Rockford unemployment rate rises slightly as jobs decrease

ILLINOIS (WIFR) – New unemployment numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security show the unemployment rate increasing in all of Illinois’ 14 metropolitan areas.

Since June 2023, the Rockford-area unemployment rate increased by .5 percent from 6.2 to 6.7 percent.

Data also shows total nonfarm jobs increased in five metropolitan areas, decreased in six and stayed the same in three. Rockford saw one of the largest decreases, with 1,900 nonfarm jobs disappearing between June 2023 and June 2024. The Davenport-Moline-Rock Island metro saw the largest change with a decrease of 2,000 jobs.

In the Rockford region, the city of Rockford had the highest unemployment rate at 7.6% in June 2024, with Freeport seeing the largest year-to-year change of 1.1 percent.

The area with the largest increase in nonfarm jobs was Champaign-Urbana with a 1.5% increase, or an added 1,700 jobs.

The area with the largest unemployment rate increase was the Chicago Metro Division, up to 6.4% in June 2024 from 4.7% in June 2023.

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