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

17-1282-CHI
Wednesday, September 27, 2017

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

Chicago Area Employment — August 2017

Local Rate of Employment Growth Below National Average

Total nonfarm employment for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. Metropolitan Statistical Area stood at 4,709,800 in August 2017, up 24,700, or 0.5 percent, over the year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. During the same period, the national job count increased 1.5 percent. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the Chicago metropolitan area has had over-the-year employment increases each month since October 2010. (See chart 1 and table 1; the Technical Note at the end of this release contains metropolitan area definitions. All data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year analysis is used throughout.)

The Chicago metropolitan area is made up of four metropolitan divisions—separately identifiable employment centers within the larger metropolitan area. The Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metropolitan Division, which accounted for 80 percent of the area’s workforce, added 18,700 jobs from August a year ago. In the Lake County-Kenosha County, Ill.-Wis. Metropolitan Division, employment increased by 6,600, while employment in the Gary, Ind. and the Elgin, Ill. Metropolitan Divisions were little changed compared to August a year ago.

Industry employment

In the greater Chicago metropolitan area, financial activities had the largest employment gain from August 2016 to August 2017, adding 9,300 jobs. The Chicago area’s 3.1-percent growth in financial activities was greater than the nationwide advance of 1.8 percent. Local employment growth in the supersector was concentrated in the Chicago division which added 9,600 jobs. (See chart 2.)

Professional and business services employment increased by 7,600 since August 2016, the second-largest employment gain in the Chicago area. Local employment growth in the supersector was concentrated in the Lake and Chicago divisions, which added, 5,500 jobs and 3,400 jobs, respectively. The local rate of job growth, at 0.9 percent, was less than the 3.0-percent national increase.

Leisure and hospitality gained 3,200 jobs in the local area since last August. The 0.7-percent local rate of job growth in this supersector was lower than the 2.0-percent national rate.

Four other supersectors in the Chicago area each gained at least 1,800 jobs since August 2016 — education and health services (+2,900), information (+2,700), other services (+2,400), and construction (+1,800). Chicago’s information supersector employment grew 3.3 percent from August 2016 to August 2017. Nationally, this industry lost jobs, down 2.5 percent over the year. The local area’s job growth rates in the three other supersectors were less than those nationally.

Two Chicago area supersectors lost more than 1,000 jobs since last August—manufacturing (-2,700, down 0.6 percent), and government (-1,900, down 0.4 percent). Nationally, manufacturing had a 1.1-percent rate of job growth, while the rate of job growth for government had no change from the previous August.

Employment in the 12 largest metropolitan areas

Chicago was 1 of the nation’s 12 largest metropolitan statistical areas in August 2017. All 12 areas had over-the-year job growth during the period, with the rates of job growth in 9 areas exceeding the national increase of 1.5 percent. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell had the fastest rate of job growth, 3.2 percent, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington at 2.8 percent. Chicago and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim had the slowest rates of job growth at 0.5 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively. (See chart 3 and table 2.)

New York-Newark-Jersey City added the largest number of jobs, 145,900, followed by Dallas (+96,700) and Atlanta (+86,400). Chicago had the smallest employment gain over the year, adding 24,700 jobs. Annual job gains in the eight remaining metropolitan areas ranged from 67,600 to 34,900.

Over the year, education and health services added the most jobs in five areas: Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria. Professional and business services gained the most jobs in four other areas: Atlanta, Dallas, Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, and Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington.

Information lost the most jobs over the year in three areas: Dallas, New York, and Washington. Atlanta had no annual job losses in any supersector.

Metropolitan area employment data for September 2017 are scheduled to be released on Friday, October 20, 2017.


Technical Note

This release presents nonfarm payroll employment estimates from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. The CES survey is a Federal-State cooperative endeavor between State employment security agencies and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Definitions. Employment data refer to persons on establishment payrolls who receive pay for any part of the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Persons are counted at their place of work rather than at their place of residence; those appearing on more than one payroll are counted on each payroll. Industries are classified on the basis of their principal activity in accordance with the 2012 version of the North American Industry Classification System.

