Unemployment Falls Across Illinois; Ogle, Lee, and DeKalb Counties Outpace Statewide Rate Drop

SPRINGFIELD — Unemployment rates fell in all 12 Illinois metro areas in June, with Ogle, Lee, and DeKalb counties each seeing sharper declines than the statewide drop of 1.2 percentage points. Ogle County’s rate fell to 3.7% from 4.9%, Lee dropped to 3.8% from 5.3%, and DeKalb declined to 3.8% from 4.9%, while Illinois overall landed at 4.5%. Job growth in Ogle lagged, with total nonfarm employment down by 50, while Lee and DeKalb showed steadier performance. Statewide, Illinois added 35,100 jobs over the year, led by the Chicago metro area with a gain of 28,400.