The unemployment rate fell again in July for all 12 Illinois metropolitan statistical areas, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Securities (IDES) and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
At the same time, the Quad Cities MSA was among a trio of MSAs reporting the largest over-the-year nonfarm jobs decline, IDES reported in a Thursday, Aug. 21 news release.
“Illinois continues to showcase the resiliency of our economy, with unemployment declining across all 12 metro areas for the second month in a row and consecutive months of job gains in Champaign, Chicago, and Springfield,” Deputy Governor Andy Manar said. “The state remains committed to workforce development programs and resources that ensure communities across Illinois can fully benefit from them.”
Metro areas recording the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Springfield MSA, +1.7%, +1,900, and a virtual tie between Champaign-Urbana MSA, +1.1%, -1,300, and Rockford MSA, +1.1%, +1,600. Payroll in the Chicago-Metro Division also increased, +0.7%, +26,300.
The metro areas which posted the largest over-the-year percentage job decreases were Peoria MSA, -1.7%, -2,900, Davenport-Moline-Rock Island MSA, Illinois section, -1.5%, -1,300, and the Bloomington MSA, -1.3%, -1,200.
QC unemployment drops
The July jobs report also showed non-seasonally adjusted over-the-year unemployment rates for the following cities and counties across the Illinois section of the Quad Cities MSA:
- Rock Island County, 5% in July 2025, down 0.4% from 5.4% a year ago.
- Henry County, 5.2%, unchanged from 5.2% in 2024.
- Mercer County, 4.4%, down 0.8% from 5.2%.
- Knox County, 4.9%, down -0.6% from 5.9%.
- City of Rock Island, 5.2%, down 0.7% from 5.6%.
- City of Moline, 4.9%, down 1.3% from 5%.
- City of Galesburg, 5.4%, down 1% from 6.4%.
Across the state, industry sectors that saw job growth in the majority of the 12 metro areas included: Private Education and Health Services (12 areas); Government (nine areas), and Mining and Construction (seven areas).
The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate increases were the Chicago-Metropolitan Division, -0.9 to 5.1%; and a tie between the Kankakee MSA, -0.8 to 5.1%; and the Rockford MSA. -0.8 to 5.1%;, and the St. Louis MSA, Illinois Section, -0.8 to 4.2%.
For the Quad Cities MSA, unemployment decreased to 5% in July 2025 from 5.3% in July 2024 and total nonfarm employment decreased -1,300 jobs compared to July 2024, dropping from 86,900 to 85,600, the IDES report said.
The industry sectors recording payroll gains in the Quad Cities MSA were: Other Services and Government, both +300; and Private Education-Health Services, +100. Recording over-the-year declines were: Professional-Business Services, -900; Wholesale Trade, -300; Transportation-Warehousing-Utilities, -200; Financial Activities, -200; Manufacturing, -100; Retail Trade, -100; Information, -100; and Leisure-Hospitality, -100.
About the report
The unemployment rate identifies those who are out of work and seeking employment, IDES said. A person who exhausts benefits, or is ineligible, still will be reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
The data contained in the metro area employment numbers press releases are not seasonally adjusted. Current monthly metro data should be compared to the same month from prior years (January 2025 data compared to January 2024 data) as data for these months have similar seasonal patterns.