Method of estimation. The employment data are estimated using a "link relative" technique in which a ratio (link relative) of current-month employment to that of the previous month is computed from a sample of establishments reporting for both months. The estimates of employment for the current month are obtained by multiplying the estimates for the previous month by these ratios. Small-domain models are used as the official estimators for approximately 39 percent of CES published series which have insufficient sample for direct sample-based estimates.

Annual revisions. Employment estimates are adjusted annually to a complete count of jobs, called benchmarks, derived principally from tax reports which are submitted by employers who are covered under state unemployment insurance (UI) laws. The benchmark information is used to adjust the monthly estimates between the new benchmark and the preceding one and also to establish the level of employment for the new benchmark month. Thus, the benchmarking process establishes the level of employment, and the sample is used to measure the month-to-month changes in the level for the subsequent months.

Reliability of the estimates. The estimates presented in this release are based on sample survey and administrative data and thus are subject to sampling and other types of errors. Sampling error is a measure of sampling variability—that is, variation that occurs by chance because a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed. Survey data are also subject to nonsampling errors, such as those which can be introduced into the data collection and processing operations. Estimates not directly derived from sample surveys are subject to additional errors resulting from the special estimation processes used. The sums of individual items may not always equal the totals shown in the same tables because of rounding.

Employment estimates. Measures of sampling error are available for metropolitan areas or metropolitan divisions upon request. Measures of sampling error for states down to the supersector level are available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/sae/additional-resources/reliability-of-state-and-area-estimates.htm. Information on recent benchmark revisions is available online at www.bls.gov/sae/benchmark2017.pdf.

Area definitions. The substate area data published in this release reflect the delineations issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget on July 15, 2015. A detailed list of the geographic definitions is available at www.bls.gov/lau/lausmsa.htm.

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties in Illinois; Jasper, Lake, Newton, and Porter Counties in Indiana; and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.

  • The Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, Ill. Metropolitan Division includes Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kendall, McHenry, and Will Counties in Illinois.
  • The Elgin, Ill. Metropolitan Division includes DeKalb and Kane Counties.
  • The Lake County-Kenosha County, Ill.-Wis. Metropolitan Division includes Lake County in Illinois and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.
  • The Gary, Ind. Metropolitan Division includes Jasper, Lake, Newton, and Porter Counties in Indiana.

Additional information

More complete information on the technical procedures used to develop these estimates and additional data appear in Employment and Earnings, which is available online at www.bls.gov/opub/ee/home.htm. Industry employment data for states and metropolitan areas from the Current Employment Statistics program are also available in the above mentioned news releases and from the Internet at www.bls.gov/sae.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, the Chicago metropolitan area and its components, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)
Area and Industry
 
Aug
2016
Jun
2017
Jul
2017
Aug
2017(p)
Aug 2016 to
Aug 2017(p)
Net
change
Percent
change

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area

 

Total nonfarm

4,685.14,745.64,718.74,709.824.70.5

Mining and logging

1.61.61.61.60.00.0

Construction

182.1180.6181.9183.91.81.0

Manufacturing

415.4418.2416.4412.7-2.7-0.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

945.6947.8945.2945.0-0.6-0.1

Information

81.284.684.783.92.73.3

Financial activities

302.2311.5312.0311.59.33.1

Professional and business services

832.5836.4839.2840.17.60.9

Education and health services

704.9720.1709.2707.82.90.4

Leisure and hospitality

489.2494.3493.4492.43.20.7

Other services

195.4198.0198.5197.82.41.2

Government

535.0552.5536.6533.1-1.9-0.4

Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division

 

