Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

23-1353-CHI
Friday, July 14, 2023

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

County Employment and Wages in Illinois — Fourth Quarter 2022

Employment rose in 9 of the 11 largest counties in Illinois for which data were available from December 2021 to December 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2021.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that Mclean County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment at 4.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)


National employment increased 2.6 percent over the year, with 325 of the 355 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Midland, TX, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 7.9 percent. Elkhart, IN, and Hendricks, IN, both experienced the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 1.7 percent each.

Among the 13 largest counties in Illinois, employment was highest in Cook County (2,556,500) in December 2022. Within Cook County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the 13 largest Illinois counties accounted for 79.9 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 72.9 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 89 counties in Illinois with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 86 of the 89 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,385 in the fourth quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Nine of the thirteen large Illinois counties reported average weekly wage declines from the fourth quarter of 2021 to the fourth quarter of 2022. (See chart 2.) Lake County had the largest loss (-5.0 percent), followed by Cook County (-4.7 percent) and DuPage County (-4.1 percent). Over-the-year wage changes among Illinois’ other 10 large counties ranged from -2.3 percent to +2.1 percent.


Nationwide, wages decreased by 2.3 percent over the year. Among the 355 largest counties in the United States, 240 had over-the-year wage decreases. San Francisco, CA, had the largest percentage wage decrease (-22.6 percent). Midland, TX, had the largest over-the-year percentage increase (+6.1 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Weekly wages in the 3 of the 13 largest counties in Illinois were above the national average of $1,385 in the fourth quarter of 2022. Average weekly wages in these three counties ranked among the top 60 nationwide: Lake ($1,758, 19th), Cook ($1,597, 36th), and DuPage ($1,496, 57th).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 86 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the fourth quarter of 2022. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,329. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 269 counties. At $827 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Illinois’ smaller counties

Among the 89 smaller counties in Illinois—those with employment below 75,000—Putnum ($1,572), Rock Island ($1,549), and De Witt ($1,430) reported average weekly wages above the national average. Calhoun County ($635) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 102 counties in Illinois were considered, 15 reported average weekly wages of less than $850, 26 registered wages from $850 to $949, 30 had wages from $950 to $1,049, 15 had wages from $1,050 to $1,149, and 16 had average weekly wages of $1,150 or higher. (See chart 3.)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3. For additional information about quarterly employment and wages data, please read the Technical Note or visit www.bls.gov/cew.

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. This publication is typically published in September of the following year of the reference period or shortly after the QCEW first quarter full data update. The Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online is available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/.

The County Employment and Wages release for first quarter 2023 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 23, 2023.
The County Employment and Wages full data update for first quarter 2023 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, September 6, 2023.


Technical Note

Average weekly wage data by county are compiled under the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, also known as the ES-202 program. The data are derived from summaries of employment and total pay of workers covered by state and federal unemployment insurance (UI) legislation and provided by State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). The average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total wages by the average of the three monthly employment levels of those covered by UI programs. The result is then divided by 13, the number of weeks in a quarter. It is to be noted, therefore, that over-the-year wage changes for geographic areas may reflect shifts in the composition of employment by industry, occupation, and such other factors as hours of work. Thus, wages may vary among counties, metropolitan areas, or states for reasons other than changes in the average wage level. Data for all states, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), counties, and the nation are available on the BLS web site at www.bls.gov/cew. However, data in QCEW press releases have been revised and may not match the data contained on the Bureau’s web site.

QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are simply the sums of individual establishment records reflecting the number of establishments that exist in a county or industry at a point in time. Establishments can move in or out of a county or industry for a number of reasons–some reflecting economic events, others reflecting administrative changes.

The preliminary QCEW data presented in this release may differ from data released by the individual states as well as from the data presented on the BLS web site. These potential differences result from the states’ continuing receipt, review and editing of UI data over time. On the other hand, differences between data in this release and the data found on the BLS web site are the result of adjustments made to improve over-the-year comparisons. Specifically, these adjustments account for administrative (noneconomic) changes such as a correction to a previously reported location or industry classification. Adjusting for these administrative changes allows users to more accurately assess changes of an economic nature (such as a firm moving from one county to another or changing its primary economic activity) over a 12-month period. Currently, adjusted data are available only from BLS press releases.

