The number of nonfarm jobs increased by nearly 7,000 over the year in Illinois, although most of the increase was concentrated in Champaign and the Chicago area according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
The Springfield area reported 1,800 fewer jobs than one year ago with 107,400 nonfarm payrolls. Most of the area’s decrease in jobs was in government and retail trade.
The Springfield area unemployment rate for August was 3.7 percent, down a full percentage point from August 2025.