Total nonfarm

3,738.23,777.83,762.83,756.918.70.5

Mining and logging

1.11.11.11.10.00.0

Construction

137.0134.2135.2137.30.30.2

Manufacturing

283.7285.3283.9282.7-1.0-0.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

745.2747.5745.4744.8-0.4-0.1

Information

71.775.175.274.52.83.9

Financial activities

261.5270.5271.4271.19.63.7

Professional and business services

700.2700.0703.1703.63.40.5

Education and health services

578.6589.1580.2579.20.60.1

Leisure and hospitality

387.1392.6391.1390.43.30.9

Other services

159.5161.7162.4161.72.21.4

Government

412.6420.7413.8410.5-2.1-0.5

Elgin, IL Metropolitan Division

 

Total nonfarm

255.1258.1254.4254.2-0.9-0.4

Mining and logging

0.20.20.20.20.00.0

Construction

13.613.113.313.4-0.2-1.5

Manufacturing

36.035.635.333.6-2.4-6.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities

49.249.549.550.00.81.6

Information

3.73.73.73.6-0.1-2.7

Financial activities

10.710.910.910.90.21.9

Professional and business services

35.034.133.333.6-1.4-4.0

Education and health services

31.832.431.532.00.20.6

Leisure and hospitality

25.726.926.927.21.55.8

Other services

8.89.08.98.90.11.1

Government

40.442.740.940.80.41.0

Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division

 

Total nonfarm

416.6428.3426.5423.26.61.6

Mining and logging

0.10.10.10.10.00.0

Construction

14.814.815.115.00.21.4

Manufacturing

59.562.061.861.21.72.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities

92.291.991.691.6-0.6-0.7

Information

3.73.73.73.70.00.0

Financial activities

21.121.020.720.5-0.6-2.8

Professional and business services

73.677.478.779.15.57.5

Education and health services

45.647.647.646.61.02.2

Leisure and hospitality

42.941.642.542.0-0.9-2.1

Other services

13.313.313.313.30.00.0

Government

49.854.951.450.10.30.6

Gary, IN Metropolitan Division

 

Total nonfarm

275.2281.4275.0275.50.30.1

Mining and logging

0.20.20.20.20.00.0

Construction

16.718.518.318.21.59.0

Manufacturing

36.235.335.435.2-1.0-2.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

59.058.958.758.6-0.4-0.7

Information

2.12.12.12.10.00.0

Financial activities

8.99.19.09.00.11.1

Professional and business services

23.724.924.123.80.10.4

Education and health services

48.951.049.950.01.12.2

Leisure and hospitality

33.533.232.932.8-0.7-2.1

Other services

13.814.013.913.90.10.7

Government

32.234.230.531.7-0.5-1.6

Footnotes
(p) Preliminary
 

Table 2. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, United States and 12 largest metropolitan areas, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)
AreaAug
2016
Jun
2017
Jul
2017
Aug
2017(p)
Aug 2016 to
Aug 2017(p)
Net
change
Percent
change

United States(1)

 

Total nonfarm

144,441147,421146,330146,5412,1001.5

Mining and logging

670716723728588.7

Construction

6,9757,1067,1457,1812063.0

Manufacturing

12,43012,49612,51712,5721421.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities

27,25927,41327,37627,3601010.4

Information

2,7902,7382,7342,721-69-2.5

Financial activities

8,3818,5058,5368,5321511.8

Professional and business services

20,32120,86120,87420,9286073.0

Education and health services

22,35422,89422,80722,8314772.1

Leisure and hospitality

16,33016,61816,74016,6633332.0

Other services

5,7295,8315,8345,821921.6

Government

21,20222,24321,04421,20420.0

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

 

Total nonfarm

2,675.32,759.52,746.22,761.786.43.2

Mining and logging

1.81.81.81.80.00.0

Construction

118.3122.5121.7120.62.31.9

Manufacturing

162.5163.2162.3162.90.40.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities

589.8597.6597.4599.29.41.6

Information

94.099.399.298.64.64.9

Financial activities

167.3174.8173.8172.95.63.3

Professional and business services

491.4523.4520.4524.933.56.8

Education and health services

334.9340.9340.5344.29.32.8

Leisure and hospitality

290.3306.1305.8301.511.23.9

Other services

99.0101.4102.5102.63.63.6

Government

326.0328.5320.8332.56.52.0

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH (NECTA)

