Economy

Central Illinois demand for gasoline has softened since the beginning of November, declining for four consecutive weeks. Prices also are down, and usually that’d be great for holiday travelers. But this year it makes no difference because fewer people are going places.

The Small Business Development Center at Illinois Wesleyan University has seen improvement in the last three months after a big drop in activity during the early part of the pandemic.

Several state-regulated utilities have voluntarily extended a moratorium on disconnections into next year after requests from the Illinois Commerce Commission. 

“The city is in a good position, but it’s not in a great position,” City Manager Tim Gleason said Monday night in terms of the city withstanding the economic impact of COVID-19.

More than 5,000 people in the Bloomington-Normal area claimed unemployment benefits in March—a ten-fold increase from a year ago that offers a new view of COVID-19’s economic toll.

The Bloomington-Normal unemployment rate in September dropped nearly half a percentage point from last year as the local workforce grew by 100.

The Bloomington-Normal unemployment rate fell in July as the economy added 200 jobs from this time a year ago.

The Bridgestone plant in Normal will add 30 new employees as part of a $12 million investment, the tiremaker announced Tuesday.

Frontier Airlines is coming back to Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington.

Amid the many moves by State Farm Insurance comes a hiring fair.

The total compensation for State Farm’s top executive is lower than his predecessor’s and several of his peers in the insurance industry.

As more retail chains shut down, cities across Illinois figure out what to do with millions of square feet of empty space.

The Bloomington-Normal real estate market picked up a little in March, as the pace of sales quickened and prices continued their upward climb.

Manufacturing has seen a surge of economic growth lately, but the industry is growing faster than it can find employees to fill the gap.

The Bloomington-Normal housing market continued its sluggish start to 2018, with total sales off nearly 20 percent through February.

Bloomington-Normal’s jobless rate has fallen again, making it the lowest among all metro areas in Illinois.

UPDATED 12:30 p.m. | The CEO of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council has resigned to take another position.

State Farm announced Tuesday it will cut around 890 jobs in Bloomington as part of an IT restructuring project that will add similar positions in Atlanta, Dallas, and Phoenix.

State Farm on Thursday reported its second-straight year of operating losses for its property-casualty insurance businesses, as the company pledged to get leaner and make significant internal changes.

The Bloomington-Normal housing market got off to a slow start in 2018, with sales in January—typically one of the slowest months of the year—falling by more than 25 percent from a year ago.