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Where Workers Work

Where Workers Work is a report that features private sector employment totals, tabulated by major NAICS industry sector, for six northeastern Illinois counties (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will), major communities in each of these counties, and neighborhoods (associated with ZIP codes) within the City of Chicago. The report is based on March employment data and is produced once a year..

Where Workers Work utilizes administrative data collected under the Illinois Unemployment Insurance Act. The Act requires employers to report their employment, and this information becomes part of the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages database (QCEW) on which Where Workers Work is based. The Act does not require employers to report their employment by individual work locations. However, data in Where Workers Work do, wherever possible, reflect actual worksites of work locations. It should be noted that specific community data may be impacted to a significant extent by employer reporting inconsistencies.

QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are simply the sums of individual establishment records and reflect the number of establishments that exist in a county or industry at a point in time. Establishments can move in or out of a county or industry for a number of reasons--some reflecting economic events, others reflecting administrative changes. For example, economic change would come from a firm relocating into the county; administrative change would come from a company correcting its county designation.

Where Workers Work Data (2001-2023)

Tables 1-16 are tabulations of private sector employment, by major NAICS-industry sector for the Chicago six-county area, the city of Chicago, each of the six counties (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will), major communities in each of these counties, and neighborhoods (associated with ZIP codes) within the City of Chicago.

Tables 17-32 are historical data tables based on total employment numbers for the same geographic regions used in Tables 1-16.

Tables 33-35 are historical data tables for the total number of business establishments for the same geographic regions used in Tables 1-16.

The Where Workers Work publication includes technical notes, geographic definitions, and maps showing the areas included in the report.

For each year, a PDF publication, an Excel version of tables 1-16, and a ZIP version of all Excel tables is available.

If you’re having difficulty finding what you need, please submit your data request or questions to DES.LMI@illinois.gov.