Prairie State Wire

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