Report: Jobless Numbers Down From October 2011

Jobless rates in Illinois increased slightly from September 2012 to October but still are down from a year earlier, according to new figures released last week.

October local unemployment rates fell in every metro area compared to last year, according to data released by the U.S. Labor Department and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

In Kane County’s portion of St. Charles, the jobless rate rose a half of a percentage point from September to October 2012; but October’s numbers dropped 1.4 points from a year earlier.

In the DuPage County portion of the city, there was no month-to-month change, although unemployment dropped 3.9 percentage points from October 2011 to October 2012.

“Falling unemployment rates across our state and the lowest October rates since 2008 show that that our steady economic progress continues,” Illinois Department of Employment Security Director Jay Rowell said in a news release. “We now look to Congress to address the fiscal cliff. If not resolved, our future economic progress will be in jeopardy.”

The Illinois Department of Employment Security generally reports jobless 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.

Statewide the jobless rate increased from 8.1 percent in September 2012 to 8.4 percent in October. Compared to October 2011, unemployment in Illinois has dropped 1.2 percent. 

The U.S. average jobless rate was 7.5 percent in October 2012. 

City/County
State/Nation

Oct. 2012

Sept. 2012

Oct. 2011

Percent Change Over Month

Percent Change Over Year

Aurora

8.0

7.6

8.8

0.4

-0.8

Batavia

7.1

6.7

7.8

0.4

-0.7

Elgin

8.7

8.2

10.7

0.5

-2.0

St. Charles (Kane County portion)

6.5

6.0

7.9

0.5

-1.4

St. Charles (DuPage County portion)

2.4

2.4

6.3

0.0

-3.9

Kane County

7.8

7.3

9.0

0.5

-1.2

DuPage County

6.9

6.5

7.8

0.4

-0.9

Illinois

8.4

8.1

9.6

0.3

-1.2

U.S. average

7.5

7.6

8.5

-0.1

-1.0

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