Unemployment in the Bloomington-Normal area dropped to 3.5% in October. That's the lowest jobless rate in the state, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, and is down from 3.6% in September.
The Bloomington market area, which includes McLean and DeWitt counties, has added 3,200 jobs since October 2021. That includes 1,100 jobs in the government sector. Retail trade (+600) and educational and health services (+500) also saw job gains.
Payroll dropped in professional and business services (-100 jobs). The market area’s non-farm payroll is 96,300.
Labor data puts Normal’s unemployment at 3.3%. Bloomington’s was 3.6%. The countywide rate was 3.4%.
Jobs increased over the year in all 14 metro areas in Illinois. Rockford had the highest unemployment rate in Illinois at 5.9%. Statewide, the jobless rate is 4.3%.
