Counties in Illinois by unemployment rate

Boone County had the highest unemployment rate of 102 counties in January 2026, at 7.6%. Monroe County had the lowest, at 2.9%. The median was 5.4% and the figure for Illinois was 4.9%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest7.6Boone County
Lowest2.9Monroe County
Median5.4102 counties
Illinois4.9History

Top 40 counties, January 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Boone CountyBoone County: 7.6 %7.6Kankakee CountyKankakee County: 7.2 %7.2LaSalle CountyLaSalle County: 7.2 %7.2Pulaski CountyPulaski County: 7.2 %7.2Stark CountyStark County: 7 %7Fayette CountyFayette County: 6.9 %6.9Bureau CountyBureau County: 6.8 %6.8Schuyler CountySchuyler County: 6.8 %6.8Alexander CountyAlexander County: 6.7 %6.7Iroquois CountyIroquois County: 6.7 %6.7Macon CountyMacon County: 6.7 %6.7Clark CountyClark County: 6.6 %6.6Putnam CountyPutnam County: 6.6 %6.6Scott CountyScott County: 6.6 %6.6Vermilion CountyVermilion County: 6.6 %6.6Winnebago CountyWinnebago County: 6.6 %6.6Mercer CountyMercer County: 6.5 %6.5Fulton CountyFulton County: 6.4 %6.4Henry CountyHenry County: 6.3 %6.3Kane CountyKane County: 6.3 %6.3Marshall CountyMarshall County: 6.3 %6.3Peoria CountyPeoria County: 6.3 %6.3Pope CountyPope County: 6.3 %6.3Carroll CountyCarroll County: 6.2 %6.2Knox CountyKnox County: 6.2 %6.2Lake CountyLake County: 6.2 %6.2Mason CountyMason County: 6.2 %6.2Ogle CountyOgle County: 6.2 %6.2Rock Island CountyRock Island County: 6.2 %6.2Clay CountyClay County: 6.1 %6.1Pike CountyPike County: 6.1 %6.1Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 5.9 %5.9Union CountyUnion County: 5.9 %5.9Franklin CountyFranklin County: 5.8 %5.8Montgomery CountyMontgomery County: 5.8 %5.8Perry CountyPerry County: 5.8 %5.8Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 5.7 %5.7Henderson CountyHenderson County: 5.7 %5.7Johnson CountyJohnson County: 5.7 %5.7Edwards CountyEdwards County: 5.6 %5.6
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesJanuary 2026 (%)Change on January 2025
1Boone County7.6+1 pts
2Kankakee County7.2+1 pts
2LaSalle County7.2+0.9 pts
2Pulaski County7.2+1.2 pts
5Stark County7+0.8 pts
6Fayette County6.9+1.1 pts
7Bureau County6.8+0.5 pts
7Schuyler County6.8+0.6 pts
9Alexander County6.7-0.5 pts
9Iroquois County6.7+1 pts
9Macon County6.7+0.9 pts
12Clark County6.6+1.6 pts
12Putnam County6.6+0.4 pts
12Scott County6.60 pts
12Vermilion County6.6+0.4 pts
12Winnebago County6.6+1 pts
17Mercer County6.5+0.3 pts
18Fulton County6.4+0.7 pts
19Henry County6.3+0.7 pts
19Kane County6.3+1 pts
19Marshall County6.3+0.5 pts
19Peoria County6.3+0.3 pts
19Pope County6.3+1.5 pts
24Carroll County6.2+0.8 pts
24Knox County6.2+1 pts
24Lake County6.2+0.8 pts
24Mason County6.2+0.6 pts
24Ogle County6.2+0.7 pts
24Rock Island County6.2+0.3 pts
30Clay County6.1+0.5 pts
30Pike County6.1+0.9 pts
32Jefferson County5.9+1.1 pts
32Union County5.9+0.3 pts
34Franklin County5.8+0.6 pts
34Montgomery County5.8+0.7 pts
34Perry County5.8+0.4 pts
37Calhoun County5.7+0.6 pts
37Henderson County5.7+0.3 pts
37Johnson County5.7+0.3 pts
40Edwards County5.6+1.5 pts
40Grundy County5.6-0.5 pts
40Lawrence County5.6+1.2 pts
40Lee County5.6+0.7 pts
40Tazewell County5.6+0.5 pts
45Cass County5.5+0.2 pts
45Hamilton County5.5+0.5 pts
45Jackson County5.5+0.7 pts
45Macoupin County5.5+0.6 pts
45Whiteside County5.5+0.6 pts
50DeKalb County5.4+0.6 pts
50Ford County5.4+0.5 pts
50Hardin County5.4+0.5 pts
50Logan County5.4+0.3 pts
50Marion County5.4+0.3 pts
50Menard County5.4+0.7 pts
50Stephenson County5.4+0.3 pts
50Will County5.4+0.2 pts
58Cook County5.3+0.2 pts
58Jo Daviess County5.3+0.5 pts
58Kendall County5.3+0.7 pts
61Edgar County5.2+0.9 pts
61Sangamon County5.2+0.6 pts
61Wayne County5.2+1 pts
64Christian County5.1+0.6 pts
64Effingham County5.1+1 pts
64McDonough County5.1+0.9 pts
64Morgan County5.1+0.5 pts
64Shelby County5.1+0.7 pts
64St. Clair County5.1+0.6 pts
64Warren County5.1+0.5 pts
71Cumberland County5+0.9 pts
71Jasper County5+0.7 pts
71Livingston County5+0.8 pts
71White County5+0.7 pts
75McHenry County4.9+0.2 pts
75Saline County4.9+0.3 pts
77Champaign County4.8+0.8 pts
77Williamson County4.8+0.4 pts
79Bond County4.70 pts
79Greene County4.7+0.5 pts
81Gallatin County4.6+0.3 pts
82De Witt County4.5+0.1 pts
82Hancock County4.5+0.5 pts
84Madison County4.4+0.5 pts
84McLean County4.4+0.5 pts
84Woodford County4.4+0.4 pts
87Douglas County4.3+0.7 pts
87Piatt County4.3+0.3 pts
89Coles County4.2+0.6 pts
89DuPage County4.2+0.2 pts
89Massac County4.2+0.4 pts
92Jersey County4.10 pts
92Moultrie County4.1+0.5 pts
92Richland County4.1+0.6 pts
92Wabash County4.1+0.6 pts
96Crawford County4-0.1 pts
96Randolph County4-0.2 pts
98Washington County3.90 pts
99Adams County3.8+0.3 pts
100Brown County3.7+1 pts
100Clinton County3.70 pts
102Monroe County2.90 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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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Boone County, with 7.6% in January 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Monroe County, with 2.9% in January 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

Counties in Illinois: more rankings