Metro regions of Illinois per the U.S. Bureau of Labor. (USBLS map)

The number of nonfarm jobs increased over-the-year in all 14 Illinois metropolitan areas in April according to preliminary data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).

The unemployment rate decreased over-the-year in all metro areas.

“Decreased unemployment in all 102 counties compared to last spring is a critical component of Illinois’ pandemic recovery, and the administration will continue to deploy every available resource to ensure that this economic rebound is as widespread as possible,” said Deputy Gov. Dan Hynes. “That said, COVID-19 is still with us, and the Department remains focused on supporting workers not yet able to rejoin the labor market through benefits as well as job-matching resources.”

The number of nonfarm jobs increased in all 14 Illinois metropolitan areas. The metro areas that had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were Carbondale-Marion (9.8 percent), Springfield (9.0 percent,) and Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division (8.7 percent).

Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metropolitan Division rose by 7.3 percent.

Over-the-year, the unemployment rate decreased in all 14 metropolitan areas; the metro areas with the largest unemployment rate decreases were Rockford (-12.8 points to 9.7 percent), Carbondale-Marion (-11.8 points to 5.7 percent) and Peoria (-10.7 points to 6.4 percent).

The Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metropolitan Division unemployment rate fell -8.5 points to 7.9 percent. The unemployment rate also decreased over-the-year in all 102 counties.