Chicago Jobless Rate Slightly Higher Than 2012

Unemployment rates in Illinois dropped from March 2013 to April, though they're still higher than this time last year, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

IDES generally reports unemployment figures for municipalities with populations of 25,000 or more people. The numbers measure unemployment for residents who live in a certain town, not those who work in the town.

In Chicago, the month-to-month change was just 0.1 percent. But the jobless rate in April was 10.3 percent, up 0.4 percent from the same time in 2012. 

"For the first time since last December, the over-the-year monthly unemployment rates decreased in a majority of our metro areas in Illinois," IDES Director Jay Rowell said in a news release. "While this is hopefully an indicator of an improving labor market, as in past months, it might be a continuation of the uneven national economic recovery."

Statewide the unemployment rate decreased 0.7 percent from March to April. Compared to April 2012, unemployment in Illinois has increased 0.2 percent.

The U.S. average unemployment rate was 7.1 percent in April 2013, down from the rate in March  2013 and April 2012. See below for local unemployment rates near you, or go to the IDES website for a full list of municipalities. 

Area | April 2013 | March 2013 | April 2012 | % COM* | % COY**

• Chicago | 10.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 | -0.1 | 0.4 
• Cook County | 9.6 | 9.7 | 9.1 | -0.1 | 0.5 
• Illinois | 8.7 | 9.4 | 8.5 | -0.7 | 0.2
• U.S. Average | 7.1 | 7.6 | 7.7 | -0.5 | -0.6