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Economy & jobs Statistics · Area

Unemployment rate in Cook County

1990 – 2025 · 36 data points 30 of 102 · Regions of Illinois Updated Oct 22, 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 1990 – 2025

Unemployment rate, 1990 – 2025 percent · Cook County · Illinois · United States · World
−1.5 pp since 2015
Cook County Illinois United States World

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics · OECD Regional Database · World Bank — World Development Indicators, 1990 – 2025

Compared with Unemployment rate · percent
Cook County
4.8%
Illinois
4.6%
United States
3.6% · 2023
World
4.8%

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics · OECD Regional Database · World Bank — World Development Indicators

The series at a glance Cook County · 1990 – 2025
Latest value 4.8% · 2025
First value 7.3% · 1990
Highest 10.8% · 2010
Lowest 3.9% · 2019
Data points 36

By year

All years · 1990 – 2025

YearCook CountyChange IllinoisUnited StatesWorld
2025 4.8% −0.5 pp 4.6% — 4.8%
2024 5.3% +0.9 pp 5.0% — 4.8%
2023 4.4% −0.6 pp 4.5% 3.6% 4.8%
2022 5.0% −1.9 pp 4.6% 3.7% 5.2%
2021 6.9% −3.8 pp 6.1% 5.4% 6.0%
2020 10.7% +6.8 pp 9.3% 8.1% 6.6%
2019 3.9% −0.2 pp 4.0% 3.7% 5.6%
2018 4.1% −1.0 pp 4.4% 3.9% 5.8%
2017 5.1% −1.1 pp 5.0% 4.4% 5.9%
2016 6.2% −0.1 pp 5.9% 4.9% 6.0%
2015 6.3% −1.3 pp 6.0% 5.3% 6.0%
2014 7.6% −2.1 pp 7.2% 6.2% 6.0%
2013 9.7% +0.1 pp 9.1% 5.3% 6.1%
2012 9.6% −1.0 pp 9.0% 8.1% 6.2%
2011 10.6% −0.2 pp 9.8% 9.0% 6.1%
2010 10.8% +0.5 pp 10.4% 9.6% 6.3%
2009 10.3% +3.7 pp 10.0% 9.3% 6.4%
2008 6.6% +1.2 pp 6.5% 5.8% 5.8%
2007 5.4% +0.5 pp 5.1% 4.6% 5.8%
2006 4.9% −1.6 pp 4.6% 4.6% 6.0%
2005 6.5% −0.4 pp 5.7% 5.1% 6.2%
2004 6.9% −0.5 pp 6.2% 5.5% 6.3%
2003 7.4% −0.3 pp 6.7% 6.0% 6.5%
2002 7.7% +1.5 pp 6.5% 5.8% 6.4%
2001 6.2% +1.3 pp 5.4% 4.8% 6.2%
2000 4.9% −0.3 pp 4.5% 4.0% 6.1%
1999 5.2% −0.1 pp 4.4% 4.2% 6.3%
1998 5.3% −0.5 pp 4.5% 4.5% 6.2%
1997 5.8% −0.3 pp 4.8% 4.9% 6.0%
1996 6.1% +0.1 pp 5.3% 5.4% 6.0%
1995 6.0% −0.7 pp 5.2% 5.6% 5.9%
1994 6.7% −1.9 pp 5.8% — 5.8%
1993 8.6% −0.3 pp 7.5% — 5.5%
1992 8.9% +0.7 pp 7.9% — 5.3%
1991 8.2% +0.9 pp 7.3% — 5.1%
1990 7.3% 6.3% — —

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics · OECD Regional Database · World Bank — World Development Indicators, 1990 – 2025

Ranking · Regions of Illinois

2017 · Place 1 is the highest value.

#TerritoryUnemployment rate
101 Adams County 3.6%
2 Alexander County 8.1%
71 Bond County 4.6%
8 Boone County 6.3%
100 Brown County 3.7%
52 Bureau County 4.9%
14 Calhoun County 5.9%
53 Carroll County 4.9%
80 Cass County 4.4%
86 Champaign County 4.3%
64 Christian County 4.7%
49 Clark County 5.0%
27 Clay County 5.5%
99 Clinton County 3.8%
81 Coles County 4.4%
44 Cook County 5.1%
21 Crawford County 5.6%
93 Cumberland County 4.1%
82 De Witt County 4.4%
72 DeKalb County 4.6%
90 Douglas County 4.2%
91 DuPage County 4.2%
33 Edgar County 5.4%
76 Edwards County 4.5%
94 Effingham County 4.1%
…

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2017

What it means

The share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one.

How it is calculated

Unemployed people divided by the labour force (employed plus unemployed), following the international definition; annual average.