For more information see the Technical Note for the County Employment and Wages News Release.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the 13 largest counties in Illinois, fourth quarter 2022
Area Establishments,
fourth quarter
(thousands)
Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2022
(thousands)
Percent change,
December
2021–22 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)
Fourth quarter
2022
National ranking
by level (3)
Percent change,
fourth quarter
2021–22 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

11,785.7 152,317.9 2.6 -- $1,385 -- -2.3 --

Illinois

409.8 5,997.3 2.0 -- 1,432 11 -2.8 46

Champaign

4.2 95.0 1.4 216 1,111 274 -0.8 144

Cook

143.5 2,556.5 1.6 194 1,597 36 -4.7 327

DuPage

35.3 611.3 1.3 225 1,496 57 -4.1 314

Kane

13.2 211.8 (5) - 1,192 208 -2.3 250

Lake

20.7 327.4 1.1 250 1,758 19 -5.0 330

McHenry

8.0 94.8 -0.4 338 1,069 310 -1.7 205

McLean

3.4 86.5 4.7 14 1,199 202 0.6 65

Madison

5.4 103.1 0.2 313 1,082 303 -0.3 122

Peoria

4.1 102.2 0.0 326 1,333 110 0.2 95

St. Clair

5.0 89.4 0.7 292 1,068 311 -1.0 162

Sangamon

4.9 127.9 (5) - 1,242 170 2.1 16

Will

16.3 260.1 2.7 100 1,166 228 0.6 65

Winnebago

6.0 125.5 2.8 96 1,125 260 -0.9 152

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(5) Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Illinois, fourth quarter 2022
Area Establishments Employment December 2022 Average weekly wage (1)

United States (2)

11,785,706 152,317,914 $1,385

Illinois

409,815 5,997,266 1,432

Adams

1,751 32,349 1,050

Alexander

94 833 864

Bond

304 4,448 894

Boone

904 13,196 1,074

Brown

129 4,693 1,260

Bureau

788 10,764 976

Calhoun

95 746 635

Carroll

408 4,002 1,044

Cass

272 5,340 985

Champaign

4,242 95,040 1,111

Christian

732 9,365 926

Clark

322 4,436 838

Clay

321 4,613 925

Clinton

933 12,139 943

Coles

1,048 23,243 898

Cook

143,468 2,556,463 1,597

Crawford

419 7,019 1,156

Cumberland

189 2,897 963

De Kalb

2,024 36,386 1,048

De Witt

368 5,155 1,430

Douglas

593 7,551 1,026

Du Page

35,276 611,270 1,496

Edgar

347 7,441 1,023

Edwards

148 2,102 880

Effingham

1,250 23,779 986

Fayette

466 5,392 846

Ford

352 5,431 1,088

Franklin

722 9,011 830

Fulton

669 8,388 826

Gallatin

124 929 939

Greene

244 2,261 961

Grundy

1,200 20,715 1,360

Hamilton

207 1,969 1,021

Hancock

428 4,129 935

Hardin

64 822 760

Henderson

144 1,127 700

Henry

1,019 13,304 974

Iroquois

698 7,035 940

Jackson

1,152 24,935 1,031

Jasper

234 2,142 993

Jefferson

860 19,282 1,022

Jersey

410 5,071 858

Jo Daviess

736 7,035 1,013

Johnson

195 2,288 1,000

Kane

13,159 211,836 1,192

Kankakee

2,240 41,925 1,025

Kendall

2,456 29,758 942

Knox

997 16,336 893

Lake

20,655 327,433 1,758

La Salle

2,521 40,633 1,084

Lawrence

249 3,775 955

Lee

710 12,731 1,044

Livingston

863 13,444 1,045

Logan

556 7,911 1,050

McDonough

571 10,311 860

McHenry

7,997 94,767 1,069

McLean

3,358 86,486 1,199

Macon

2,034 45,773 1,239

Macoupin

900 10,053 952

Madison

5,382 103,077 1,082

Marion

822 12,518 878

Marshall

263 2,770 901

Mason

301 2,769 835

Massac

197 2,818 1,093

Menard

217 1,711 868

Mercer

308 3,158 830

Monroe

853 8,452 904

Montgomery

710 8,460 897

Morgan

714 13,743 956

Moultrie

333 5,059 943

Ogle

1,045 15,125 1,080

Peoria

4,101 102,212 1,333

Perry

340 4,496 918

Piatt

378 3,663 910

Pike

413 3,929 905

Pope

46 613 705

Pulaski

106 1,196 819

Putnam

168 1,761 1,572

Randolph

623 11,690 1,051

Richland

407 5,950 889

Rock Island

2,977 72,865 1,549

St. Clair

5,044 89,402 1,068

Saline

508 7,983 787

Sangamon

4,948 127,946 1,242

Schuyler

176 1,421 937

Scott

97 895 802

Shelby

475 4,738 884

Stark

137 1,448 1,044

Stephenson

1,051 16,776 1,069

Tazewell

2,607 46,650 1,007

Union

330 5,199 809

Vermilion

1,338 25,740 1,011

Wabash

274 3,405 950

Warren

374 6,415 955

Washington

410 6,758 1,179

Wayne

388 4,100 766

White

345 4,022 958

Whiteside

1,200 21,177 962

Will

16,267 260,131 1,166

Williamson

1,384 28,048 956

Winnebago

6,025 125,500 1,125

Woodford

776 10,361 1,094

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, fourth quarter 2022
State Establishments,
fourth quarter
(thousands)
Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2022
(thousands)
Percent change,
December
2021–22
Fourth quarter
2022
National ranking
by level
Percent change,
fourth quarter
2021–22
National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