 

Total nonfarm

2,710.62,789.72,782.02,774.063.42.3

Mining, logging, and construction

114.2114.0116.2116.62.42.1

Manufacturing

188.4188.0188.3188.1-0.3-0.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities

423.4431.2428.7426.02.60.6

Information

79.579.678.879.1-0.4-0.5

Financial activities

190.1193.5195.0193.93.82.0

Professional and business services

477.8486.4488.9491.814.02.9

Education and health services

561.2587.6589.4584.423.24.1

Leisure and hospitality

281.8283.5291.1290.68.83.1

Other services

104.6107.8109.5111.36.76.4

Government

289.6318.1296.1292.22.60.9

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

 

Total nonfarm

4,685.14,745.64,718.74,709.824.70.5

Mining and logging

1.61.61.61.60.00.0

Construction

182.1180.6181.9183.91.81.0

Manufacturing

415.4418.2416.4412.7-2.7-0.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

945.6947.8945.2945.0-0.6-0.1

Information

81.284.684.783.92.73.3

Financial activities

302.2311.5312.0311.59.33.1

Professional and business services

832.5836.4839.2840.17.60.9

Education and health services

704.9720.1709.2707.82.90.4

Leisure and hospitality

489.2494.3493.4492.43.20.7

Other services

195.4198.0198.5197.82.41.2

Government

535.0552.5536.6533.1-1.9-0.4

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

 

Total nonfarm

3,516.23,624.03,608.93,612.996.72.8

Mining, logging, and construction

207.1207.6209.1210.53.41.6

Manufacturing

265.8268.8270.7272.87.02.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

753.7764.8764.9768.214.51.9

Information

83.181.782.381.7-1.4-1.7

Financial activities

284.0293.6294.6293.59.53.3

Professional and business services

586.8609.1609.7611.925.14.3

Education and health services

432.8440.3439.9440.77.91.8

Leisure and hospitality

371.9397.1395.2390.518.65.0

Other services

122.9128.2128.3127.64.73.8

Government

408.1432.8414.2415.57.41.8

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

 

Total nonfarm

2,984.33,061.23,041.73,037.853.51.8

Mining and logging

86.486.387.487.00.60.7

Construction

216.2215.1210.7211.7-4.5-2.1

Manufacturing

220.3234.1235.2233.112.85.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

609.2603.2603.7604.1-5.1-0.8

Information

32.732.232.431.9-0.8-2.4

Financial activities

156.2156.2157.8158.72.51.6

Professional and business services

470.8486.1486.7486.315.53.3

Education and health services

382.8390.5392.2396.914.13.7

Leisure and hospitality

317.8330.7329.2328.010.23.2

Other services

109.4113.2112.2110.71.31.2

Government

382.5413.6394.2389.46.91.8

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

 

Total nonfarm

5,939.86,040.25,971.05,977.938.10.6

Mining and logging

4.14.04.04.0-0.1-2.4

Construction

234.6243.8249.3251.717.17.3

Manufacturing

516.1510.9509.8509.1-7.0-1.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,090.71,079.41,081.71,083.6-7.1-0.7

Information

255.5256.0252.5253.7-1.8-0.7

Financial activities

339.7337.9339.7340.00.30.1

Professional and business services

908.4914.3909.6915.26.80.7

Education and health services

957.2983.3978.4977.720.52.1

Leisure and hospitality

733.0742.8745.8740.87.81.1

Other services

203.3210.0211.0212.79.44.6

Government

697.2757.8689.2689.4-7.8-1.1

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

 

