BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

09/04/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/04/2026 10:32

County Employment and Wages in Illinois — First Quarter 2026

News Release Information

26-1443-CHI
Friday, September 04, 2026

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  • (312) 353-1138

County Employment and Wages in Illinois - First Quarter 2026

Employment was unchanged in 2 of the 13 largest counties in Illinois from March 2025 to March 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Illinois employment was essentially unchanged over the year at 5,992,400 in March 2026, as measured by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program. (See table 1.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that Winnebago County (-1.7 percent) had the largest over-the-year change in employment. (See chart 1.)

View Chart Data
Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Illinois, March 2026
County Percent change, March 2026

Winnebago

-1.7

Kane

-1.5

St. Clair

-1.1

Lake

-1.0

Champaign

-0.8

McLean

-0.5

DuPage

-0.3

Peoria

-0.3

Sangamon

-0.1

Cook

0.0

Madison

0.0

McHenry

0.5

Will

1.1

Cook County (2,569,900) had the highest employment level in Illinois in March 2026. Together, the 13 largest counties accounted for 80.1 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 376 largest counties comprise 73.5 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2025.)

Large county average weekly wages in the first quarter 2026

Average weekly wage gains in 8 of the 13 large counties in Illinois were below the national average of 3.9 percent. (See chart 2.) Peoria had the largest gain (+6.9 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among the other 12 large Illinois counties ranged from 6.2 percent to 1.9 percent.

View Chart Data
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Illinois, first quarter 2026
County Percent change, first quarter 2026

Peoria

6.9

McLean

6.2

Winnebago

5.7

DuPage

5.6

St. Clair

5.2

Cook

3.8

Kane

3.5

Sangamon

3.2

Lake

2.9

McHenry

2.9

Madison

2.6

Will

2.3

Champaign

1.9

Weekly wages in 4 of the 13 largest counties in Illinois were above the national average of $1,654. Average weekly wages ranged from $2,226 in Lake to $1,104 in McHenry.

Statewide, average weekly wages increased 4.1 percent over the year to $1,731. Illinois ranked 9th in average weekly wages among the 50 states and the District of Columbia and 16th in wage growth.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the first quarter 2026

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 89 smaller counties in Illinois, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2025. (See table 2.) Wage levels in all of the smaller counties were below the national average. Macon reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,559) among small counties. Calhoun reported the lowest average weekly wage ($729) in the state.

Among all 102 Illinois counties, 14 reported average weekly wages less than $900, 22 had wages from $900 to $999, 23 had wages from $1,000 to $1,099, 22 had wages from $1,100 to $1,199, and 21 had average weekly wages of $1,200 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)

Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Illinois, first quarter 2026

(U.S. average = $1,654)


Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for all states have been included in this release in table 3.

Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The County Employment and Wages release for the second quarter 2026 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 2, 2026.

County Changes for the 2026 County Employment and Wages News Releases

Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2025 are included in this release and will be included in future 2026 releases. Five counties have been added to the publication tables: Kenton, KY; Union, NC; Licking, OH; Gregg, TX; and Kenosha, WI. One county has been dropped from the publication tables: Wood, OH.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the 13 largest counties in Illinois, first quarter 2026
Area Establishments,
first quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2026
(thousands) 		Percent change,
March
2025-26 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3) 		First quarter
2026 ($) 		National ranking
by level (3) 		Percent change,
first quarter
2025-26 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

12,381.8 154,771.9 0.1 -- 1,654 -- 3.9 --

Illinois

389.4 5,992.4 0.0 -- 1,731 9 4.1 16

Champaign

4.2 94.4 -0.8 268 1,277 259 1.9 301

Cook

139.8 2,569.9 0.0 152 2,015 30 3.8 150

DuPage

34.3 616.3 -0.3 185 1,732 68 5.6 48

Kane

13.2 207.9 -1.5 331 1,274 262 3.5 176

Lake

20.3 315.0 -1.0 288 2,226 19 2.9 225

McHenry

8.1 94.9 0.5 104 1,104 352 2.9 225

McLean

3.4 87.3 -0.5 220 1,498 134 6.2 30

Madison

5.5 108.3 0.0 152 1,197 319 2.6 255

Peoria

4.0 99.0 -0.3 185 1,805 54 6.9 22

St. Clair

4.9 88.1 -1.1 300 1,184 323 5.2 60

Sangamon

5.0 131.1 -0.1 166 1,447 158 3.2 201

Will

16.2 265.7 1.1 53 1,208 305 2.3 273

Winnebago

5.8 122.1 -1.7 340 1,227 293 5.7 42

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Illinois, first quarter 2026
Area Establishments Employment March 2026 Average weekly wage ($) (1)

