Illinois recorded a jobless rate of 4.5% in September, the second worst showing among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The September jobless rate in the Prairie State compares to a rate of 3.6% in December 2019, when Illinois recorded its lowest unemployment rate on record. Only the District of Columbia, with a jobless rate of 4.7% in September, had a larger share of jobless residents, the BLS reported in a news release.
The nonprofit research company Wirepoints reported that poor economic policies, from not addressing pension debts to giving excessive power to public-employee unions, are to blame for the unemployment numbers, as well as for major companies such as Boeing relocating to other states.
“Nothing state officials say can change the fact that Illinois is an extreme laggard both regionally and nationally when it comes to creating jobs,” Wirepoints said in a post.
Illinois has the highest unemployment rate among its Midwest neighbors, with Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri having jobless rates that are 1% to 2% lower than Illinois’.
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State Jobless Rates as of September 2020
| Rank | State | September 2022 Rate | Historical High Date | Historical High Rate | Historical Low Date | Historical Low Rate |
| 1 | District of Columbia | 4.7 | Mar. 1983 | 11.3 | Sept. 2022 | 4.7 |
| 2 | Illinois | 4.5 | Apr. 2020 | 17.4 | Dec. 2019 | 3.6 |
| 3 (tie) | Alaska | 4.4 | May 2020 | 11.9 | Sept. 2022 | 4.4 |
| 3 (tie) | Nevada | 4.4 | Apr. 2020 | 28.5 | Aug. 2019 | 3.7 |
| 5 (tie) | Delaware | 4.3 | May 2020 | 13.3 | May 1988 | 2.8 |
| 5 (tie) | New York | 4.3 | May 2020 | 16.5 | June 2019 | 3.7 |
| 7 | New Mexico | 4.2 | Mar. 1983 | 10.5 | Sept. 2007 | 3.5 |
| 8 (tie) | Michigan | 4.1 | Apr. 2020 | 22.7 | Feb. 2000 | 3.2 |
| 8 (tie) | Pennsylvania | 4.1 | Apr. 2020 | 16.5 | Sept. 2022 | 4.1 |
| 10 (tie) | Connecticut | 4 | May 2020 | 11.4 | Aug. 2000 | 2 |
| 10 (tie) | Maryland | 4 | May 2020 | 9.5 | May 2019 | 3.1 |
| 10 (tie) | Ohio | 4 | Apr. 2020 | 16.4 | Mar. 2001 | 3.8 |
| 10 (tie) | Texas | 4 | Apr. 2020 | 12.6 | Jan. 2020 | 3.4 |
| 10 (tie) | West Virginia | 4 | Mar. 1983 | 18.4 | May 2022 | 3.5 |
| 15 | California | 3.9 | May 2020 | 16.1 | Sept. 2022 | 3.9 |
| 16 (tie) | Kentucky | 3.8 | Apr. 2020 | 16.5 | July 2022 | 3.7 |
| 16 (tie) | Oregon | 3.8 | Apr. 2020 | 13.3 | Feb. 2020 | 3.4 |
| 18 (tie) | Arizona | 3.7 | Apr. 2020 | 13.9 | May 2022 | 3.2 |
| 18 (tie) | Washington | 3.7 | Apr. 2020 | 16.8 | Sept. 2022 | 3.7 |
| 20 (tie) | Mississippi | 3.6 | Apr. 2020 | 15.4 | Sept. 2022 | 3.6 |
| 20 (tie) | North Carolina | 3.6 | Apr. 2020 | 14.2 | Mar. 1999 | 3.1 |
| 22 (tie) | Arkansas | 3.5 | Mar. 1983 | 10.1 | Mar. 2022 | 3.1 |
| 22 (tie) | Hawaii | 3.5 | Apr. 2020 | 22.4 | Nov. 2019 | 1.9 |
| 24 (tie) | Colorado | 3.4 | May 2020 | 11.8 | May 2017 | 2.4 |
| 24 (tie) | Louisiana | 3.4 | Apr. 2020 | 13.5 | Sept. 2022 | 3.4 |
| 24 (tie) | Massachusetts | 3.4 | Apr. 2020 | 17.1 | Nov. 2000 | 2.7 |
| 24 (tie) | Tennessee | 3.4 | Apr. 2020 | 15.9 | Apr. 2022 | 3.2 |
| 28 (tie) | Maine | 3.3 | May 2020 | 9.2 | June 2019 | 2.6 |
| 28 (tie) | New Jersey | 3.3 | May 2020 | 15.8 | June 2019 | 3.2 |
| 28 (tie) | Wyoming | 3.3 | Jan. 1987 | 9.1 | May 1979 | 2.3 |
| 31 (tie) | Oklahoma | 3.2 | Apr. 2020 | 12.6 | Feb. 2022 | 2.6 |
| 31 (tie) | South Carolina | 3.2 | Dec. 2009 | 12.1 | Sept. 2019 | 2.4 |
| 31 (tie) | Wisconsin | 3.2 | Apr. 2020 | 14.1 | Apr. 2022 | 2.8 |
| 34 | Rhode Island | 3.1 | Apr. 2020 | 18.4 | July 2022 | 2.7 |
| 35 | Montana | 2.9 | Apr. 2020 | 12.2 | Apr. 2022 | 2.3 |
| 36 (tie) | Georgia | 2.8 | Apr. 2020 | 12.3 | Sept. 2022 | 2.8 |
| 36 (tie) | Idaho | 2.8 | Apr. 2020 | 11.8 | June 2022 | 2.5 |
| 36 (tie) | Indiana | 2.8 | Apr. 2020 | 16.8 | May 2022 | 2.2 |
| 39 | Iowa | 2.7 | Apr. 2020 | 10.5 | July 2018 | 2.4 |
| 40 (tie) | Alabama | 2.6 | Jan. 1983 | 14.9 | Sept. 2022 | 2.6 |
| 40 (tie) | Kansas | 2.6 | Apr. 2020 | 12.2 | May 2022 | 2.3 |
| 40 (tie) | Virginia | 2.6 | Apr. 2020 | 11.6 | Nov. 2000 | 2.1 |
| 43 | Florida | 2.5 | May 2020 | 13.9 | June 2006 | 2.4 |
| 44 | Missouri | 2.4 | Apr. 2020 | 11.2 | Sept. 2022 | 2.4 |
| 45 (tie) | South Dakota | 2.3 | Apr. 2020 | 8.8 | Sept. 2022 | 2.3 |
| 45 (tie) | Nebraska | 2.2 | Apr. 2020 | 8.2 | June 2022 | 1.9 |
| 45 (tie) | New Hampshire | 2.2 | Apr. 2020 | 16.2 | Aug. 2022 | 2 |
| 45 (tie) | North Dakota | 2.2 | Apr. 2020 | 8.3 | Dec. 2019 | 2 |
| 49 (tie) | Utah | 2.1 | Apr. 2020 | 10 | Apr. 2022 | 1.9 |
| 49 (tie) | Vermont | 2.1 | Apr. 2020 | 14.3 | Sept. 2022 | 2.1 |
| 51 | Minnesota | 2 | May 2020 | 10.8 | July 2022 | 1.8 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