Total nonfarm

2,573.62,625.92,619.32,635.561.92.4

Mining and logging

0.70.70.70.70.00.0

Construction

124.2128.3129.8132.07.86.3

Manufacturing

87.787.087.087.90.20.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities

588.7600.2598.4597.58.81.5

Information

49.949.049.049.1-0.8-1.6

Financial activities

176.4175.6177.0174.8-1.6-0.9

Professional and business services

426.8436.5432.6431.85.01.2

Education and health services

377.6397.5394.9392.014.43.8

Leisure and hospitality

312.7330.7329.2327.514.84.7

Other services

124.0130.0130.8131.77.76.2

Government

304.9290.4289.9310.55.61.8

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

 

Total nonfarm

9,516.99,775.69,726.39,662.8145.91.5

Mining, logging, and construction

400.9399.2401.7404.83.91.0

Manufacturing

368.0366.7365.4367.1-0.9-0.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,710.51,735.11,717.21,707.7-2.8-0.2

Information

292.7286.1285.7286.5-6.2-2.1

Financial activities

783.3787.2792.7788.85.50.7

Professional and business services

1,539.01,571.41,573.31,567.728.71.9

Education and health services

1,809.01,910.71,887.21,874.165.13.6

Leisure and hospitality

937.0976.1987.3980.943.94.7

Other services

417.7430.7429.7425.67.91.9

Government

1,258.81,312.41,286.11,259.60.80.1

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

 

Total nonfarm

2,852.82,941.62,916.72,904.351.51.8

Mining, logging, and construction

117.8120.8121.2120.62.82.4

Manufacturing

179.7178.4179.3179.1-0.6-0.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities

520.5528.3525.2522.92.40.5

Information

47.047.146.346.1-0.9-1.9

Financial activities

214.2216.4217.1216.52.31.1

Professional and business services

462.3479.9479.8479.016.73.6

Education and health services

607.5627.7629.3622.915.42.5

Leisure and hospitality

271.2283.1283.7284.112.94.8

Other services

120.5122.0120.5119.3-1.2-1.0

Government

312.1337.9314.3313.81.70.5

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

 

Total nonfarm

1,961.71,982.71,967.71,996.634.91.8

Mining and logging

3.33.23.23.2-0.1-3.0

Construction

107.6109.0110.5109.92.32.1

Manufacturing

120.2123.3123.2123.63.42.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

384.4387.0387.2386.92.50.7

Information

35.935.334.333.6-2.3-6.4

Financial activities

176.2181.2180.5180.94.72.7

Professional and business services

338.9340.9339.9341.52.60.8

Education and health services

292.4297.2295.5301.08.62.9

Leisure and hospitality

211.4226.3223.0222.811.45.4

Other services

63.661.361.661.2-2.4-3.8

Government

227.8218.0208.8232.04.21.8

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

 

Total nonfarm

2,351.52,392.72,388.12,392.240.71.7

Mining and logging

1.01.01.01.00.00.0

Construction

116.2121.0122.8123.47.26.2

Manufacturing

133.9132.0132.8133.6-0.3-0.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities

378.1376.8378.8379.21.10.3

Information

101.8102.3103.2102.91.11.1

Financial activities

142.9147.1147.7147.24.33.0

Professional and business services

477.3473.9474.0473.5-3.8-0.8

Education and health services

334.2347.3345.1345.711.53.4

Leisure and hospitality

271.9279.3281.1282.710.84.0

Other services

86.288.588.989.12.93.4

Government

308.0323.5312.7313.95.91.9

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

 

Total nonfarm

3,227.33,312.63,323.43,294.967.62.1

Mining, logging, and construction

159.2159.8163.9165.05.83.6

Manufacturing

54.254.354.454.70.50.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities

406.0414.5413.2412.76.71.7

Information

74.571.671.471.2-3.3-4.4

Financial activities

159.3158.6159.6159.1-0.2-0.1

Professional and business services

746.2758.2764.8762.716.52.2

Education and health services

425.2443.4445.9444.919.74.6

Leisure and hospitality

332.0347.9349.1346.414.44.3

Other services

196.6198.1200.4199.93.31.7

Government

674.1706.2700.7678.34.20.6

Footnotes
(1) U.S. data are preliminary for two months after they are first published.
(p) Preliminary
 

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, September 27, 2017