United States (2)

12,381,750 154,771,941 1,654

Illinois

389,406 5,992,382 1,731

Adams

1,752 32,754 1,110

Alexander

88 817 961

Bond

326 4,390 1,066

Boone

891 10,949 1,064

Brown

122 4,823 1,442

Bureau

773 9,684 1,165

Calhoun

90 733 729

Carroll

404 3,896 1,027

Cass

269 4,707 1,116

Champaign

4,207 94,401 1,277

Christian

693 9,069 1,053

Clark

334 4,135 910

Clay

297 4,708 1,022

Clinton

928 12,542 1,023

Coles

1,029 23,680 1,124

Cook

139,775 2,569,918 2,015

Crawford

425 7,627 1,288

Cumberland

204 2,949 888

DeKalb

2,006 36,369 1,151

DeWitt

341 4,871 1,516

Douglas

614 7,594 1,128

DuPage

34,283 616,274 1,732

Edgar

338 6,699 1,165

Edwards

142 1,031 896

Effingham

1,239 22,930 1,085

Fayette

447 4,846 886

Ford

360 5,322 1,165

Franklin

700 8,600 917

Fulton

641 8,516 917

Gallatin

122 870 1,028

Greene

247 2,192 865

Grundy

1,208 23,243 1,482

Hamilton

204 2,037 1,104

Hancock

411 4,247 928

Hardin

52 751 1,060

Henderson

140 1,089 743

Henry

1,018 13,405 993

Iroquois

659 7,018 1,053

Jackson

1,136 28,044 1,094

Jasper

245 2,060 962

Jefferson

851 18,957 1,169

Jersey

380 4,923 952

Jo Daviess

743 6,942 930

Johnson

193 2,672 1,192

Kane

13,223 207,898 1,274

Kankakee

2,151 40,743 1,127

Kendall

2,564 31,005 1,062

Knox

974 17,041 949

Lake

20,307 315,033 2,226

LaSalle

2,456 38,477 1,214

Lawrence

239 3,900 1,059

Lee

691 12,373 1,185

Livingston

862 14,012 1,179

Logan

546 7,417 1,051

McDonough

553 9,545 955

McHenry

8,060 94,945 1,104

McLean

3,433 87,253 1,498

Macon

1,940 44,935 1,559

Macoupin

918 9,695 940

Madison

5,478 108,335 1,197

Marion

788 12,388 1,010

Marshall

259 2,746 912

Mason

289 2,645 873

Massac

203 2,869 1,079

Menard

232 1,845 838

Mercer

303 3,134 840

Monroe

830 8,572 994

Montgomery

687 8,849 981

Morgan

709 13,487 1,087

Moultrie

357 5,059 1,103

Ogle

1,047 14,312 1,322

Peoria

3,987 99,013 1,805

Perry

323 4,267 970

Piatt

388 3,669 987

Pike

421 3,718 944

Pope

43 411 970

Pulaski

104 1,179 880

Putnam

170 1,948 1,267

Randolph

603 11,139 1,170

Richland

376 5,635 1,018

Rock Island

2,811 66,787 1,403

St. Clair

4,867 88,108 1,184

Saline

506 8,303 936

Sangamon

5,040 131,072 1,447

Schuyler

164 1,625 1,020

Scott

98 920 877

Shelby

476 4,767 963

Stark

151 1,592 1,107

Stephenson

1,023 16,709 1,225

Tazewell

2,587 45,820 1,226

Union

312 5,079 870

Vermilion

1,274 25,079 1,128

Wabash

278 3,286 1,045

Warren

367 6,315 886

Washington

391 5,989 1,107

Wayne

361 3,908 879

White

330 4,166 950

Whiteside

1,171 19,884 1,054

Will

16,223 265,689 1,208

Williamson

1,457 29,066 1,087

Winnebago

5,810 122,117 1,227

Woodford

805 11,035 1,050

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, first quarter 2026
State Establishments,
first quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2026
(thousands) 		Percent change,
March
2025-26 		First quarter
2026 ($) 		National ranking
by level 		Percent change,
first quarter
2025-26 		National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

