Unemployment in the Springfield area increased slightly in August from a year earlier, although about 1,500 more jobs were reported.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security said more than 113,000 nonfarm payrolls were recorded in the Springfield metro area in August.
The largest increases were in information and government sectors. The area jobless rate was 4.5 percent, up from 4.4 percent in August 2024, while the city of Springfield reported 5.1 percent unemployment in August, two-tenths of a percentage point higher than one year earlier.