11,785.7 152,317.9 2.6 $1,385 -- -2.3 --

Alabama

152.6 2,057.5 2.2 1,158 35 0.4 8

Alaska

24.9 303.9 1.5 1,299 18 -0.8 26

Arizona

211.7 3,157.8 3.1 1,272 22 -0.8 26

Arkansas

101.0 1,272.9 2.9 1,065 50 -0.1 13

California

1,768.8 18,051.3 2.3 1,679 4 -6.9 51

Colorado

254.3 2,857.0 2.9 1,472 9 -0.9 31

Connecticut

142.8 1,667.9 1.6 1,593 6 -0.9 31

Delaware

40.5 464.6 2.4 1,346 15 0.4 8

District of Columbia

49.7 757.7 0.9 2,291 1 -1.1 35

Florida

882.6 9,616.3 3.9 1,284 20 -0.8 26

Georgia

397.5 4,794.5 3.7 1,289 19 -0.3 18

Hawaii

54.0 638.1 3.7 1,227 28 -0.2 16

Idaho

89.5 827.0 3.1 1,114 44 0.3 10

Illinois

409.8 5,997.3 2.0 1,432 11 -2.8 46

Indiana

189.5 3,154.4 2.1 1,131 40 -1.9 40

Iowa

110.8 1,543.9 0.9 1,153 37 -0.3 18

Kansas

96.4 1,416.2 2.6 1,125 41 -0.7 25

Kentucky

146.0 1,967.4 2.5 1,099 46 -0.9 31

Louisiana

151.5 1,880.4 1.1 1,134 39 -0.8 26

Maine

63.1 626.7 2.0 1,165 34 0.0 12

Maryland

190.0 2,668.5 0.3 1,462 10 -2.4 43

Massachusetts

293.6 3,620.2 1.8 1,790 2 -2.5 45

Michigan

302.6 4,350.0 2.3 1,274 21 -1.2 37

Minnesota

205.6 2,870.0 1.6 1,357 14 -1.5 38

Mississippi

83.3 1,161.6 1.2 947 51 0.2 11

Missouri

239.9 2,860.4 2.0 1,172 33 -0.6 21

Montana

62.6 500.6 2.4 1,118 42 0.9 5

Nebraska

79.1 995.5 1.7 1,154 36 1.2 4

Nevada

105.3 1,503.3 4.7 1,244 25 -0.1 13

New Hampshire

64.7 678.9 2.4 1,484 8 -6.1 50

New Jersey

331.2 4,235.5 2.7 1,534 7 -1.9 40

New Mexico

67.5 844.1 2.7 1,115 43 1.6 1

New York

683.5 9,449.3 2.7 1,736 3 -5.1 49

North Carolina

354.8 4,771.4 2.7 1,235 26 -0.6 21

North Dakota

34.8 416.0 2.0 1,204 30 0.9 5

Ohio

333.8 5,439.4 1.6 1,203 31 -1.6 39

Oklahoma

125.9 1,662.2 3.0 1,073 48 -0.6 21

Oregon

188.0 1,960.1 2.1 1,302 17 -2.2 42

Pennsylvania

391.9 5,944.5 2.1 1,320 16 -2.4 43

Rhode Island

47.0 485.8 2.2 1,261 23 -4.3 48

South Carolina

171.0 2,218.6 3.2 1,111 45 0.9 5

South Dakota

39.7 444.6 2.1 1,096 47 -1.0 34

Tennessee

207.8 3,221.9 3.8 1,254 24 -0.8 26

Texas

811.6 13,576.6 4.2 1,372 13 -0.2 16

Utah

137.3 1,675.6 3.2 1,230 27 -0.1 13

Vermont

31.6 304.6 1.7 1,207 29 1.4 3

Virginia

337.4 4,010.6 2.2 1,416 12 -0.6 21

Washington

236.8 3,540.6 3.2 1,631 5 -3.0 47

West Virginia

56.6 682.6 1.1 1,067 49 1.5 2

Wisconsin

204.0 2,899.1 2.1 1,188 32 -1.1 35

Wyoming

30.1 272.7 1.9 1,137 38 -0.5 20

Puerto Rico

50.8 976.7 4.3 665 (3) 2.9 (3)

Virgin Islands

3.7 35.7 1.6 1,021 (3) 3.8 (3)

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.

Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Chart 3. Average weekly wages by county in Illinois, fourth quarter 2022

(U.S. average = $1,385)

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, July 14, 2023