The unemployment rate in Lake County stood at 8.6 percent in August, nearly mirroring the national average and 2.4 percent below the statewide jobless rate, according to new data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
Unemployment rates among Illinois’ 101 counties ranged from a high of 13.7 percent in Cook County to 4.1 percent in Brown County. Lake County ranked in a four-way tie for the 30th highest jobless rate among Illinois counties, the department reported.
Overall, the statewide unemployment rate in August was 7.2 percentage points above where it was a year ago, when only 3.8 percent of Illinois residents lacked jobs. The Illinois unemployment rate dropped 0.5 percent between July and August as the economy continued to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic.
The sectors of the state economy that gained the most jobs in August were leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, and government, the IDES said.
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Illinois Unemployment Rate by County
| Rank | County | Jobless Rate |
| 1 | Cook | 13.7% |
| 2 | Winnebago | 11.6% |
| 3 | Peoria | 11.3% |
| 4 | Macon | 11.2% |
| 5 | Pulaski | 11.1% |
| 6 | Will | 10.9% |
| 7 | Alexander | 10.8% |
| 8 | Saline | 10.5% |
| 9 | St. Clair | 10.2% |
| 10 | Franklin | 10.1% |
| 11 | Hardin | 10.0% |
| 12 | Boone | 9.8% |
| 13 (tie) | Kane | 9.6% |
| 13 (tie) | Kendall | 9.6% |
| 15 (tie) | McHenry | 9.4% |
| 15 (tie) | Grundy | 9.4% |
| 15 (tie) | Massac | 9.4% |
| 18 (tie) | LaSalle | 9.3% |
| 18 (tie) | DuPage | 9.3% |
| 18 (tie) | Vermillion | 9.3% |
| 21 (tie) | Rock Island | 9.2% |
| 21 (tie) | Jefferson | 9.2% |
| 23 (tie) | Knox | 9.1% |
| 23 (tie) | Montgomery | 9.1% |
| 23 (tie) | Johnson | 9.1% |
| 26 (tie) | Kankakee | 8.9% |
| 26 (tie) | Gallatin | 8.9% |
| 28 (tie) | DeKalb | 8.7% |
| 28 (tie) | Coles | 8.7% |
| 30 (tie) | Lake | 8.6% |
| 30 (tie) | Sangamon | 8.6% |
| 30 (tie) | Marion | 8.6% |
| 30 (tie) | Perry | 8.6% |
| 34 (tie) | Fulton | 8.5% |
| 34 (tie) | Christian | 8.5% |
| 34 (tie) | Jackson | 8.5% |
| 34 (tie) | Williamson | 8.5% |
| 38 (tie) | Tazewell | 8.4% |
| 38 (tie) | Madison | 8.4% |
| 40 (tie) | Whiteside | 8.2% |
| 40 (tie) | Mason | 8.2% |
| 40 (tie) | Clay | 8.2% |
| 43 (tie) | Ogle | 8.0% |
| 43 (tie) | McDonough | 8.0% |
| 43 (tie) | Fayette | 8.0% |
| 46 | Lawrence | 7.9% |
| 47 | Union | 7.8% |
| 47 (tie) | Pope | 7.8% |
| 49 (tie) | Jo Daviess | 7.6% |
| 49 (tie) | Stephenson | 7.6% |
| 49 (tie) | Champaign | 7.6% |
| 52 | Henry | 7.5% |
| 53 (tie) | Marshall | 7.4% |
| 53 (tie) | Morgan | 7.4% |
| 55 (tie) | Putnam | 7.3% |
| 55 (tie) | Jersey | 7.3% |
| 55 (tie) | Crawford | 7.3% |
| 55 (tie) | Bond | 7.3% |
| 55 (tie) | Wayne | 7.3% |
| 60 (tie) | McLean | 7.2% |
| 60 (tie) | Clark | 7.2% |
| 62 (tie) | Lee | 7.1% |
| 62 (tie) | Bureau | 7.1% |
| 62 (tie) | Logan | 7.1% |
| 65 (tie) | De Witt | 7.0% |
| 65 (tie) | Calhoun | 7.0% |
| 65 (tie) | Greene | 7.0% |
| 68 (tie) | Macoupin | 6.9% |
| 68 (tie) | Richland | 6.9% |
| 70 (tie) | Effingham | 6.8% |
| 70 (tie) | White | 6.8% |
| 72 (tie) | Stark | 6.7% |
| 72 (tie) | Livingston | 6.7% |
| 72 (tie) | Ford | 6.7% |
| 72 (tie) | Cass | 6.7% |
| 72 (tie) | Shelby | 6.7% |
| 72 (tie) | Randolph | 6.7% |
| 78 | Edgar | 6.6% |
| 79 | Hancock | 6.5% |
| 80 | Woodford | 6.4% |
| 81 (tie) | Adams | 6.3% |
| 81 (tie) | Wabash | 6.3% |
| 81 (tie) | Edwards | 6.3% |
| 84 (tie) | Carroll | 6.1% |
| 84 (tie) | Warren | 6.1% |
| 84 (tie) | Douglas | 6.1% |
| 87 | Henderson | 6.0% |
| 88 (tie) | Iroquois | 5.9% |
| 88 (tie) | Hamilton | 5.9% |
| 88 (tie) | Menard | 5.9% |
| 91 (tie) | Piatt | 5.8% |
| 91 (tie) | Schuyler | 5.8% |
| 93 | Cumberland | 5.7% |
| 94 (tie) | PIke | 5.6% |
| 94 (tie) | Scott | 5.6% |
| 94 (tie) | Jasper | 5.6% |
| 94 (tie) | Clinton | 5.6% |
| 94 (tie) | Monroe | 5.6% |
| 99 | Moultrie | 5.5% |
| 100 | Washington | 4.5% |
| 101 | Brown | 4.1% |
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