The Best & Worst Cities in Illinois for Jobs: Report

Several suburban towns have been ranked among the best cities in Illinois for jobs in a report recently released by personal-finance website WalletHub.

WalletHub’s analysts compared 162 cities across 16 key metrics of job-market health, ranging from employment growth to median monthly starting salary to unemployment rate in order to come up with its 2016's Best & Worst Illinois Cities for Jobs.

Here is a look at the best, and the worst, Illinois cities for jobs:

Best Illinois Cities for Jobs

1. Libertyville
2. Grayslake
3. Frankfort
4. Northbrook
5. Vernon Hills
6. Schaumburg
7. Deerfield
8. South Elgin
9. Lemont
10. Downers Grove

Worst Illinois Cities for Jobs

• 153: Maywood
• 154: Granite City
• 155: Park Forest
• 156: Chicago Heights
• 157: Carbondale
• 158: Kankakee
• 159: Dolton
• 160: Calumet City
• 161: East St. Louis
• 162: Harvey

Waukegan, North Chicago and Zion have the highest monthly median starting salary, which is adjusted by cost of living, at $3,440.40. This amount is three times higher than in Hinsdale, the city with the lowest, at $1,697, according to WalletHub.

Here are other key findings from the report:

• Frankfort has the lowest unemployment rate for high school graduates, 2.3 percent, which is 11 times lower than in Harvey, the city with the highest, at 25.5 percent.
• Sterling has the lowest unemployment rate for residents with at least a bachelor’s degree, 0.5 percent, which is 38 times lower than in East St. Louis, the city with the highest, at 18.8 percent.
• Montgomery has the lowest number of part-time employees for every 100 full-time employees, 42.08, which is six times lower than in Carbondale, the city with the highest, with 234.78.
• Plainfield has the highest median annual income (adjusted for cost of living), $93,728, which is five times higher than in Carbondale, the city with the lowest, $19,641.

For the full report and to see where your city ranks, visit WalletHub.com.

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