SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Preliminary data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Illinois Department of Employment Security on Thursday shows that Illinois added 160,000 non-farm jobs in 2022 while the statewide unemployment rate remained unchanged from 2021.
“For nearly two years, Illinois has seen consistent job growth across the state throughout industry sectors,” Deputy Governor Andy Manar said. “IDES continues to help job seekers and employers connect with one another as more people enter the labor force and look to take advantage of newly created and expanded job opportunities in the labor market.”
The 160,000 added jobs represent an increase of 2.68% from the number of jobs in 2021. The Lake/Kenosha County metropolitan area saw the largest percentage increase in the state with a 3.8% job growth. Central Illinois’ largest growth was in Springfield with a 2.78% job growth, followed by Decatur (1.65%), Danville (1.15%), and Champaign-Urbana (1.02%)
| Metropolitan area | December 2021 | December 2022 | Year-to-year change |
| Bloomington | 92,900 | 95,500 | +2,600 (2.80%) |
| Carbondale-Marion | 58,000 | 58,800 | +500 (0.86%) |
| Champaign-Urbana | 118,200 | 119,400 | +1,200 (1.02%) |
| Chicago-Naperville- Arlington Heights | 3,721,000 | 3,829,800 | +108,000 (2.90%) |
| Danville | 26,100 | 26,400 | +300 (1.15%) |
| Davenport-Moline- Rock Island, IA-IL | 182,100 | 188,500 | +6,400 (3.51%) |
| Decatur | 48,400 | 49,200 | +800 (1.65%) |
| Elgin | 251,800 | 257,100 | +5,300 (2.1%) |
| Kankakee | 42,500 | 43,500 | +1,000 (2.35%) |
| Lake & Kenosha Counties, IL-WI | 414,000 | 430,000 | +15,700 (3.79%) |
| Peoria | 166,000 | 169,700 | +3,700 (2.23%) |
| Rockford | 143,900 | 148,400 | +4,500 (3.13%) |
| Springfield | 108,100 | 111,100 | +3,000 (2.78%) |
| St. Louis (IL, Metro East) | 238,300 | 239,500 | +1,200 (0.50%) |
| Illinois statewide | 5,981,100 | 6,141,300 | +160,200 (2.68%) |
Industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas include manufacturing, leisure and hospitality (13 areas each); other services (12 areas); mining and construction, education and health services (11 areas each); government (ten areas) and wholesale trade (nine areas).
Unemployment, meanwhile, was at 4.2% across the state, the same percentage it was at in December of 2021. However, unemployment decreased in 13 metro areas while only slightly increasing in one.
Rockford saw the largest drop in unemployment with a decrease of 1.3 percentage points for the metro area. Decatur saw the second-largest drop in the state with a 1.0 percentage point drop. Other central Illinois metro areas that saw a decrease in their unemployment rates include Springfield (0.4), Champaign-Urbana (0.2), and Danville (0.2).
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights was the only metro area of the state to see a rise in the unemployment rate, albeit a slight one of 0.1 percentage points.
| Metropolitan area | December 2021 | December 2022 | Year-to-year change |
| Bloomington | 3.4% | 3.1% | -0.3 |
| Carbondale-Marion | 4.1% | 3.7% | -0.4 |
| Champaign-Urbana | 3.4% | 3.2% | -0.2 |
| Chicago-Naperville- Arlington Heights | 4.2% | 4.3% | +0.1 |
| Danville | 5.0% | 4.8% | -0.2 |
| Davenport-Moline- Rock Island, IA-IL | 4.1% | 3.7% | -0.4 |
| Decatur | 6.1% | 5.1% | -1.0 |
| Elgin | 4.6% | 4.3% | -0.3 |
| Kankakee | 5.3% | 5.1% | -0.2 |
| Lake & Kenosha Counties, IL-WI | 3.9% | 3.8% | -0.1 |
| Peoria | 4.6% | 4.2% | -0.4 |
| Rockford | 6.7% | 5.4% | -1.3 |
| Springfield | 4.0% | 3.6% | -0.4 |
| St. Louis (IL, Metro East) | 3.7% | 3.4% | -0.3 |
| Illinois statewide | 4.2% | 4.2% | 0.0 |
