Counties in Illinois by unemployment rate, August 2026
Edwards County had the highest unemployment rate of 102 counties in August 2026, at 7%. Monroe County had the lowest, at 2.5%. The median was 3.8% and the figure for Illinois was 4.7%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Top 40 counties, August 2026
Full ranking
| Rank | Counties | August 2026 (%) | Change on August 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edwards County Provisional | 7 | +2.4 pts |
| 2 | Cook County Provisional | 5.9 | +1.2 pts |
| 3 | Alexander County Provisional | 5.6 | -2.2 pts |
| 4 | Pope County Provisional | 5.3 | -1 pts |
| 5 | Pulaski County Provisional | 5.2 | -1.4 pts |
| 6 | Macon County Provisional | 5.1 | -1 pts |
| 6 | Will County Provisional | 5.1 | +0.8 pts |
| 8 | Grundy County Provisional | 4.9 | +0.8 pts |
| 9 | DuPage County Provisional | 4.7 | +0.9 pts |
| 9 | McHenry County Provisional | 4.7 | +1 pts |
| 9 | Vermilion County Provisional | 4.7 | -1.4 pts |
| 12 | Jefferson County Provisional | 4.6 | -0.6 pts |
| 12 | Winnebago County Provisional | 4.6 | -1 pts |
| 14 | Johnson County Provisional | 4.5 | -0.9 pts |
| 14 | Peoria County Provisional | 4.5 | -0.9 pts |
| 16 | Franklin County Provisional | 4.4 | -0.8 pts |
| 16 | Knox County Provisional | 4.4 | -1.2 pts |
| 16 | LaSalle County Provisional | 4.4 | -1.2 pts |
| 16 | Perry County Provisional | 4.4 | -0.8 pts |
| 20 | Jackson County Provisional | 4.3 | -0.9 pts |
| 20 | Kankakee County Provisional | 4.3 | -1.3 pts |
| 20 | Wayne County Provisional | 4.3 | -0.5 pts |
| 23 | Boone County Provisional | 4.2 | -1 pts |
| 23 | Hardin County Provisional | 4.2 | -2 pts |
| 23 | Marion County Provisional | 4.2 | -0.9 pts |
| 26 | Clark County Provisional | 4.1 | -0.7 pts |
| 26 | Lawrence County Provisional | 4.1 | -0.9 pts |
| 26 | McDonough County Provisional | 4.1 | -0.9 pts |
| 29 | Bureau County Provisional | 4 | -1.1 pts |
| 29 | Hamilton County Provisional | 4 | -0.8 pts |
| 29 | Rock Island County Provisional | 4 | -1.4 pts |
| 29 | Saline County Provisional | 4 | -0.9 pts |
| 33 | Champaign County Provisional | 3.9 | -1 pts |
| 33 | Fayette County Provisional | 3.9 | -1 pts |
| 33 | Fulton County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.7 pts |
| 33 | Gallatin County Provisional | 3.9 | -1.5 pts |
| 33 | Iroquois County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.9 pts |
| 33 | Marshall County Provisional | 3.9 | -1.1 pts |
| 33 | Putnam County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.8 pts |
| 33 | St. Clair County Provisional | 3.9 | -1 pts |
| 33 | Stephenson County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.6 pts |
| 33 | Wabash County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.3 pts |
| 33 | White County Provisional | 3.9 | -1.1 pts |
| 44 | Bond County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.7 pts |
| 44 | Edgar County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.4 pts |
| 44 | Kane County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.9 pts |
| 44 | Kendall County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.7 pts |
| 44 | Lake County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.8 pts |
| 44 | Logan County Provisional | 3.8 | -1.2 pts |
| 44 | Macoupin County Provisional | 3.8 | -1 pts |
| 44 | Sangamon County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.9 pts |
| 44 | Stark County Provisional | 3.8 | -1.2 pts |
| 44 | Whiteside County Provisional | 3.8 | -1.1 pts |
| 54 | Calhoun County Provisional | 3.7 | -1.4 pts |
| 54 | DeKalb County Provisional | 3.7 | -1 pts |
| 54 | Henry County Provisional | 3.7 | -1.4 pts |
| 54 | Lee County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.9 pts |
| 54 | Mason County Provisional | 3.7 | -1.1 pts |
| 54 | Massac County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.9 pts |
| 54 | Montgomery County Provisional | 3.7 | -1 pts |
| 54 | Tazewell County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.9 pts |
| 54 | Union County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.8 pts |
| 63 | Clay County Provisional | 3.6 | -1.5 pts |
