Counties in Illinois by unemployment rate

Edwards County had the highest unemployment rate of 102 counties in March 2026, at 14.9%. Monroe County had the lowest, at 3.2%. The median was 5.3% and the figure for Illinois was 5.1%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest14.9Edwards County
Lowest3.2Monroe County
Median5.3102 counties
Illinois5.1History

Top 40 counties, March 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Edwards CountyEdwards County: 14.9 %14.9Boone CountyBoone County: 6.9 %6.9Macon CountyMacon County: 6.7 %6.7Kankakee CountyKankakee County: 6.6 %6.6Schuyler CountySchuyler County: 6.6 %6.6Alexander CountyAlexander County: 6.5 %6.5Knox CountyKnox County: 6.5 %6.5Pope CountyPope County: 6.5 %6.5Wayne CountyWayne County: 6.5 %6.5LaSalle CountyLaSalle County: 6.4 %6.4Pulaski CountyPulaski County: 6.4 %6.4Winnebago CountyWinnebago County: 6.4 %6.4Scott CountyScott County: 6.3 %6.3Vermilion CountyVermilion County: 6.3 %6.3Marshall CountyMarshall County: 6.2 %6.2White CountyWhite County: 6.2 %6.2Clark CountyClark County: 6.1 %6.1Fayette CountyFayette County: 6.1 %6.1Peoria CountyPeoria County: 6.1 %6.1Stark CountyStark County: 6.1 %6.1Iroquois CountyIroquois County: 6 %6Kane CountyKane County: 6 %6Lake CountyLake County: 6 %6Putnam CountyPutnam County: 6 %6Bureau CountyBureau County: 5.9 %5.9Fulton CountyFulton County: 5.8 %5.8Henry CountyHenry County: 5.8 %5.8Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 5.8 %5.8Logan CountyLogan County: 5.7 %5.7Ogle CountyOgle County: 5.7 %5.7Rock Island CountyRock Island County: 5.7 %5.7Wabash CountyWabash County: 5.7 %5.7Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 5.6 %5.6Carroll CountyCarroll County: 5.6 %5.6Franklin CountyFranklin County: 5.6 %5.6Mason CountyMason County: 5.6 %5.6Perry CountyPerry County: 5.6 %5.6Jackson CountyJackson County: 5.5 %5.5Johnson CountyJohnson County: 5.5 %5.5Mercer CountyMercer County: 5.5 %5.5
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesMarch 2026 (%)Change on March 2025
1Edwards County14.9+10.7 pts
2Boone County6.9+1.1 pts
3Macon County6.7+1.1 pts
4Kankakee County6.6+1.2 pts
4Schuyler County6.6+1.4 pts
6Alexander County6.50 pts
6Knox County6.5+1.7 pts
6Pope County6.5+2.1 pts
6Wayne County6.5+2.7 pts
10LaSalle County6.4+1 pts
10Pulaski County6.4+0.7 pts
10Winnebago County6.4+1.1 pts
13Scott County6.3+1.2 pts
13Vermilion County6.3+1 pts
15Marshall County6.2+0.9 pts
15White County6.2+1.8 pts
17Clark County6.1+1.9 pts
17Fayette County6.1+1.6 pts
17Peoria County6.1+0.9 pts
17Stark County6.1+1 pts
21Iroquois County6+0.9 pts
21Kane County6+1.1 pts
21Lake County6+1 pts
21Putnam County6+0.9 pts
25Bureau County5.9+0.4 pts
26Fulton County5.8+1.2 pts
26Henry County5.8+0.7 pts
26Jefferson County5.8+1.3 pts
29Logan County5.7+1 pts
29Ogle County5.7+0.9 pts
29Rock Island County5.7+0.5 pts
29Wabash County5.7+2.2 pts
33Calhoun County5.6+1.1 pts
33Carroll County5.6+0.3 pts
33Franklin County5.6+0.9 pts
33Mason County5.6+1.1 pts
33Perry County5.6+1.1 pts
38Jackson County5.5+1.2 pts
38Johnson County5.5+1 pts
38Mercer County5.5+0.1 pts
38Pike County5.5+1.1 pts
38Union County5.5+1.1 pts
43Hamilton County5.4+1.2 pts
43Marion County5.4+0.7 pts
45Jo Daviess County5.3+0.7 pts
45Lawrence County5.3+1.3 pts
45Lee County5.3+0.8 pts
45Macoupin County5.3+1 pts
45Menard County5.3+1.2 pts
45Montgomery County5.3+0.8 pts
45Tazewell County5.3+1 pts
45Whiteside County5.3+0.8 pts
53Cass County5.2+0.8 pts
53Clay County5.2+0.5 pts
53DeKalb County5.2+0.8 pts
53Hardin County5.2+0.5 pts
53Kendall County5.2+1 pts
53Sangamon County5.2+1.1 pts
53Stephenson County5.2+0.5 pts
60Cook County5.1+0.1 pts
60Gallatin County5.1+0.7 pts
62McDonough County5+1.3 pts
62Saline County5+0.8 pts
62St. Clair County5+1 pts
62Warren County5+0.8 pts
62Will County5+0.1 pts
67Christian County4.9+0.7 pts
67Henderson County4.9+1.2 pts
69Bond County4.8+1 pts
69Edgar County4.8+1.2 pts
69Grundy County4.8-0.3 pts
69Livingston County4.8+0.8 pts
69McHenry County4.8+0.2 pts
69Morgan County4.8+1 pts
69Richland County4.8+1.3 pts
69Williamson County4.8+0.8 pts
77Ford County4.7+0.8 pts
78Champaign County4.6+1.1 pts
78Greene County4.6+0.7 pts
78Massac County4.6+1.1 pts
78Shelby County4.6+0.9 pts
82De Witt County4.5+0.6 pts
82Effingham County4.5+1.3 pts
82Madison County4.5+1 pts
82McLean County4.5+0.9 pts
82Woodford County4.5+1 pts
87Cumberland County4.4+1.2 pts
87Hancock County4.4+0.9 pts
89Jersey County4.3+0.8 pts
89Randolph County4.3+0.8 pts
91Douglas County4.2+0.9 pts
91DuPage County4.2+0.1 pts
91Jasper County4.2+1.1 pts
91Moultrie County4.2+0.7 pts
95Coles County4.1+0.7 pts
95Piatt County4.1+0.8 pts
97Crawford County4+0.5 pts
98Clinton County3.9+0.8 pts
98Washington County3.9+0.8 pts
100Adams County3.8+0.6 pts
100Brown County3.8+0.8 pts
102Monroe County3.2+0.6 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?

Edwards County, with 14.9% in March 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Monroe County, with 3.2% in March 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