Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate / Cities in Illinois

Cities in Illinois by unemployment rate

Dolton, IL had the highest unemployment rate of 104 cities in May 2026, at 8.7%. Quincy, IL had the lowest, at 3.4%. The median was 4.5% and the figure for Illinois was 5.1%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest8.7Dolton, IL
Lowest3.4Quincy, IL
Median4.5104 cities
Illinois5.1History

Top 40 cities, May 2026

Dolton, IL: 8.7 %Dolton, IL8.7Maywood, IL: 8.3 %Maywood, IL8.3Chicago Heights, IL: 7.1 %Chicago Heights, IL7.1Calumet City, IL: 7 %Calumet City, IL7Harvey, IL: 6.9 %Harvey, IL6.9East St. Louis, IL: 6.8 %East St. Louis, IL6.8Park Forest, IL: 6.8 %Park Forest, IL6.8Decatur, IL: 6.4 %Decatur, IL6.4Lansing, IL: 6.4 %Lansing, IL6.4Kankakee, IL: 5.8 %Kankakee, IL5.8Danville, IL: 5.7 %Danville, IL5.7Rockford, IL: 5.7 %Rockford, IL5.7Carbondale, IL: 5.5 %Carbondale, IL5.5Burbank, IL: 5.4 %Burbank, IL5.4Chicago, IL: 5.4 %Chicago, IL5.4Elmwood Park, IL: 5.3 %Elmwood Park, IL5.3Galesburg, IL: 5.3 %Galesburg, IL5.3Joliet, IL: 5.3 %Joliet, IL5.3Oak Lawn, IL: 5.2 %Oak Lawn, IL5.2Oak Park, IL: 5.2 %Oak Park, IL5.2Peoria, IL: 5.2 %Peoria, IL5.2Berwyn, IL: 5.1 %Berwyn, IL5.1Morton Grove, IL: 5.1 %Morton Grove, IL5.1Huntley, IL: 5 %Huntley, IL5Melrose Park, IL: 5 %Melrose Park, IL5Romeoville, IL: 5 %Romeoville, IL5Alton, IL: 4.9 %Alton, IL4.9Elgin, IL: 4.9 %Elgin, IL4.9Niles, IL: 4.9 %Niles, IL4.9Skokie, IL: 4.9 %Skokie, IL4.9Cicero, IL: 4.8 %Cicero, IL4.8DeKalb, IL: 4.8 %DeKalb, IL4.8Hanover Park, IL: 4.8 %Hanover Park, IL4.8Belvidere, IL: 4.7 %Belvidere, IL4.7Bolingbrook, IL: 4.7 %Bolingbrook, IL4.7Elk Grove Village, IL: 4.7 %Elk Grove Village, IL4.7Evanston, IL: 4.7 %Evanston, IL4.7Northbrook, IL: 4.7 %Northbrook, IL4.7Oak Forest, IL: 4.7 %Oak Forest, IL4.7Schaumburg, IL: 4.7 %Schaumburg, IL4.7Dolton, IL: 8.7 %Dolton, IL8.7Maywood, IL: 8.3 %Maywood, IL8.3Chicago Heights, IL: 7.1 %Chicago Heights, IL7.1Calumet City, IL: 7 %Calumet City, IL7Harvey, IL: 6.9 %Harvey, IL6.9East St. Louis, IL: 6.8 %East St. Louis, IL6.8Park Forest, IL: 6.8 %Park Forest, IL6.8Decatur, IL: 6.4 %Decatur, IL6.4Lansing, IL: 6.4 %Lansing, IL6.4Kankakee, IL: 5.8 %Kankakee, IL5.8Danville, IL: 5.7 %Danville, IL5.7Rockford, IL: 5.7 %Rockford, IL5.7Carbondale, IL: 5.5 %Carbondale, IL5.5Burbank, IL: 5.4 %Burbank, IL5.4Chicago, IL: 5.4 %Chicago, IL5.4Elmwood Park, IL: 5.3 %Elmwood Park, IL5.3Galesburg, IL: 5.3 %Galesburg, IL5.3Joliet, IL: 5.3 %Joliet, IL5.3Oak Lawn, IL: 5.2 %Oak Lawn, IL5.2Oak Park, IL: 5.2 %Oak Park, IL5.2Peoria, IL: 5.2 %Peoria, IL5.2Berwyn, IL: 5.1 %Berwyn, IL5.1Morton Grove, IL: 5.1 %Morton Grove, IL5.1Huntley, IL: 5 %Huntley, IL5Melrose Park, IL: 5 %Melrose Park, IL5Romeoville, IL: 5 %Romeoville, IL5Alton, IL: 4.9 %Alton, IL4.9Elgin, IL: 4.9 %Elgin, IL4.9Niles, IL: 4.9 %Niles, IL4.9Skokie, IL: 4.9 %Skokie, IL4.9Cicero, IL: 4.8 %Cicero, IL4.8DeKalb, IL: 4.8 %DeKalb, IL4.8Hanover Park, IL: 4.8 %Hanover Park, IL4.8Belvidere, IL: 4.7 %Belvidere, IL4.7Bolingbrook, IL: 4.7 %Bolingbrook, IL4.7Elk Grove Village, IL: 4.7 %Elk Grove Village, IL4.7Evanston, IL: 4.7 %Evanston, IL4.7Northbrook, IL: 4.7 %Northbrook, IL4.7Oak Forest, IL: 4.7 %Oak Forest, IL4.7Schaumburg, IL: 4.7 %Schaumburg, IL4.7
%. Source: BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCitiesMay 2026 (%)Change on May 2025
1Dolton, IL8.7+0.5 pts
2Maywood, IL8.3+1.4 pts
3Chicago Heights, IL7.1+0.9 pts
4Calumet City, IL70 pts
5Harvey, IL6.9+0.2 pts
6East St. Louis, IL6.8+0.6 pts
6Park Forest, IL6.8+0.5 pts
8Decatur, IL6.4+0.6 pts
8Lansing, IL6.40 pts
10Kankakee, IL5.8-0.3 pts