12,381.8 154,771.9 0.1 1,654 -- 3.9 --

Alabama

168.7 2,121.2 0.7 1,292 38 3.6 28

Alaska

25.4 320.1 -1.3 1,519 18 4.8 6

Arizona

227.8 3,249.1 -0.6 1,495 21 4.5 10

Arkansas

109.4 1,305.2 -0.1 1,291 39 4.6 8

California

1,990.7 18,211.8 0.9 1,986 6 2.7 44

Colorado

264.7 2,848.5 -0.7 1,774 8 5.4 4

Connecticut

150.0 1,668.2 -0.4 2,080 4 5.2 5

Delaware

47.1 473.6 -0.3 1,606 15 3.1 39

District of Columbia

51.4 715.8 -4.5 2,725 1 4.5 10

Florida

894.1 9,962.8 0.0 1,518 19 4.3 13

Georgia

397.4 4,865.2 0.0 1,539 17 3.3 34

Hawaii

64.6 643.9 -0.3 1,387 29 1.7 51

Idaho

100.8 867.9 1.9 1,254 44 6.2 2

Illinois

389.4 5,992.4 0.0 1,731 9 4.1 16

Indiana

197.7 3,160.7 -0.1 1,356 30 2.7 44

Iowa

110.8 1,537.5 -0.1 1,301 36 3.9 22

Kansas

102.2 1,425.3 0.0 1,286 41 3.1 39

Kentucky

163.0 1,979.1 -0.4 1,248 45 2.9 43

Louisiana

159.6 1,917.2 -0.5 1,274 42 4.0 17

Maine

67.5 629.1 -0.5 1,327 34 3.5 30

Maryland

201.1 2,700.3 -1.7 1,676 10 2.7 44

Massachusetts

296.4 3,552.9 -0.9 2,201 3 4.8 6

Michigan

312.6 4,357.5 0.3 1,445 24 3.9 22

Minnesota

213.9 2,878.1 -0.3 1,630 14 3.8 24

Mississippi

93.3 1,162.9 -0.2 1,051 51 3.3 34

Missouri

263.5 2,890.5 0.1 1,354 31 3.4 32

Montana

63.2 506.6 0.6 1,229 48 3.5 30

Nebraska

78.9 1,008.2 -0.1 1,274 42 3.7 26

Nevada

112.8 1,575.7 2.0 1,391 28 2.1 50

New Hampshire

66.1 675.0 -1.2 1,656 12 3.0 41

New Jersey

343.4 4,247.8 0.0 1,879 7 3.3 34

New Mexico

67.1 867.4 -0.4 1,235 46 2.7 44

New York

710.5 9,743.6 -0.3 2,363 2 6.5 1

North Carolina

375.3 4,942.7 0.8 1,515 20 3.3 34

North Dakota

36.9 420.7 -0.5 1,333 33 2.4 49

Ohio

344.6 5,458.3 -0.2 1,417 26 4.0 17

Oklahoma

130.2 1,700.6 0.0 1,235 46 3.6 28

Oregon

173.5 1,952.3 -1.3 1,481 23 4.6 8

Pennsylvania

394.1 6,002.1 -0.1 1,550 16 3.3 34

Rhode Island

49.1 486.9 -0.6 1,487 22 4.2 14

South Carolina

193.1 2,326.6 0.7 1,296 37 4.0 17

South Dakota

41.1 451.7 0.2 1,211 49 4.2 14

Tennessee

228.1 3,254.1 -0.2 1,426 25 4.4 12

Texas

868.8 14,124.6 0.6 1,646 13 3.8 24

Utah

140.6 1,737.8 0.9 1,415 27 4.0 17

Vermont

33.4 304.2 -1.0 1,322 35 3.0 41

Virginia

324.8 4,118.7 -0.2 1,665 11 4.0 17

Washington

240.6 3,558.6 -0.2 1,998 5 2.7 44

West Virginia

63.0 693.3 -0.4 1,188 50 3.4 32

Wisconsin

208.0 2,902.6 0.0 1,353 32 3.7 26

Wyoming

31.8 275.2 -0.1 1,287 40 5.8 3

Puerto Rico

52.9 944.5 -0.8 724 (3) 3.4 (3)

Virgin Islands

2.9 34.9 1.2 1,054 (3) 1.5 (3)

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on September 04, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 04, 2026 at 16:32 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]