pts
25Urbana, IL5.2-0.5 pts
27Freeport, IL5.1-0.4 pts
28Champaign, IL5-0.3 pts
28Granite City, IL5-0.4 pts
30Chicago, IL4.9-1.3 pts
31Round Lake Beach, IL4.8-0.4 pts
31Waukegan, IL4.8-0.3 pts
33Aurora, IL4.7-0.5 pts
33Elgin, IL4.7-0.4 pts
33Joliet, IL4.7-1.4 pts
36Oak Lawn, IL4.6-1.2 pts
36Vernon Hills, IL4.6+0.1 pts
36Yorkville, IL4.6+0.3 pts
39Berwyn, IL4.5-1.3 pts
39Elmwood Park, IL4.5-1.4 pts
39Gurnee, IL4.5+0.2 pts
39Normal, IL4.5-0.3 pts
43Batavia, IL4.4-0.1 pts
43Burbank, IL4.4-1.6 pts
43Carpentersville, IL4.4-0.4 pts
43Evanston, IL4.4-1.3 pts
43Highland Park, IL4.4-0.1 pts
43Oswego, IL4.4-0.3 pts
43St. Charles, IL4.40 pts
50Bloomington, IL4.3-0.1 pts
50Oak Forest, IL4.3-0.8 pts
50Oak Park, IL4.3-1.1 pts
50Romeoville, IL4.3-1 pts
50Skokie, IL4.3-1.1 pts
50Westmont, IL4.3-1 pts
56Bolingbrook, IL4.2-1.3 pts
56Buffalo Grove, IL4.2-0.4 pts
56Hanover Park, IL4.2-1.5 pts
56Huntley, IL4.2-0.7 pts
56O'Fallon, IL4.2-0.3 pts
61Collinsville, IL4.1-0.3 pts
61Edwardsville, IL4.1-0.2 pts
61Elk Grove Village, IL4.1-0.9 pts
61Morton Grove, IL4.1-1.1 pts
61Niles, IL4.1-0.9 pts
61Orland Park, IL4.1-0.7 pts
61Wilmette, IL4.1-1.2 pts
68Algonquin, IL4-0.5 pts
68Cicero, IL4-1.2 pts
68Glen Ellyn, IL4-1.2 pts
68Lake in the Hills, IL4-1 pts
68Mundelein, IL4-0.4 pts
68Naperville, IL4-1 pts
68Northbrook, IL4-0.9 pts
68Quincy, IL4+0.1 pts
68Schaumburg, IL4-0.9 pts
68Streamwood, IL4-1.2 pts
68Tinley Park, IL4-1.2 pts
79Des Plaines, IL3.9-1.2 pts
79Glenview, IL3.9-0.9 pts
79Melrose Park, IL3.9-1.1 pts
79Woodridge, IL3.9-0.9 pts
83Elmhurst, IL3.8-1 pts
83Hoffman Estates, IL3.8-1 pts
83Homer Glen, IL3.8-1.5 pts
83Park Ridge, IL3.8-1 pts
83Plainfield, IL3.8-0.7 pts
83Wheaton, IL3.8-1 pts
89Arlington Heights, IL3.7-0.8 pts
89Carol Stream, IL3.7-1.2 pts
89Downers Grove, IL3.7-0.9 pts
89Lockport, IL3.7-1 pts
89Lombard, IL3.7-1.1 pts
89Mount Prospect, IL3.7-0.8 pts
89New Lenox, IL3.7-1.1 pts
89Palatine, IL3.7-0.8 pts
97Bartlett, IL3.6-1 pts
97Crystal Lake, IL3.6-1.3 pts
97Glendale Heights, IL3.6-1 pts
97McHenry, IL3.6-1 pts
97West Chicago, IL3.6-1 pts
97Wheeling, IL3.6-1 pts
103Woodstock, IL3.4-1.4 pts
104Addison, IL3.3-1.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work.

More on how it is measured
  • Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over.
  • EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74.
  • United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states, counties and cities.
  • United Kingdom regions: Labour Force Survey, aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted.
  • Canada: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted, for the country and the provinces.
  • Australia: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted, for the nation and the six states; the ABS publishes no seasonally adjusted series for the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
  • New Zealand: Household Labour Force Survey, aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted for the country and not seasonally adjusted for regional council areas.
  • Norway: Statistics Norway Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74, seasonally adjusted monthly figures.
  • Sweden: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74, seasonally adjusted and smoothed (the series Statistics Sweden gives in its monthly release), national.
  • Switzerland: Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS), ILO definition, permanent resident population aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted quarterly averages, national.
  • For other countries, the source may be OECD survey-based rates, annual survey-based rates compiled by the ILO in ILOSTAT, or annual ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank.
  • ILO modelled estimates cover ages 15 and over.
  • The World series uses those ILO modelled estimates.

Survey-based for national and Eurostat series. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states, US counties, US cities (those of 25,000 or more and smaller New England cities), United Kingdom regions, Canadian provinces, Australia and its six states, New Zealand with 10 of its regions, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland (national), not Spanish municipalities. For Spanish municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate.

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 rate (measure 03). 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 rate (measure 03) (Cities in Illinois by unemployment rate, 2025-08) [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 rate (measure 03), Cities in Illinois by unemployment rate, 2025-08. 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/unemployment-rate/illinois-cities?period=2025-08. 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 rate (measure 03). Cities in Illinois by unemployment rate, 2025-08. 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/unemployment-rate/illinois-cities?period=2025-08.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03), Cities in Illinois by unemployment rate, 2025-08 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/illinois-cities?period=2025-08 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_cities_in_illinois_by_2026,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03): Cities in Illinois by unemployment rate, 2025-08}},
  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/unemployment-rate/illinois-cities?period=2025-08. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). 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 rate (measure 03): Cities in Illinois by unemployment rate, 2025-08
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/unemployment-rate/illinois-cities?period=2025-08
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/illinois-cities?period=2025-08.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). 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 unemployment rate using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which city has the highest unemployment rate?

Dolton, IL, with 8.2% in August 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which city has the lowest unemployment rate?

Addison, IL, with 3.3% in August 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 rate (measure 03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Cities in Illinois: more rankings