Unemployment for Knox County in December moved back towards summer levels at 4.8 percent.
According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, Knox County lost just over 2 percent of its labor force in 2019, continuing an unfortunate trend over the last several years.
Still, 4.8 percent unemployment is a much-improved mark over December 2018 when Knox’s unemployment was 6.2 percent.
The good news is that’s almost a point and a half improvement over a year prior. The bad side is that 600 people left the local workforce, a 2 percent decline for 2019.
Warren County’s unemployment rate crept upwards in December but still held at 3.8 percent, one of the lowest rates in West Central Illinois. Warren’s labor force also grew by about 60 people.
Stark County has unemployment of 5.8 percent and Fulton’s at 5.6.
The counties with the lowest unemployment rate are in the Northeastern portion of the state.
Illinois, as a state, has 3.6 percent unemployment, about in line with the national average, and Illinois has added about 65,000 to the workforce over the last 12 months.
