Characteristics of the Employed and Unemployed in Illinois: Tracking Differences Among Demographic Groups

(April 2025)

Each month, the Illinois Department of Employment Security releases the latest unemployment rate for Illinois. But, unlike at the national level, there are no monthly Illinois data reported by demographic characteristics or groups, such as gender, race/ethnicity, and age group. The national household survey, known as the Current Population Survey or CPS, is large enough to support the publication of reliable monthly national labor force characteristics but not the publication of monthly characteristics at the state or substate levels. Nonetheless, we can still track the current and historical labor force, employment, and unemployment status among men, women, minorities and younger and older workers in Illinois, using 12-month moving average estimates from the CPS, developed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The data highlights and charts that follow provide a few examples of how one can analyze and compare average unemployment rates, labor participation rates, and employment participation rates by demographic groups. The data cited cover years 2015-2025. You can find links to data and charts for other demographic groups within each section below. A glossary of terms and concepts used in the CPS can be found here.

The chart below shows 12-month moving average unemployment rates by race, ethnicity, Hispanic Origin. Unemployment rates for Asians were excluded from the chart as they are only reported annually at the state-level by the BLS. A report including average unemployment rates, and accompanying charts, for all available demographic groups will be updated each month and found here.

• The white unemployment rate steadily decreased from 5.8 percent in January 2015 to as low as 3.2 percent in March 2020. However, it quickly rose as high as 9.3 percent in March 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2023, the unemployment rate for whites had fallen to just above pre-pandemic levels, but since then it has steadily risen and remained at about 4.5 percent through March 2025.

• The Hispanic unemployment rate decreased from 8.1 percent in May 2015 to as low as 3.5 percent in November 2019. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it rose to as high as 12.8 percent in March 2021 It steadily decreased to 4.4 percent in December 2023—though it never returned to pre-pandemic levels—and has risen steadily since, reaching just above 7.0 percent in 2025.

The chart below shows 12-month moving average labor force participation rates for all Illinois residents in the labor force and by gender. A report including average labor force participation rates and accompanying charts for all available demographic groups will be updated each month and found here.

• While it is well known that men have reported higher labor force participation rates than women, the gender gap has narrowed since 2015. In 2015, the average male labor force participation rate in Illinois was between 70.0 and 71.0 percent and 11 to 12 points higher than average female labor force participation rate. However, by January 2025, the labor force participation rate for men had decreased to 69.9 percent and the gender gap narrowed to less than 10 percentage points. The average male labor force participation rate experienced a small increase in 2015 and 2016, hit an all-time low during the COVID-19 pandemic of 67.5 percent in March 2021, and rebounded to just below 70.0 percent in 2024.

• As was the case with men, the average labor force participation rate for women decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as compared to men, the net decline from the highest participation rate to the lowest participation rate during the past decade was much smaller and over a shorter period. Between January 2015 and the start of the pandemic in March 2020, the average labor force participation rate for women hovered just around 59.0 percent. Due to the pandemic, however, it dropped from 59.3 in February 2020 to 57.4 percent in July 2021, a decline of 1.9 points. By comparison, men reported a net labor force participation rate decrease of 6.0 points, from a peak level of 71.4 percent in April 2016 to 67.5 percent in March 2021, a difference of 3.9 points. As of March 2025, the average labor force participation rate for women was 60.0 percent,  surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

The chart below shows 12-month moving average employment participation rates by age group. A report including average employment participation rates and accompanying charts for all available demographic groups will be updated each month and found here​.

• The percentage of prime-working age (25-54) Illinois residents who were employed remained high throughout the past decade, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. The average employment participation rate was around 80.0 percent before the pandemic, but it fell to 75.5 percent in March 2021. However, it gradually improved and is at 81.5 percent as of March 2025.
• As might be expected given their age and likelihood of retirement, the oldest age group (55 years of age and older) had the lowest average employment participation rate, with fewer than half employed. Their average employment participation rate hit a peak of 42.7 percent in November 2016. During the pandemic, this rate dropped, but not as dramatically as the other age groups, as only 36.2 percent of this age group were employed in February 2021. By 2022, the age 55 and over group’s average employment participation rate had recovered, and it has remained relatively stable, ranging between 39.0 and 40.0 percent.