| 63 | Ford County Provisional | 3.6 | -1.1 pts |
| 63 | Mercer County Provisional | 3.6 | -1.2 pts |
| 63 | Ogle County Provisional | 3.6 | -1 pts |
| 63 | Warren County Provisional | 3.6 | -1.1 pts |
| 63 | Williamson County Provisional | 3.6 | -0.9 pts |
| 69 | Christian County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.9 pts |
| 69 | Crawford County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.8 pts |
| 69 | Madison County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.9 pts |
| 69 | Morgan County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.7 pts |
| 69 | Pike County Provisional | 3.5 | -1.3 pts |
| 69 | Schuyler County Provisional | 3.5 | -1 pts |
| 75 | Carroll County Provisional | 3.4 | -1.3 pts |
| 75 | Cass County Provisional | 3.4 | -1.4 pts |
| 75 | McLean County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.9 pts |
| 75 | Richland County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.7 pts |
| 79 | De Witt County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.5 pts |
| 79 | Jersey County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.7 pts |
| 79 | Menard County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.7 pts |
| 82 | Coles County Provisional | 3.2 | -1.1 pts |
| 82 | Douglas County Provisional | 3.2 | -0.8 pts |
| 82 | Livingston County Provisional | 3.2 | -1 pts |
| 82 | Piatt County Provisional | 3.2 | -1 pts |
| 82 | Randolph County Provisional | 3.2 | -1 pts |
| 87 | Greene County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.8 pts |
| 87 | Hancock County Provisional | 3.1 | -1 pts |
| 87 | Shelby County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.9 pts |
| 90 | Henderson County Provisional | 3 | -1.1 pts |
| 90 | Jo Daviess County Provisional | 3 | -0.6 pts |
| 90 | Moultrie County Provisional | 3 | -1.2 pts |
| 90 | Scott County Provisional | 3 | -1.4 pts |
| 90 | Woodford County Provisional | 3 | -0.9 pts |
| 95 | Adams County Provisional | 2.9 | -0.8 pts |
| 95 | Effingham County Provisional | 2.9 | -0.8 pts |
| 95 | Washington County Provisional | 2.9 | -0.6 pts |
| 98 | Jasper County Provisional | 2.8 | -1 pts |
| 99 | Clinton County Provisional | 2.7 | -0.8 pts |
| 99 | Cumberland County Provisional | 2.7 | -0.8 pts |
| 101 | Brown County Provisional | 2.6 | -0.6 pts |
| 102 | Monroe County Provisional | 2.5 | -0.8 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. 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 and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.
Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.
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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
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Rank Counties in Illinois by unemployment rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"unemployment_rate","level":"province","within":"Illinois","limit":10}
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Questions
Which county has the highest unemployment rate?
Edwards County, with 7% in August 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?
Monroe County, with 2.5% in August 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: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
Unemployment rate: other rankings
- Countries
- EU countries
- US states
- EU regions (NUTS 2)
- US counties
- Autonomous communities of Spain
- Provinces of Spain
- Regions of Germany (NUTS 2)
- Regions of France (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Italy (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Poland (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Greece (NUTS 2)
Counties in Illinois: more rankings
- Asian population share
- Bachelor's degree or higher, population 25 and over
- Live births, July to June
- Black or African American population share
- Crude birth rate, July to June
- Crude death rate, July to June
- Deaths, July to June
- Foreign-born population share
- Real GDP growth
- GDP per capita, US dollars
- Gross domestic product (GDP), US dollars
- Hispanic or Latino population share
- Homeownership rate (US, housing units)
- Median age
- Median gross rent (monthly)
- Median home value