How many jobs were added in last month?

Updated May. 22, 2026Refreshed monthly
Illinois gained 11,400 jobs in April 2026, ranking it sixth among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 6,500 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.

+11.4K

month to month change in number of jobs (April 2026)

6th

rank among states in monthly job growth (April 2026)
April 2026's gain of 11,400 jobs was the second consecutive month of positive job growth in Illinois. Monthly job growth was up from the 10,300 new jobs in March 2026.
During the latest five year period (May 2021 to April 2026), Illinois gained jobs in 37 out of 60 months. April 2026 had the 16th-highest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in October 2021 (+60,800) while job growth was weakest in July 2023 (-24,400).

There were 11,400 more jobs in April 2026 in Illinois than the previous month.

Monthly change in nonfarm employment, May 2021–April 2026, seasonally adjusted

Which Illinois sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in April 2026?

The three supersectors with the highest job growth in April 2026 were transportation, warehousing, and utilities, accommodation and food services, and health care and social assistance. Transportation, warehousing, and utilities added 3,000 jobs, more than the entire economy. Accommodation and food services gained 2,300 jobs, while health care and social assistance added 2,200. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.

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The health care and social assistance sector gained 2,200 jobs during April 2026.

Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Illinois (April 2026)

How does Illinois's job growth in 2026 compare to previous years?

In 2025, the state has lost an average of 525 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 3,100, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as fourth-lowest in job growth since 2006.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 22,400 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 7,200 on average every month in 2014.

In 2025, Illinois lost an average of 525 jobs every month.

Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted

Job growth among eight metro areas primarily in Illinois during April 2026 ranged from a loss of 100 jobs in the Rockford, IL area to a gain of 8,400 jobs in the Chicago, IL area metro area.

Monthly job growth, by metro area

Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Illinois

Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areaChange in jobs

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.