11Danville, IL5.7+0.2 pts
11Rockford, IL5.7+0.4 pts
13Carbondale, IL5.5+0.8 pts
14Burbank, IL5.4+0.7 pts
14Chicago, IL5.4+0.7 pts
16Elmwood Park, IL5.3+0.9 pts
16Galesburg, IL5.3+0.9 pts
16Joliet, IL5.3+0.8 pts
19Oak Lawn, IL5.2+0.7 pts
19Oak Park, IL5.2+1.1 pts
19Peoria, IL5.2+0.5 pts
22Berwyn, IL5.1+0.6 pts
22Morton Grove, IL5.1+1.2 pts
24Huntley, IL5+1.1 pts
24Melrose Park, IL5+0.9 pts
24Romeoville, IL5+1 pts
27Alton, IL4.9+0.9 pts
27Elgin, IL4.9+0.7 pts
27Niles, IL4.9+0.8 pts
27Skokie, IL4.9+0.8 pts
31Cicero, IL4.8+0.7 pts
31DeKalb, IL4.8+0.8 pts
31Hanover Park, IL4.8+0.8 pts
34Belvidere, IL4.7+0.4 pts
34Bolingbrook, IL4.7+0.7 pts
34Elk Grove Village, IL4.7+0.7 pts
34Evanston, IL4.7+0.7 pts
34Northbrook, IL4.7+1 pts
34Oak Forest, IL4.7+0.4 pts
34Schaumburg, IL4.7+0.7 pts
34Springfield, IL4.7+0.6 pts
34Tinley Park, IL4.7+0.8 pts
43Des Plaines, IL4.6+0.8 pts
43Freeport, IL4.6+0.2 pts
43North Chicago, IL4.6+0.7 pts
43Pekin, IL4.6+0.4 pts
43Round Lake Beach, IL4.6+0.5 pts
43Westmont, IL4.6+0.7 pts
49Elmhurst, IL4.5+0.8 pts
49Glenview, IL4.5+0.8 pts
49Lombard, IL4.5+0.7 pts
49Orland Park, IL4.5+0.6 pts
49Streamwood, IL4.5+0.4 pts
49Waukegan, IL4.5+0.5 pts
49Wilmette, IL4.5+0.7 pts
56Arlington Heights, IL4.4+0.6 pts
56Buffalo Grove, IL4.4+0.8 pts
56Carpentersville, IL4.4+0.4 pts
56Granite City, IL4.4+0.7 pts
56Hoffman Estates, IL4.4+0.7 pts
56Lake in the Hills, IL4.4+0.5 pts
56Park Ridge, IL4.4+0.8 pts
56Rock Island, IL4.4-0.1 pts
64Addison, IL4.3+0.6 pts
64Aurora, IL4.3+0.4 pts
64Crystal Lake, IL4.3+0.7 pts
64Downers Grove, IL4.3+0.6 pts
64Glen Ellyn, IL4.3+0.5 pts
64Homer Glen, IL4.3+0.3 pts
64Lockport, IL4.3+0.6 pts
64Moline, IL4.3+0.2 pts
64Mount Prospect, IL4.3+0.9 pts
64Naperville, IL4.3+0.6 pts
64Palatine, IL4.3+0.6 pts
64Plainfield, IL4.3+0.8 pts
64Vernon Hills, IL4.3+0.8 pts
64Wheaton, IL4.3+0.7 pts
64Woodridge, IL4.3+0.6 pts
64Woodstock, IL4.3+0.6 pts
64Zion, IL4.3-0.5 pts
81Belleville, IL4.2+0.3 pts
81Glendale Heights, IL4.2+0.7 pts
81Gurnee, IL4.2+0.5 pts
81New Lenox, IL4.2+0.7 pts
81Urbana, IL4.2+0.7 pts
86Algonquin, IL4.1+0.5 pts
86Bartlett, IL4.1+0.4 pts
86Carol Stream, IL4.1+0.7 pts
86Highland Park, IL4.1+0.6 pts
86McHenry, IL4.1+0.7 pts
86Mundelein, IL4.1+0.7 pts
86Wheeling, IL4.1+0.7 pts
93Champaign, IL4+0.6 pts
93Oswego, IL4+0.6 pts
93Yorkville, IL4+0.6 pts
96Bloomington, IL3.9+0.5 pts
96St. Charles, IL3.9+0.4 pts
96West Chicago, IL3.9+0.5 pts
99Batavia, IL3.8+0.4 pts
100Normal, IL3.7+0.4 pts
100O'Fallon, IL3.7+0.4 pts
102Edwardsville, IL3.5+0.3 pts
103Collinsville, IL3.4+0.1 pts
103Quincy, IL3.4+0.2 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, 2026-05) [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, 2026-05. 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=2026-05. 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, 2026-05. 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=2026-05.

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, 2026-05 [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=2026-05 (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, 2026-05}},
  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=2026-05. 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, 2026-05
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=2026-05
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/illinois-cities?period=2026-05.
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 8.7% in May 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which city has the lowest unemployment rate?

Quincy, IL, with 3.4% in May 2026.

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